By: Chris Dorrell

Chris Dorrell is a freelance journalist and City AM contributor. He was previously City AM's banking and then economics reporter. When Chris is not breaking news, he can often be found playing with his band Totally Amorphous.

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Man Group snaps up private credit fund Varagon Capital to boost access to US market

July 6, 2023

Man Group has acquired a controlling stake in US middle market manager Varagon Capital Partners for $183m. The London-listed fund said Varagon’s emphasis on insurances brings “significant institutional credibility” to support Man Group’s expansion in US private credit. Varagon, which specialises in senior secured loans in non-cyclical industries, delivered compound AUM growth of 13 per [...]
Recruiter Robert Walters hit by continued volatility in tech and finance sectors

July 6, 2023

Profit at Robert Walters remained subdued in the second quarter as the recruitment firm struggled with global market uncertainty. In the three months to June, gross profit across the group fell 11 per cent to £99.9m compared to the year before. It said the second quarter of last year was a “record” quarter. Toby Fowlston, [...]
Challenger banks win customers on back of better savings rates than big boys

July 6, 2023

More generous savings rates at challenger banks are seeing customers flock to newer players in the market, as pressure grows on big banks
Government urged to take global lead on digitised capital markets to boost UK’s competitiveness

July 6, 2023

The government should take the lead in encouraging the digitisation of the UK’s capital markets to boost the City’s competitiveness, UK Finance has argued. In a new report released today by Oliver Wyman and UK Finance, the government has been urged to take a bold approach to ‘tokenisation’ or risk losing investment to other parts [...]
Regulators should measure ‘burden’ of decisions after legislative overhaul, industry says

July 5, 2023

Finance groups have called for regulators to report on a new range of metrics to ensure they are meeting their statutory obligations. After the Financial Services and Markets Bill passed into law last week, regulators will have hugely increased responsibility for adapting and amending onshored EU regulations. As part of the Bill, regulators will have [...]
Bank of England mulls forcing international lenders to set up UK subsidiaries – reports

July 5, 2023

The Bank of England is considering plans to force more international banks to set up subsidiaries in the UK. According to the Financial Times, the Bank could reduce the threshold at which foreign banks have to set up subsidiaries which have their own capital and liquidity. Unlike branches, subsidies are able to be seized by [...]
Numis struggles with IPO shutdown ahead of takeover by Deutsche Bank

July 5, 2023

Numis struggled with the “effective closure” of the IPO market in the third quarter, with revenue falling ahead of the bank’s takeover by Deutsche Bank. The London-based investment bank said revenue in the three months to the end of June came in below the first half, reflecting the “deteriorating market backdrop” across investment banking. Although [...]
Headcount at six largest UK banks ticks up for first time since pandemic

July 5, 2023

The number of employees at the six largest UK banks increased slightly last year, the first increase since the pandemic. According to statistics in the Banker’s Top 1,000 World Banks report, the six largest UK lenders – HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, Standard Chartered, Natwest and Nationwide – increased their headcount by 0.6 per cent last year. [...]
Natwest calls for greater commercial incentives to boost open banking take-up

July 5, 2023

Natwest has called for a “step change” in the regulation of open banking as the sector moves towards the next stage of its life. Citing research from consultancy firm Oxera, Natwest argued there should be greater commercial incentives for expanding the reach of open banking. Claire Melling, head of bank of APIs at Natwest, said: [...]
Savings rates: Big banks to meet regulator this week after ‘blatant profiteering’ claims

July 4, 2023

Banks will meet with the regulator this week to discuss the savings rates on offer as pressure grows on the UK’s largest lenders to avoid so-called ‘profiteering’. Heads of the largest UK banks – including Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays and HSBC – will meet with the Financial Conduct Authority on Thursday, according to people familiar with [...]

Bitcoin falls to lowest level as big tech sell-off intensifies

Super Bowl LX ad review: Budweiser, Pepsi and Kellogg’s put on a show

Arcadia at the Old Vic is a brilliant farewell to Tom Stoppard

By: Chris Dorrell

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