Exclusive: Starling’s top investor withdraws support for London IPO February 4, 2026 Starling’s elusive billionaire backer has gone cold on his ambition for the digital bank to list in London, City AM can reveal, in a move that will heighten fears of the fintech heading to New York for its highly-anticipated IPO. Harald McPike had lobbied for the group to launch its initial public offering in London [...]
Musk’s SpaceX swallows xAI ahead of mega IPO February 3, 2026 Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has acquired his AI firm xAI in a deal valuing the combined business at roughly $1.25 trillion (£910bn) as the billionaire tightens control of his empire, ahead of a long-trailed IPO. The all-stock transaction, announced on SpaceX’s own website on Monday, values SpaceX at about $1 trillion, and xAI at [...]
CAB Payments rejects ‘highly opportunistic’ Helios takeover bid February 2, 2026 London fintech CAB Payments has pushed back against another takeover proposal from African-focused private investment giant Helios. The firm – which was behind the “worst IPO of the year” in 2023 – has said the increased takeover proposal from a consortium led by Helios Investment Partners was “highly opportunistic” and undervalued the company’s future. Helios [...]
Is Musk’s SpaceX IPO date written in the stars? January 28, 2026 SpaceX may be aiming for the stars in more ways than one as Elon Musk has floated the idea of timing the rocket maker’s IPO to coincide with a rare planetary alignment, as well as his own birthday. The tentative window is mid-June, when Jupiter and Venus will appear unusually close together in the night sky, a [...]
Loveholidays eyes £1bn London IPO as soon as March January 27, 2026 London’s public markets could be set for a blockbuster £1bn spring listing from one of Britain’s largest online travel agents, giving the bourse welcome momentum in the new year after a strong end to 2025. Loveholidays’ private equity owners, Livingbridge, has reportedly added Investec to its roster of banks preparing to launch a listing. According [...]
Traditional legal model shaken by investor interest and IPO ambitions January 26, 2026 External investment is increasing in mid-size legal firms, according to a new report, which revealed that nearly 70 per cent of firms have been approached by private equity investors or PE-backed entities in the last year. New data from MHA, in conjunction with the Law Society, shared with City AM, shows that the majority of [...]
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 [...]
Elon Musk’s Space X in talks with Wall Street banks over mega IPO January 23, 2026 Elon Musk’s aerospace firm Space X is holding early-stage discussions with a flurry of leading Wall Street banks about a potential listing that could rank among the largest market debuts ever. According to the Financial Times, the company is considering Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America for senior roles on [...]
Knoops to open first US store as international expansion gathers pace January 20, 2026 Knoops is gearing up to open its first US store as the chocolate drinks brand’s international expansion gathers pace. The London-based business said it will open a store in Utah in April as part of plans to have over 160 locations in the US over the next six years. Knoops, which was founded in Sussex [...]
Wise reports jump in users ahead of US dual listing January 20, 2026 Money transfer firm Wise delivered a bumper third-quarter as the UK fintech continued to lay the groundwork for its US dual listing. The payments firm recorded a 26 per cent surge in cross-border volumes to £47.4bn in its latest quarter as its customer base swelled. Wise said it now served near-11m users, up by a [...]