City launches new Digital ID framework against AI fraud Tech The City of London Corporation has unveiled plans for a new digital identity framework it claims could unlock more than £5bn for the UK economy, as policymakers and the financial sector race to tackle increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled fraud. A blueprint published on Tuesday proposes a “Digital Verification Orchestrator”, or DVO – a system set to [...]
Lloyds accused of debanking left-wing media outlet The Canary Banking Lloyds Banking Group has been accused of debanking the left-wing news website The Canary in a move that has left the media outlet with “barely any funds”. The bank was slammed by the media firm on Tuesday for allegedly “withholding a substantial amount of our money” and debanking them after nearly a decade of use. [...]
‘Ultrasound cakes’ help fuel sales surge at London-listed Cake Box Business A surge in demand for ‘ultrasound cake’ has helped drive record sales at one of the UK’s biggest bakeries. Cake Box, which operates hundreds of stores across the UK, posted a 9.3 per cent rise in organic turnover to £45.9m for the year to end March as the firm set its sights on opening dozens [...]
UK fintech Monovate posts £8.3m loss as Visa and Mastercard partner dumps European arm June 30, 2026 A key fintech partner of Mastercard and Visa suffered a hit to its bottom line as the business kicked its loss-making European arm to the curb and counted the costs of a major accounting error. Monovate – which acts as a licensed middle man bridging businesses and payment giants – made a loss of £8.3m [...]
Sainsbury’s boss urges Burnham to cut energy costs and ‘focus on growth’ June 30, 2026 The boss of Sainsbury’s has urged the next prime minister to address rising energy costs as food inflation continues to concern shoppers. The boss of the UK’s second-largest grocer repeated his earlier calls for the Treasury to engage with the food industry to assist with rising costs following the war in the Middle East. His [...]
Record temperatures boost Sainsbury’s sales but store infrastructure feels the heat June 30, 2026 Sainsbury’s recorded a rise in sales in the first financial quarter, as the May heatwave and a run of public holidays boosted sales but caused its fridges and freezers to break down. Total sales rose 3.1 per cent year on year to £3.1bn, bolstered by a five per cent hike in fresh food purchases, as [...]
Barclays splashes £750m on Canary Wharf base in ‘strong endorsement’ of London June 30, 2026 Barclays has taken control of its global headquarters based out of Canary Wharf in a £750m deal hailed as a “strong endorsement” of the financial district and the capital itself. The blue-chip lender has entered a long-term leasehold interest agreement with Canary Wharf Group that grants the bank to use the property – based at [...]
UK economy’s growth revised down amid first-quarter spurt June 30, 2026 The UK economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the Office for National Statistics has confirmed, yet the final figure for growth last year was revised down slightly. The ONS said on Tuesday that the UK economy grew at a faster pace than many had expected at the beginning [...]
As it happened: Stocks jump on defence and metals boost; Oil on track to shed a fifth on US-Iran peace hopes June 30, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil’s speed of decline has taken a hit this week as investors were forced to pause at the renewal of strike action between the US and Iran. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – was steadying above $73 per barrel, holding onto some of the [...]
Fractured politics has its upsides – trust me, I led Vote Leave June 30, 2026 For all the challenges of multi-party politics, the policy competition it encourages is already bearing fruit, writes former Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott.