Why old ladies mean your house has tiny windows Opinion Guidance dictating that windows must be of a size that means ’95 per cent of the elderly female population’ could clean them without stretching is just one example of the millions of rules holding Britain back, says Tom Harwood Readers on the hunt for a country pad outside the hustle and bustle of the city [...]
‘Make the process look less scary’: UK banking licence applications hit zero in 2025 Banking The number of applicants for UK banking licences plummeted to zero in 2025, raising questions over the government and regulators’ capacity to foster competition and attract overseas investment. The fresh figures – revealed in a Freedom of Information request by financial regulation consultancy Pathlight Associates – show a steep fall from the 11 licence bids [...]
Close Brothers shares soar as bank ‘well positioned’ for £320m motor finance hit Banking Close Brothers has insisted it is “well positioned” to absorb the financial hit from the City watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme but added to speculation another legal battle could be on the horizon. The FTSE 250 lender told markets on Wednesday morning that it estimates the cost of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) redress scheme [...]
Blue Owl caps private credit redemptions after investors try to pull $5.4bn April 2, 2026 Investors in Blue Owl’s multi-billion dollar private credit fund have asked to withdraw around a fifth of their money in another dramatic escalation of jitters across Wall Street and the financial ecosystem. The asset manager’s flagship $36bn fund saw redemption requests hit 21.9 per cent of outstanding shares in the first quarter, while its tech-focused [...]
Thames Water could dodge fines under controversial new Ofwat deal April 2, 2026 Ofwat is preparing a controversial new deal with the UK’s largest water company which would allow the beleaguered utility firm to avoid any new fines over the next four years in exchange for a commitment to invest new cash in the business. The sector regulator is planning to accept “undertakings” in place of financial penalties [...]
UK banks blast regulations for ‘penalising’ good risk management April 2, 2026 Top lenders have laid bare their frustrations with UK banking regulation in a bombshell new report that urges the removal of “excessive conservatism”. In response to the Bank of England’s review of capital requirements, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) – which represents over 150 global banks, including the UK’s Big Four – [...]
Lloyds and Close Brothers shares rally as banks ‘assess’ impact of motor finance redress March 31, 2026 Shares in UK motor finance lenders had a volatile opening this morning as markets digested the final rules of the financial watchdog’s industry-wide redress scheme. Lloyds Banking Group – the owner of the nation’s largest motor finance lender Black Horse – crept up over one per cent in early trading to tip over the 92p [...]
FCA slashes banks’ motor finance payouts as compensation scheme finalised March 30, 2026 City banks are set to face a more than £9bn motor finance bill after the UK’s financial watchdog laid out plans for its long-awaited motor finance redress scheme in a major U-turn after months of backlash. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed the details of its industry-wide redress scheme for the car mis-selling saga on [...]
London and New York in tight race to be world’s top financial hub March 26, 2026 London and New York are locked in a tight-race in the fight to become the world’s most dominant financial hub. The latest Global Financial Centre’s Index from Z/Yen showed both cities retained their respective spots in new rankings, with each of their scores inching up by a singular point. New York topped the list at [...]
Vodafone set for £85m court showdown with ex-franchisees March 26, 2026 An £85m court battle between Vodafone and its former franchisees will kick off on Thursday over claims the telecoms giant imposed cuts on franchises which left managers facing closures and bankruptcy. The 62 ex-franchisees pursuing a civil action against Vodafone – recently renamed VodafoneThree – will launch their case at the High Court for the [...]