FTSE 100 lenders cash in on market turmoil but provisions climb May 5, 2025 FTSE 100 banking giants saw trading income spike in the first quarter as investors sold-off stocks in the face of geopolitical tensions, but tariff threats continued to weigh on future earnings. HSBC kicked off reporting season pocketing a $9.5bn (£7.1bn) pre-tax profit, which surged ahead of the $7.8bn pencilled in by analysts. Barclays and Natwest [...]
Lloyds’ finance boss slams ring-fencing amid waning growth forecast May 1, 2025 Lloyds‘ finance boss raised the alarm on lenders’ ability to help drive growth due to restrictions from the ring-fencing regime. The bank trimmed its UK GDP expectations and has projected a rise in unemployment in the latest warning sign for the health of the British economy. The FTSE 100 giant pencilled in 0.2 per cent [...]
Rate setter calls for market digitalisation and touts Bank of England’s flexibility April 29, 2025 Bank of England rate setter Dave Ramsden has called for bold action on digitalisation in a rebuke of concerns that the Bank’s prescriptive rules were stifling innovation. Speaking at the Innovate Finance Global Summit on Tuesday, the central bank Deputy Governor said widespread innovation in wholesale financial markets from authorities and industry would boost the [...]
OpenAI cuts safety tests in ‘reckless’ AI push April 11, 2025 OpenAI has slashed the time it will spend testing its most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) models, raising concern that the $300bn company is prioritising speed over safety in the global AI arms race. Once known for its rigorous approach to AI risk, OpenAI is now giving safety evaluators just days – sometimes even less than [...]
Nikhil Rathi reappointed FCA chief April 10, 2025 Nikhil Rathi will be chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for another five years, leading it on its new directive from the government to slash unnecessary and duplicated regulation, the Chancellor has confirmed. Rathi—a former Treasury mandarin and chief executive of the London Stock Exchange—will serve another five-year term as the boss of [...]
Revolut handed £3m fine for money laundering control ‘shortcomings’ April 8, 2025 UK fintech Revolut has been fined €3.5m (£3m) by the Bank of Lithuania for inefficiencies in its money laundering control. The neobank was blasted for “violations and shortcomings in the monitoring of business relationships and [transactions]” by the Bank of Lithuania. The watchdog said failings had “resulted in the bank not always properly identifying suspicious [...]
UK Finance: Government must ‘unify’ market strategy March 31, 2025 The relationship British businesses have with public exchanges such as the London Stock Exchange and private markets has transformed and requires a new strategy, a fresh report from UK Finance has said. The financial services company, which serves as an industry body for banking, found a dwindling importance of public listings with firms staying private [...]
CFO retirements hit six year high amid increasing regulatory burdens March 31, 2025 Over 15 per cent of chief financial officers (CFOs) left their roles at listed companies over the last year due to heightened regulatory requirements. CFO departures reached their highest rate in six years for the UK and US, according to research from Russell Reynolds Associates. This has caused the average tenure of the executive members [...]
Whatever business you want to do, do it in London March 24, 2025 The Prime Minister is right to focus on regulating for growth, not just to prevent risk, but this must be complemented by a change in mindset for British businesses, says Alastair King It was heartening to read the Prime Minister’s recent column in City AM on the government’s commitment to cut the cost of regulation [...]
Mark Kleinman: CMA revamp to spur boom for M&A bankers March 20, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles changes at the CMA, Achilles’ new target, and a logistics funding boost. Will there even be a competition regulator at this rate? After this week’s latest summons to Downing Street for a [...]