Exclusive: Panmure Liberum to ‘reinvigorate’ City market with banking tie-up July 15, 2025 Investment bank Panmure Liberum has joined forces with Nedbank in a push to expand their reach across equity capital markets and drive dual-listings across the UK and South Africa. London-headquartered Panmure will collaborate with Nedbank’s corporate and investment banking division to produce equity research across UK and South African markets. The deal aims to provide [...]
Bank of England hits Mastercard subsidiary with £12m fine July 9, 2025 A Mastercard-owned company has been fined almost £12m by the Bank of England after it failed to fully comply with a regulatory order to fix weaknesses in its risk management. Vocalink – which was acquired by Mastercard in 2017 – has been slapped with the £11.9m fine due to failing to meet directions from the [...]
Motor finance drags FOS complaints to highest since PPI scandal July 2, 2025 The motor finance row has dragged complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to the highest level since the PPI scandal. Consumers lodged 305,726 complaints with the FOS in the year ending March 31 2025, which edged towards highs of 388,392 in year ending March 2019. Complaints regarding motor finance led the spike at 73,328. [...]
Secure Trust Bank: Jobs at risk as lender exits motor finance July 2, 2025 Specialist lender Secure Trust Bank has announced a “strategic pivot” away from its motor finance division in a bid to boost returns. The group said it will pause new lending within its vehicle finance division and “run off” its existing book, meaning it will manage its current portfolio until it naturally winds down. The bank [...]
Ofgem gives green light to landmark electric grid upgrade July 1, 2025 The UK’s energy regulator has approved a £24bn investment to upgrade the UK’s energy infrastructure as a part of its green transition. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) move comes as the government renews its push for cleaner energy, despite backlash around the impact on prices. Over £15bn is set to be deployed [...]
City watchdog takes on advice gap to unlock growth June 30, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a new form of financial help dubbed ‘targeted support’ in a bid to encourage greater consumer participation in financial markets and unlock more investment-led growth. The City regulator will target consumers with common financial characteristics, such as unsustainable pension drawdown, inadequate retirement savings and excess cash not being [...]
S&U shake off motor finance woes as verdict looms June 18, 2025 Specialist lender S&U said it remains confident in the group’s turnaround from motor finance woes after a strong start to the financial year. The bank said in a trading update on Wednesday that optimism in their annual report was “clearly being justified” by the firm’s performance since April. S&U’s profit for the financial year ending [...]
London slips from top smart centre spot May 28, 2025 London has lost its place as the world’s top hub for science and tech innovation after a sobering report warned of the City’s slipping global status. The UK’s capital fell behind San Francisco and Zurich which stormed ahead with a gain of 16 and 6 points respectively. Meanwhile, London’s rating shed three points as it [...]
Klarna, Zilch, Clearpay: What does the buy now pay later crackdown mean for UK fintech? May 20, 2025 The Treasury’s regulatory shakeup of buy now pay later services is set to reshape the UK fintech landscape and industry leaders have been left with questions. The UK government will enact legislation that brings buy now pay later firms under the scrutiny of the Financial Conduct Authority. This means firms such as Klarna and Clearpay [...]
FCA to rip up insurance rules in drive for growth May 14, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has outlined plans to ditch “outdated or duplicated” insurance rules in a bid to help firms reduce costs and drive competition. The City regulator’s fresh proposals would hand firms greater responsibility over reviewing the value of their product. This would involve companies using the risks and characteristics of each individual product [...]