Investors risk losing life savings with unregulated services, watchdog warns Regulation The UK’s financial watchdog has warned everyday investors could lose their life savings if they pump cash into high-risk unregulated investment services. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said the recent failure of Woodville Consultants, a litigation funder which raised cashed through unregulated loan notes, had revealed the risks facing investors. Woodville collapsed in July [...]
Monzo chair makes early exit after boardroom rift Fintech The chair of Monzo will make an early exit from the UK fintech next month following a period of a turmoil in the neobank’s boardroom. Garry Hoffman will step down from his role as soon as next month, ending his tenure over a year earlier than his nine-year term permits. He will be replaced by [...]
‘We have been ignored for most of our life,’ says FTSE 100’s newest bank Banking Lion Finance thought of itself as the London Stock Exchange’s wallflower. But after its promotion the the market’s blue-chip index earlier this year, the bank is finally getting noticed. Shares in the group formerly known as Bank of Georgia have enjoyed a quiet ascent since the beginning of 2022. In that four-year window the stock [...]
Ten bold ideas to fire up the British economy August 13, 2026 City AM is about to take its traditional two-week break from printing the newspaper. Very French of us, I know. Don’t worry – the team’s not going anywhere and the website, app, newsletters and studios will continue to fire on all cylinders. But since this is the last Editor’s Letter I’ll pen before we fire [...]
Burnham’s devolution drive could ‘push 90,000 jobs out of London’ August 12, 2026 Roughly 90,000 of London’s white-collar jobs could be pushed into other parts of the country as Andy Burnham accelerates his devolution drive, a top recruitment firm has predicted. Legal, banking and accounting firms could be among those to shift thousands of jobs away from the capital in a bid to capitalise on the Prime Minister’s [...]
Aberdeen is back in the FTSE 100 but is Interactive Investor holding it up? August 12, 2026 Five years ago former Aberdeen chief executive Stephen Bird made what would prove to be a disastrous choice when he chose to rebrand the investment manager abrdn. The decision was widely mocked across the Square Mile – including earning the odd jibe in these pages. Some have called Bird’s decision the beginning of his downfall [...]
Retail investors are returning to UK markets August 12, 2026 For decades, British retail investors have snubbed their home market. But in 2026 things are changing, writes Rupert Hargreaves.
UK economy to ‘reverse gains’ as construction drags growth August 11, 2026 The UK economy’s modest gains from the first half of the year are set to be reversed as the flagging construction industry is set to hammer growth prospects, economists have said. A poll of economists, tracked by Bloomberg, believe GDP contracted by 0.1 per cent in June, partly unwinding previous gains. Pantheon Macroeconomics analysts said [...]
Boutique London advisory firm lands £8m funding amid M&A frenzy August 11, 2026 A boutique M&A advisory firm has landed £8m in fresh funding as it seeks to capitalise on a wave of takeover activity, City AM can reveal. London-based Lava Advisory Partners, which was founded in 2020, secured the debt finance from specialist SME lender Beechbrook Capital. The B Corp-certified firm said it would use the cash [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown orders staff back to office August 9, 2026 The UK’s largest DIY investment site is ordering employees back to the office from the start of next year. Hargreaves Lansdown will order its staff into the workplace for three days a week, shortly after the firm moves into its new Bristol office. The wealth manager, which was acquired by buyout firms including CVC Capital [...]