Hawks vs Doves: Bank of England’s MPC will hold interest rates – but expect dissent September 17, 2025 In the last year, the Bank of England has cut interest rates five times on the expectation that price rises were easing in the UK. When inflation hit a 41-year high of 11.1 per cent in October 2022, policymakers at the Bank warned that its fight to battle inflation was “sacrosanct”. The relentless spiralling of [...]
Mortgage recovery hinges on a Bank of England interest rate cut August 6, 2025 Homeowners across the UK are catching a break as mortgage arrears fell for the first time since the cost-of-living crisis began – but a full recovery will hinge on the Bank of England’s decision on Thursday. Missed mortgage payments in the second quarter fell by 4.4 per cent across the UK, whilst direct debit rejections [...]
Natwest and Lloyds: What to expect from FTSE 100 bank earnings next week July 21, 2025 The FTSE 100’s banking titans, Natwest, Barclays, Lloyds and HSBC are gearing up for what promises to be an interesting half-year reporting season. Lloyds and Natwest will kick off earnings on July 24 and July 25 followed by peers Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered the following week. The first quarter was defined by President Donald Trump’s [...]
Bank of England unveils shake up of financial crisis banking rules July 15, 2025 The Bank of England has unveiled a sweeping package of reforms aimed at easing the regulatory burden on smaller and mid-sized banks, marking a major shakeup of the post-financial crisis rulebook. The central bank’s changes include a one-year delay to key parts of the Basel 3.1 reforms – the UK’s version of international banking rules [...]
Bank of England interest rate cut ‘almost certain’ after poor growth July 11, 2025 Fresh growth figures have fuelled speculation of an August interest rate cut in a bid to give the waning UK economy a shot of life. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Friday the UK economy shrunk for the second consecutive month with a 0.1 per cent contraction in May. Deutsche Bank’s chief economist [...]
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 [...]
Consumer spending drives ‘healthy pickup’ for UK businesses July 3, 2025 Consumer and business spending has led to a “healthy pickup” in business activity, fresh research has suggested, despite concerns income had been squeezed by higher taxes and energy bills. The Labour government was recently dealt a blow as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the UK economy contracted by 0.3 per cent in April, [...]
Ring-fencing row puts Reeves in midst of Bank of England and City June 25, 2025 Rachel Reeves has found herself in the crosshairs of City chiefs and the Bank of England as she weighs whether to scrap ring-fencing rules. The Chancellor is facing pressure to rip up the rules imposed on British lenders after top banking chiefs branded the system “redundant”. Reeves said she is “open-minded” to ditching the 15-year-old [...]
Bank of England loses hundreds of laptops amid rising cyber threats June 13, 2025 The Bank of England has come under fire after losing hundreds of tech devices worth nearly £300,000. Figures seen by City AM reveal the Bank of England lost or had stolen over 300 laptops, tablets and phones between May 2022 and March 2025. Patrick Sullivan, chief executive of think tank Parliament Street, said: “The Bank [...]
FTSE 100 banks Lloyds and Natwest set to profit despite lower interest rates May 13, 2025 Amidst a backdrop of waning interest rates, FTSE 100 banking giants such as Lloyds and Natwest look set to continue to profit, according to analysts. Lenders’ takings from net interest income (NII) remained steady in the first quarter, even after the Bank of England chopped interest rates four times to 4.5 per cent. Since then, [...]