PensionBee hails momentum as assets surge to £3.7bn July 20, 2023 PensionBee hailed “excellent momentum” in the first six months of the year today as it closes in on profitability for the first time this year. In its first half results today, the London-listed fintech firm said its assets under administration had rocketed 38 per cent to £3.7bn while adjusted losses narrowed to £8m, down from [...]
British Business Bank chief Louis Taylor on risk: ‘Even if the worst happens, you learn’ July 20, 2023 For a man running a bank that has found itself at the centre of a fraud storm over the past two years, Louis Taylor talks warmly about the concept of risk. The state-owned British Business Bank he now runs shot to household-name status through the pandemic and enjoyed a moment in the sun as the [...]
Buy-now see-you-later? FCA boss slams claims BNPL firms will quit UK due to regulation July 19, 2023 The chief of the City watchdog said he does not “buy the argument” that buy-now pay-later (BNPL) firms will quit the UK today after it emerged ministers may shelve planned rules over fears firms would leave. The government had been pushing ahead with plans to bring BNPL products offered by firms like Klarna and Clearpay [...]
GAM takeover battle erupts after Xavier Niel-backed group launches rival bid to Liontrust July 18, 2023 A takeover battle has erupted over ailing Swiss fund manager GAM today as a consortium backed by telecoms mogul Xavier Niel launched a counter bid to London-listed Liontrust.
Hargreaves Lansdown chair set to step down after run-ins with founder July 18, 2023 The chair of retail investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown is set to step down after a bruising series of run-ins with the firm’s founder. In a statement yesterday, the Bristol-based DIY investing outfit said last night that it had begun scouting out “successor chair candidates” for Deanna Oppenheimer, who has overseen the firm since 2018. News [...]
Wise makes more interest rate hay as income surges 66 per cent July 18, 2023 Wise, the money transfer firm, said the amount of interest income it was raking in on customer balances has continued to rise after it made hay from rising rates last year. In a trading update today, Wise said balances in its customers’ accounts had grown to £11.5bn in the first three months of its financial [...]
Smart Pension snaps up £750m peer as government calls for consolidation grow July 17, 2023 Top workplace pension firm Smart Pension has snapped up a peer with some £750m under management as pressure from the government grows for faster consolidation in the sector.
FCA set for clampdown on ‘wild west’ of social media ‘finfluencers’ July 17, 2023 The FCA is set to target 'finfluencers' and firms flogging financial products online with illegal or misleading adverts.
National Audit Office launches probe into FCA as regulator sizes up crypto and AI July 17, 2023 The National Audit Office (NAO) has launched a probe into the functions of the City regulator as its remit swells to take on oversight of technologies like cryptoassets and artificial intelligence.
FTSE 100 firms slash charitable giving as profits rocket July 17, 2023 Britain’s biggest companies have slashed their charitable donations by nearly a quarter over the past decade despite pre-tax profits rocketing in the same period, research has showed.
