Starling names HSBC veteran as chair in boardroom shake-up on road to IPO Fintech Starling has appointed the former top boss of HSBC Bank as its new chair as the digital challenger shakes up its boardroom on the road to its long-awaited IPO. The UK fintech named Colin Bell – who has served as a non-executive director at Starling since November 2025 – as chairman of its board ahead [...]
This is why the City’s fintech IPO boom hasn’t happened yet Fintech Hopes remain high for a flurry of fintech listings, in this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at whether this could come to fruition and what could be holding it up. City officials have pinned a hefty portion of their hopes for a London Stock Market revival on the nation’s fintech stars. Rachel Reeves [...]
Fintech firms grew four times faster than traditional banks in 2025 Fintech The explosive growth of the global fintech sector continued in the last year, drastically outpacing its incumbent rivals but faced a challenge in cementing its market share. Fintech firms’ average growth rate was four times faster than that of traditional financial services at an average of 22 per cent in BCG’s Global Fintech Report 2026. [...]
Small cap tech firm quits LSE to cut costs in latest market blow May 27, 2026 Small-cap semiconductor firm Nanoco Group is quitting the London Stock Exchange in a bid to save £700,000 a year, in the latest setback for Britain’s struggling public markets. The Manchester-based tech business said the annual costs of maintaining its listing had become too burdensome for a company of its size, as it blamed weak liquidity [...]
An Inspector Calls at Nationwide’s annual general meeting May 27, 2026 In 49 days An Inspector Calls at the Nationwide annual general meeting and in this week’s column Samuel Norman looks at what he could be asking. Also on the agenda… after annual report season, it’s time for Starling to go full throttle on Engine. Not since the keen-eyed Inspector Goole shattered the comfortable illusions of [...]
‘Centre of gravity is shifting’: UK fintech hiring to switch focus from neobanks May 26, 2026 UK fintech is forecast for another hiring surge as the sector matures past the high-growth era of neobanks and focus turns to the rise of software and payments focused firms. Figures from City recruiter Morgan McKinley forecast fintech hiring to rise 14 per cent in 2026, which follows on from a whopping 28 per cent [...]
‘Exceptionally challenging’: Starling puts climate target under review May 21, 2026 Starling has placed its target to reduce carbon emissions by one-third by 2030 under review after it cited “exceptionally challenging” roadblocks in its mission. The UK fintech – which published its annual report on Thursday – had targeted achieving net zero across the financial services group by 2050. On the road to this goal, the [...]
Starling’s profit slides as falling interest rates bite May 21, 2026 Starling’s profit took a dip in the latest financial year as the lower interest rate environment took a chunk out of the digital bank’s bottom line. The UK fintech notched a £217m pre-tax profit, down three per cent from the £223m secured in the prior year. This came as revenue slipped 5.6 per cent to [...]
As it happened: Stocks jittery as Iran war drags on; Reeves unveil cost-of-living package May 21, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Donald Trump has warned Iran there are two options that could see the US finishing the war in Iran, with one that will “see a few people killed as opposed to a lot”. He added: “We could do it either way.” It’s the latest threat from the White [...]
AI will ‘destroy and create jobs,’ says HSBC boss May 20, 2026 The boss of Europe’s largest bank has warned that the growth of AI will both “destroy” and “create” new jobs as the banking industry continues to be reshaped in the face of new technology. Georges Elhedery, chief executive of HSBC, warned that the bank’s staff must avoid “fighting us” as it unveiled its latest AI [...]