Will London take New York’s fintech crown? March 21, 2025 According to Z/Yen’s 37th Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 37), the Square Mile is snapping at the heels of the Big Apple.
UK ambassadors to have growth ‘KPIs’, foreign secretary tells trade summit March 21, 2025 The UK’s ambassadors will have “KPIs that contribute to our economic growth” as diplomats shift to a more economic mindset, the foreign secretary has said. David Lammy told an audience of businesses that he wants the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to become the “international delivery arm of the government’s missions, the first of [...]
Week in Business: Is Keir Starmer leading the UK into recession? March 20, 2025 Following the PM's punchy op-ed in City AM, Editor Christian May gives his reaction to Starmer's article and puts the Prime Minister's prose in context.
City regulator appoints Asia-Pacific director in growth push March 20, 2025 A top director at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will head up a new role in Asia as part of the regulator’s bid to boost growth, City AM has learned. Camille Blackburn, who is currently the director of wholesale buy-side at the regulator, will head up growth operations in the Asia-Pacific region. This follows the [...]
SMEs delay investments as uncertainty leaves firms on edge March 18, 2025 Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) are delaying investment decisions, a new survey has found, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement threatens to stifle businesses. Uncertainty brought by an escalating global trade war and Reeves’ proposed reforms is making business leaders think twice about their appetite for investments in the short term. The latest survey of [...]
Reeves doubles down on fiscal rules amidst waning headroom March 17, 2025 Rachel Reeves doubled down on her fiscal rules in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday, despite speculation that economic conditions have left the chancellor with little or no room for manoeuvre. Following the Autumn Budget, Reeves was left with a £9.9bn buffer to maintain her key rule for day-to-day spending to be funded by [...]
I’ll cut regulation and unleash the animal spirits of the private sector March 17, 2025 In an exclusive article for City AM, the Prime Minister says “it is an outrage that government does not know how much it costs business to comply with the regulations imposed on them” and declares that his “will be the first government to baseline these costs” – before slashing them. Last week, I set out [...]
Over half of business leaders expect a recession this year March 17, 2025 Business leaders’ confidence is at a “crossroads” just weeks ahead of the Government’s tax hikes kicking in, according to fresh research. BCG’s Centre for Growth surveyed 1,500 bosses in its “State of UK Business” report and found 57 per think a recession is likely this year. This follows Friday’s release from the Office for National [...]
City regulator considering scrapping £100 contactless limit March 14, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced on Friday it was looking for opinions on scrapping the contactless card limit and whether changes could benefit the UK economy. The current cap prohibits customers from making contactless card payments of more than £100 – however, the rule is set for review in a bid to boost growth. [...]
Reeves to announce £2bn defence boost to secure more orders from allies March 14, 2025 The government has pledged an extra £2bn to support UK defence exporters in a bid to unlock more orders from international allies. This increases the lending capacity of the UK Export Finance’s (UKEF), the country’s official export credit agency, to £10bn. The UKEF’s Direct Lending scheme provides loans to other countries, which allow them to [...]