Shawbrook expands loan book ahead of mooted London float August 7, 2025 Specialist lender Shawbrook expanded its loan book in the first half of the year helping profit soar. The bank – which is owned by private equity firm Pollen Street Capital – recorded a 35 per cent jump in profit before tax to £168.6m as its loan book grew 14 per cent to £17bn. Deposits were [...]
Exclusive: Airwallex to bulk up UK workforce after rapid growth July 30, 2025 Singaporean fintech unicorn Airwallex has its sights set on UK expansion after a period of rapid growth. The cross-border payment specialist – which counts Shein, Brex and Rippling among its customers – recorded a 95 per cent annual jump in global revenue to $850m in the last year, with UK takings jumping 109 per cent [...]
Wise shareholders overwhelmingly approve plans to ditch UK primary listing July 28, 2025 UK fintech Wise has curbed a potential shareholder revolt to seal the transferal of its primary listing to the US despite an investor backlash over additional terms within the proposal. More than 90 per cent of Class A shareholders and 84.6 per cent of Class B shareholders approved the deal, which will see the firm [...]
‘Golden opportunity’ for European equities, says CEO of stock exchange SIX July 16, 2025 Europe must seize a “golden opportunity” for the revival of its capital markets, the boss of one of the continent’s biggest stock exchange businesses has said, as he called for stronger retail participation in equities to keep pace with the US. Six CEO Bjorn Sibbern, who earlier this month completed the £225m takeover of London-based [...]
Astrazeneca chief ‘wants to shift London listing to US’ July 1, 2025 The boss of Britain’s most valuable company, Astrazeneca, has reportedly voiced his preference to move the firm’s stock market listing to the United States. Sir Pascal Soriot, who has been at the helm of the pharma juggernaut since 2012, is said to have spoken privately about his desire to abandon the UK listing in favour [...]
City sends an SOS to fix London markets ‘before it’s too late’ June 26, 2025 Fears over the health of the City’s stock market have been laid bare after trading platform IG became the latest firm to sound the alarm over the “crisis unfolding” on the London bourse. The FTSE 250 firm has launched a “Save our Stock market” initiative – aptly dubbed the SOS campaign – which serves as [...]
Spectris agrees to £3.8bn takeover but KKR threatens bidding war June 23, 2025 Industrial group Spectris has agreed to a £3.8bn takeover by US private equity Advent but a bidding war could be brewing as KKR mulls a rival offer. The FTSE 250 firm has been valued at £37.73 per share in the deal. Shares jumped 13.5 per cent as markets opened on Monday to around 3,726. Private [...]
AIM turns 30: Delistings, doubt and a dose of optimism June 19, 2025 AIM turns 30 today, but birthday celebrations are bound to be overshadowed by swathes of bleak data on the market’s performance. London’s junior stock market has had a woeful period, with projections indicating the index will shrink by a fifth as a result of delisting plans. The number of companies listed on the City’s Alternative [...]
Canadian giant swoops for London-listed Ricardo June 11, 2025 London-listed engineering firm Ricardo has agreed to a £281m acquisition deal by Canadian consultancy giant WSP in the latest foreign takeover blow to the London Stock Exchange. Ricardo has accepted the 430p per share offer, a 28 per cent increase on the firm’s closing price on June 10 of 326p. It is a 69 per [...]
A Wise storm has rocked the London Stock Exchange’s fintech dream June 6, 2025 Hopes of a fintech-powered City markets revival may have been crushed on Thursday after money transfer firm Wise ditched its primary listing. The embattled London Stock Exchange was dealt its latest blow as the UK fintech opted for a dual listing across the Atlantic but with the US acting as its primary base. It’s no [...]