Watchdogs rip up rulebook for building societies in growth boost December 5, 2025 British building societies are in line for a deregulation boost after UK watchdogs announced a joint raft of initiatives aiming to power up the sector. Mutuals – which, contrary to banks, are owned by their members – are set to land a significant growth tailwind following a fresh report from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) [...]
Is HSBC’s chair hunt really over? December 4, 2025 Safe, but surprising – that was the verdict across the City as Britain’s biggest bank unveiled its new chair after a twist-and-turn search. Brendan Nelson will take the post at HSBC, succeeding Sir Mark Tucker, whose exit in September left the bank without a permanent chair for weeks. Except for Nelson. Indeed, the seasoned accountant [...]
FCA chief ducks committing to investigating Treasury briefings December 3, 2025 The boss of the City watchdog appeared to skirt committing to investigating Treasury briefings when pressed on the Labour government’s “possible market abuse” on Wednesday morning. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, has been lobbied by the Conservatives and other opponents to the Labour government to look into the rogue briefings on [...]
City watchdog to lift motor finance complaints pause earlier than expected December 3, 2025 The City watchdog has lifted the cap on motor finance complaints following the landmark ruling from the Supreme Court over the summer. The Financial Conduct Authority said it would ditch the pause on complaints from 31 May 2026 – two months ahead of plan. In a letter sent to banking bosses, the FCA has also [...]
Banks to pay ombudsman more as Treasury crackdown costs £8m November 27, 2025 Banks will pay more to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the next year as the body strums up cash for its bill to meet the Treasury’s clampdown. Financial services will pay the FOS £86m in the 2026/27 financial year – an increase of £16m – under new proposals, which aim to beef up the Compulsory [...]
Relief for Cirata after FCA closes investigation November 27, 2025 Cirata execs have breathed a sigh of relief after the financial regulator closed a two-year investigation into the software firm, drawing a line under the dramatic events that caused the firm’s stock to plummet. In March 2023, Cirata – or Wandisco, as it was then known – revealed it had massively overstated its sales figures, [...]
Klarna shares fall as banking transformation triggers wider losses November 18, 2025 Swedish fintech unicorn Klarna recorded steeper losses in the third-quarter as costs related to the firm’s transition to becoming a fully-fledged bank offset record revenue. The buy now, pay later firm – which has set its sights on becoming a digital bank – recorded a loss of $95m (£72m) for the three months ending 30 [...]
AI-powered regtech lands £2.1m to help banks dodge FCA fines November 13, 2025 An AI-powered regulation tech firm has landed £2.1m in funding to help banks avoid getting fines from the City watchdog. Adclear, which uses software to ensure lenders’ books are in order, has capped off a funding round which has included backing from Clearscore founder Dan Cobley and Coinbase’s UK managing director Keith Grose. With Adclear’s [...]
Bank of England relaxes stablecoin stance in ‘watershed’ rules change November 10, 2025 The Bank of England has relaxed its stance on stablecoin in a new consultation paper aimed at helping Britain grab a slice of the £200bn market. The central Bank has previously faced calls to “publicly walk back” on its position on digital assets over fears the UK was missing out on the market. But in [...]
Lloyds boss ‘concerned’ with motor finance impact on UK investability November 5, 2025 The boss of Lloyds Banking Group told has lawmakers there was a “deeply important” investability issue in the financial watchdog’s proposed motor finance redress scheme. Charlie Nunn said, in a session with the House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee on Wednesday, he was “concerned” about investability and sentiment towards the UK following the regulator’s redress. “Having a [...]