Zilch boss shrugs off Klarna’s stock loss after fresh funding round Fintech The boss of one of London’s most hotly-anticipated fintech listings has shrugged off the recent stock fall of Klarna after securing a fresh funding round. Philip Belamant, the chief executive of consumer payments platform Zilch, told City AM “there’s always a bit of downward pressure” when asked whether Klarna’s recent stock tumble raised any concerns [...]
AI startups lead growth despite market jitters and IPO drought Markets AI firms have driven a 44 per cent increase in the combined value of the world’s top 100 private tech firms, even as concerns grow that the AI boom could be overheating and Britain’s startups warn of a worsening funding climate. According to new data from PwC, the total valuation of the global top 100 [...]
Challenger banks face ‘profitability trap’ at growth crossroads Banking The UK banking sector faces a profitability roadblock that will give the industry’s challengers an “existential” turning point. Fresh data from KPMG suggests the industry’s average return on equity will fall to eight per cent come 2027 down from 13 per cent four years prior. This is set to spark an £11bn reduction in pre-tax [...]
UK VC investment storms ahead of Europe as AI dominates July 3, 2025 UK venture capital funding stormed ahead of its European peers in the first half of 2025 as the country’s innovation economy remained resilient in the face of wider geopolitical tensions. Total investment topped $8bn (£5.9bn), edging up three per cent from the final six months of 2024. This gave the UK a 30 per share [...]
Lord Mayor: The unicorns are galloping away June 30, 2025 As capital dries up and unicorns flee, the UK must act now or accept its fate as an incubator economy, writes Alastair King.
British Business Bank set on delivering Labour’s growth ambition June 28, 2025 Arguably one of the biggest winners from Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ latest spending splurge, the British Business Bank had its lending capacity beefed up and pledged to back the UK’s innovators with its expanded range. The bank had its funding capacity increased to £25.6bn in the Spending Review from near £15.6bn as it targets eight key [...]
‘We need the next Nikolay Storonsky’: Labour urged to act now to create next tech unicorn June 19, 2025 The UK needs to attract the next Nikolay Storonsky to its shores if it wants a new technology revolution to be built here, the CEO of tech unicorn Motorway has said. Tom Leathes, speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered show, said the country needs “the next Nikolai to come over and [...]
Motorway CEO: How I built my $1bn empire after a huge failure June 16, 2025 The co-founder and chief executive of used car marketplace Motorway has opened up about how he helped to build a $1bn empire from scratch following the biggest failure of his career. On an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered show, Tom Leathes also revealed how he and his fellow founders landed on the car [...]
Pisces: FCA’s private stock market will worsen FOMO investing June 5, 2025 The FCA's new private stock market Pisces comes into force today, but Carrie Osmon warns the framework risks worsening FOMO investing.
The UK’s fastest growing fintech Allica Bank delivers another record year April 16, 2025 Allica Bank, the UK’s fastest growing fintch, nearly doubled its profit in the last year after another period of rapid growth. The digital bank, which caters towards small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), increased pre-tax profits 86 per cent to £29.9m. Lending activity grew over £1bn in 2024 and revenue shot up 68 per cent to [...]