Tech investors sound alarm over five ‘urgent issues’ choking UK innovation February 15, 2023 A group of top tech investors and entrepreneurs have piled pressure on the newly appointed science and tech minister to address “urgent issues” choking off growth in the UK’s innovation sectors.
Atom Bank boss backs London as home for much-anticipated IPO February 15, 2023 The chief of digital lender Atom Bank has publicly thrown his weight behind London as its home for an eventual initial public offering, in a boon to the City as it looks to tempt in more tech listings.
FCA spares Amigo £72.9m fine to ensure burnt customers get redress February 14, 2023 The City watchdog has publicly censured beleaguered lender Amigo for a loan mis-selling scandal this morning but spared it a £72.9m fine, saying it would prevent the firm from paying out compensation to customers.
Fintech trading platform Plus500 to put $100m back in shareholders’ pockets after bumper year February 14, 2023 Fintech trading platform Plus500 topped market expectations for the year today and announced it would put £82m ($100m) back in shareholders’ pockets after cashing in on “higher value” customers last year. In its preliminary full year results, the London-listed Israeli firm announced it would kick off a new $70m share buyback programme alongside a $30m [...]
Buy-now pay-later firms braced for clampdown as Treasury looks to grant regulator new powers February 13, 2023 The government said it will give City watchdogs the power to “clamp down” on buy-now pay-later firms this year as it prepares to publish a much-delayed update on the scope of regulation around the sector tomorrow morning. The Treasury will lay out the details of regulation that will include plans to bring firms like Klarna, [...]
Natwest: Pensions fintech bought by bank in £144m deal which will ‘shake up savings’ February 13, 2023 Natwest is to buy pensions fintech Cushon for £144m in a move the bank says will bolster its offerings of “financial wellbeing” products. The FTSE 100 lender said it would take an 85 per cent stake in the London-based fintech while the company’s existing management would retain the remaining 15 per cent. The chief of [...]
ESG: City firms feel pressure of rule changes as clampdown on greenwashing expanded by regulators February 13, 2023 City firms are feeling the pressure of impending environmental, social and governance (ESG) rules this year as regulators expand plans to clampdown on greenwashing, new research has found. Financial firms in the UK have pointed to rules on sustainability as the main pinch point facing them for a second year running, ahead of a major [...]
Crypto venture capital dries up as investors flee after FTX turmoil February 13, 2023 Investment into cryptocurrency startups collapsed at the end of 2022 as the market was shaken by the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s exchange FTX and a string of high-profile bankruptcies, new research has revealed. The flow of cash into crypto start-ups fell to $2.5bn in the final three months of 2022 – down 75 per cent [...]
UK banks set to report record profits of £37bn beating pre-financial crisis highs February 13, 2023 The UK’s top banks are set to unveil record profits in the next two weeks after sharp interest rate hikes boosted the lenders’ coffers last year. The big five FTSE 100 banks – Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest and Standard Chartered – could post cumulative pre-tax profits of £37.4bn as they reveal their earnings for 2022, [...]
Home REIT’s top tenant looking to offload leases as cash troubles continue February 13, 2023 The biggest tenant of beleaguered property investor Home REIT is looking to offload its leases to other housing providers after warning it can no longer pay rent to the firm, City A.M. has learned.
