Quality over quantity: UK M&A volume slips but deal value climbs February 4, 2026 UK merger and acquisition deal value increased last year despite a fall in volumes as investors turned their focus to acquiring fewer, higher-quality assets. The total number of UK deals fell 12 per cent year on year to 2,991, down from 3,411 in 2024, according to the latest industry trends data from PwC. But overall [...]
Private markets suffer ‘reality check’ as fundraising dries up February 3, 2026 Private markets fundraising fell to a decade low across Europe in 2025, after a slowdown in dealmaking and stuttering performance led major buyout shops to struggle to return cash to investors. According to a fresh analysis of the sector, a dearth of new mega fund raises and “persistent liquidity constraints” across the industry led fundraising [...]
Jamie Dimon warns markets are under-estimating global risks January 13, 2026 The boss of JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon, has warned global markets not to underestimate current risks, as the US banking giant hiked its provisions for bad loans. The world’s most influential banker said that whilst the US economy had remained “resilient” and consumer and business trends were “generally healthy,” ongoing risks persisted. “Markets seem to under-appreciate [...]
Peers warn ‘passive’ Treasury not aware of private credit risks January 9, 2026 The Treasury is being too passive about the risks posed to the economy by the rapid growth of private credit in the UK, according to an influential group of peers who accused ministers of “handing out the donkey work” of overseeing the sector to regulators. In fresh report examining the systemic risk posed by private [...]
Andrew Bailey: Private credit should have looser rules than banks December 11, 2025 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said regulation of the booming private credit sector should be more light-touch than traditional lenders despite the central bank’s fears that a blow-up of the industry remains one of the most significant threats to UK financial stability. Bailey told an online event that the fallout from a banking [...]
Bank of England launches groundbreaking private credit stress test December 4, 2025 The Bank of England has launched its first ever stress test of the fast-growing private credit industry, in a bid to establish how the opaque sector would respond to a range of economic and financial shocks. The undertaking, called a ‘system-wide exploratory scenario exercise (SWES)’, will work with some of the industry’s biggest players to [...]
Exclusive: Goldman Sachs, Oaktree and Carlyle to take part in private credit stress test December 3, 2025 Goldman Sachs, Oaktree and Carlyle will take part in the Bank of England’s inaugural stress test of the burgeoning private credit sector this week, City AM can reveal. Britain’s central bank is poised to carry out its first ever “system-wide exploratory scenario exercise” of so-called shadow banks in the coming weeks, in a bid to [...]
Bank of England warns of rising global threat as lenders’ capital rules slashed December 2, 2025 The Bank of England has warned of increased global risks to financial stability, even as it slashed rules imposed on UK lenders dictating the amount of capital they must hold. The central bank said “risks to financial stability have increased during 2025”. “Global risks remain elevated and material uncertainty in the global macroeconomic outlook persists,” [...]
Virgin Atlantic uses Heathrow slots as collateral for $745m Apollo loan November 13, 2025 Virgin Atlantic has borrowed $745m (£564m) from alternatives giant Apollo in a groundbreaking private credit deal that will see the airline use the value of its landing slots at Heathrow as collateral. Virgin said it would use the funds to pay down a legacy debt and make upgrades worth hundreds of millions of pounds to [...]
UK banks send regulation warning as private credit threat rises November 11, 2025 Top bosses of UK banks have fired a warning shot over the country’s status as a competitive financial hub as the government’s efforts to overhaul regulation risk missing the mark. Michael Roberts, the top boss of HSBC Bank and chief of corporate and institutional banking, told lawmakers on Tuesday the Treasury’s deregulation work was a [...]