Hackney tops London’s entrepreneurial boroughs for startup loans January 12, 2026 Startup founders in Hackney racked up the highest volume of loans in London as fleets of British entrepreneurs launched their business in the capital. Some 1,309 loans were taken out by founders in Hackney through the Start Up Loans initiative since its launch in 2012 topping £11.4m in value. The borough has benefitted from being [...]
Bankers eyeing warning signs for credit cycle downturn, says JP Morgan chief January 7, 2026 Bankers are paying close attention to early warning signs of a downturn in the credit market, a top JP Morgan executive has told City AM, as economic uncertainty and a spate of corporate collapses spark lender caution. Filippo Gori, co-head of Global Banking at JP Morgan, cited a rise in rates of fraud as well [...]
Brits borrowed more despite Budget unease January 5, 2026 British consumers took out more in credit over November than expected despite suggestions that Budget speculation would have held people back from taking risks, official data has shown. Economists widely predicted that weeks of speculation over tax rises dampened consumer sentiment and prevented people from borrowing more. But the Bank of England has revealed that [...]
Motor finance lenders brace for legal battles amid redress spat December 15, 2025 Motor finance lenders have been sent a major warning over a potential influx of legal battles if the UK’s financial watchdog fails to “genuinely compensate” consumers. Britain’s top banks were thought to have been granted some reprieve earlier this year after the Supreme Court sided with upheld the appeals of two lenders in the landmark [...]
FCA to ‘rebalance’ risk in mortgage market in first time buyer boost December 15, 2025 The UK’s financial watchdog is planning a major overhaul of mortgage market rules in a bid to support more Brits getting on the housing ladder. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it aims to “rebalance risk” in the market to encourage innovation and allow a greater number of people to get access to finance. “Rebalancing [...]
Big banks SME lending comeback slowed down by Budget jitters December 11, 2025 High street banks’ return to small business lending slowed in the third quarter of 2025 after the chaos on the road to the Autumn Budget dampened activity in the economy. Big banks dished out nearly £4.2bn in total loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the three months to 30 September – a level [...]
Budget could hand economy £60bn if small businesses supported November 18, 2025 Small businesses could provide a £60bn injection to the UK economy if the Autumn Budget meets firm’s needs, fresh research has indicated. Fresh research from Barclays Business Prosperity Index showed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were playing it cautious ahead of the Budget, even more so than their larger corporate counterparts. Firms hit pause on [...]
Barclays snaps up US personal loans fintech for $800m October 28, 2025 Barclays is set to take control of a US personal loans fintech in a deal that the lending giant hopes will beef up its loans package for its investment bank clients. The FTSE 100 bank said it would use consumer loan platform Best Egg as an “origination engine” after snapping the firm up for $800m [...]
JP Morgan set to loosen crypto rules allowing Bitcoin as collateral October 24, 2025 JP Morgan is set to shake up its crypto rules with plans to allow institutional clients to use Bitcoin and Ether holdings as lending collateral. The new scheme will work with a third party to safeguard the crypto assets and follows the banking giant’s delving deeper into the world of digital assets. The US lender [...]
Co-op Insurance expands into loans in partnership with ClearScore September 16, 2025 The insurance arm of the Co-op Group is expanding its presence in the financial services market by offering personal loans, in partnership with ClearScore. As part of the collaboration, ClearScore’s credit matching platform will be available to Co-op members and customers, offering personalised credit services. Its member-owners and customers will be able to access unsecured [...]