Barclays boss recounts criticism of refusing to stop work amid cancer treatment February 5, 2023 Barclays chief executive CS Venkatakrishnan said that some people accused him of “CEO swagger” when he said he intended to work through his cancer treatment. Writing in the Financial Times for World Cancer Day, Venkatakrishnan – who prefers to be known as Venkat – said he received some messages after his diagnoses that suggested his [...]
Executive pay rises should not outstrip staff salary bumps, Aviva warns February 5, 2023 Aviva Investors has warned company directors that it would be “inappropriate” to award themselves bumper pay rises and urged them to recognise that record high inflation puts far greater pressure on the budgets of their frontline staff. In a letter to the 1,600 firms in which it has stakes, including many in London, the fund [...]
FTSE 100 close: Markets shrug off rate hike as JD Sports and BT lift index February 2, 2023 The FTSE 100 closed higher on Thursday, boosted by a strong performance from BT and JD Sports, as investors digested the latest interest rate decision from the Bank of England later today. Governor Andrew Bailey increased interest rates by 50bps to a post-financial crisis high of four per cent earlier today. Investors think the Bank [...]
Another interest rate hike to boost banks’ profits, but how long will the windfall last? February 2, 2023 Bank shares prices were mixed after the Bank of England raised interest rates by 50 basis points earlier today, as the pressure on banks to pass on higher interest rates to savers grew. The more domestically focused Lloyds and Natwest were trading 1.0 per cent and 0.6 per cent higher respectively. Barclays was up 0.8 [...]
Peel Hunt joins forces with rival brokers to launch retail capital markets and IPO investment platform February 2, 2023 Peel Hunt is set to launch a new independent retail investment platform alongside other brokers in the second half of 2023, as it seeks to broaden access to capital markets amongst retail investors. The investment bank will establish RetailBook as a new legal entity which will own and operate a deal platform based on Peel [...]
FTSE 100 live: London index boosted by Shell ahead of today’s Bank of England rate decision February 2, 2023 The FTSE 100 opened higher on Thursday morning, boosted by a strong performance from Shell, as investors awaited the latest interest rate decision from the Bank of England later today. Governor Andrew Bailey is expected to increase interest rates by 50bps to a post-financial crisis high of four per cent later today, although there is [...]
Warning of ‘marked slowdown’ in mortgage lending from Santander UK chief as bank’s profit creeps up two per cent February 2, 2023 Santander UK’s net mortgage lending climbed higher in 2022, helping to boost profits, but its CEO warned that the bank would have to navigate “a marked slowdown” in mortgage lending in 2023. The Spanish bank’s net mortgage lending increased to £9.8bn from £7.5bn last year helping pretax profit creep up two per cent. CEO Mark [...]
Architects of UK financial rules question direction of Edinburgh reforms February 1, 2023 Two leading architects of the UK’s financial regulations today questioned the idea of giving regulators a competitiveness mandate and warned that reforms to Solvency II could expose the financial sector to greater risks. In a Treasury committee hearing today, John Vickers, chair of the independent banking commission, doubted the idea of giving financial regulators a [...]
UK crypto hub ambitions at risk if it does not pass new rules quickly, experts warn February 1, 2023 The government’s new plans to “robustly regulate” cryptoassets garnered mixed reactions from the crypto industry today, with experts saying that while the proposals were welcome there were still huge questions about the timeline for when they might come into effect. Nick Taylor from Luno, a crypto exchange, described the launch of the consultation as “a [...]
London’s fintech boom ‘would have happened with or without Brexit’, Lord Mayor says February 1, 2023 London’s fintech boom “would have happened with or without Brexit”, Lord Mayor Nicholas Lyons said today, adding that the so-called Edinburgh reforms will help the City power the UK’s future economic growth. Lyons said the City achieved its reputation as a thriving hub for fintech success “independently of Brexit”. He stressed, however, that Brexit still [...]