A ‘safe harbour’? London needs more ambition than that Opinion Boring stability might win London short-term preference, but it won't see us win the race for any bigger prizes, writes Janine Hirt.
Alastair Lukies: AI is humanising tech and will positively impact us all Opinion Fintech pioneer Alastair Lukies takes us through his career, from Monitise to his new AI endeavour, in this week's Square Mile and Me.
Exclusive: Fintech unicorns lukewarm on Reeves’ stamp duty holiday Markets Two of Britain’s most exciting IPO candidates have told peers that the Treasury’s recent overhaul of stamp duty on shares will not be enough to convince them to list in London, City AM can reveal. Payments giant Zilch and banking software provider Thought Machine both used a recent meeting of industry heavyweights to raise concerns [...]
Fintechs should avoid ‘trap’ of early IPO, warns top London VC investor January 26, 2026 Fintech firms considering joining the public markets should avoid the “trap” of floating too early or risk “disaster”, a top London venture capital investor has warned. Speaking at an Innovate Finance panel discussion chaired by City AM, James Codling, managing partner of VC firm Volution, said fintechs must make sure they “get to the right [...]
Janine Hirt: Brits network differently to Americans December 11, 2025 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Janine Hirt, CEO of Innovate Finance takes us through her career in Square Mile and Me What was your first job? I held down several odd jobs while working my way through university, including being a librarian, legal assistant, and a [...]
Zilch hikes provisions amid ‘record year’ for customer growth August 13, 2025 UK fintech Zilch raised its provisions for losses in the last year as demand for buy now, pay later services ballooned. The London-headquartered firm raised provisions for credit losses – funds set aside to cover estimated losses from failed repayments – to £27.4m – a 116 per cent jump from £12.7m the year prior. Credit [...]
Was Reeves’ Spending Review a fintech endorsement? June 14, 2025 Rachel Reeves has promised to back UK fintech and in Labour’s inaugural Spending Review, she piled billions into the tech sector. The Chancellor handed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) a hefty £16.5bn budget as she took the chop to other departments. DSIT’s expenditure limit is set to grow 7.4 per cent by [...]
Klarna, Zilch, Clearpay: What does the buy now pay later crackdown mean for UK fintech? May 20, 2025 The Treasury’s regulatory shakeup of buy now pay later services is set to reshape the UK fintech landscape and industry leaders have been left with questions. The UK government will enact legislation that brings buy now pay later firms under the scrutiny of the Financial Conduct Authority. This means firms such as Klarna and Clearpay [...]
Rachel Reeves has promised UK fintech the world – now she must deliver May 4, 2025 Judgement day looms for Rachel Reeves, and UK fintech will be handing her the verdict. In a keynote speech at Innovate Finance’s 11th global summit, the Chancellor confirmed the Treasury’s inaugural Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy would be published on 15 July. Reeves has lauded the industry’s growth and touted the achievements of fintech [...]
Rate setter calls for market digitalisation and touts Bank of England’s flexibility April 29, 2025 Bank of England rate setter Dave Ramsden has called for bold action on digitalisation in a rebuke of concerns that the Bank’s prescriptive rules were stifling innovation. Speaking at the Innovate Finance Global Summit on Tuesday, the central bank Deputy Governor said widespread innovation in wholesale financial markets from authorities and industry would boost the [...]