By: Chris Dorrell

Chris at City AM from 2023-2025, first as banking reporter and then economics reporter. He continues to freelance and plays with his band Totally Amorphous

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NatWest quarter profits almost triple to £1.3bn as higher interest rates offset bad loan provision

February 17, 2023

NatWest recorded bumper profits in the final quarter of last year as the boost from higher interest rates outweighed funds set aside to cope with bad loans. Profits at the bank increased to £1.3bn in the final quarter, in line with market expectations and doubling compared to last year. This brought yearly profits to £3.6bn, [...]
Small businesses risk running out of cash after post Brexit banking rules rollout

February 16, 2023

New banking regulations could increase the cost of small business lending by around a third and “fundamentally change” the market as debate around the implementation of international banking rules in the UK intensifies. Regulators in the UK are scrutinising the latest round of Basel regulations, the global regulatory overhaul prompted by the financial crisis. Concerns [...]
‘Substantial reduction’ in bonuses at Deutsche Bank and Barclays as fallout from WhatsApp scandal continues

February 16, 2023

Deutsche Bank and Barclays have both cut bonuses for senior staff that inappropriately used WhatsApp as the fallout from an industry-wide crackdown on the use of private messaging services continues. According to Bloomberg, employees at Deutsche Bank who were found to be in severe breach of policies will see a “substantial reduction” in their bonus. [...]
Standard Chartered announces $1bn buyback scheme and lifts guidance despite weak profit

February 16, 2023

Standard Chartered announced a $1bn (£831m) buyback scheme and raised its guidance for the next couple of years despite its results failing to meet market expectations. Results for the bank, which has been subject to takeover speculation in recent months, were much weaker than expected. Profit in the final quarter of 2022 was significantly below [...]
Barclays shares slump to bottom of FTSE 100 as investors take fright at profit drop

February 15, 2023

Barclays shares tanked nearly eight per cent today, sending them to the bottom London’s FTSE 100 index, driven by investors fretting over the bank announcing today weaker than expected profits. The firm’s profit in the three months to December last year fell eight per cent to £1.3bn despite a £800m revenue bump, taking the lender’s [...]
Hunt urged to transform ringfencing regime which puts UK at ‘disadvantage internationally’

February 15, 2023

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been urged to reform the ringfencing regime “as quickly as possible” as UK Finance submitted proposals ahead of the Spring budget. In a list of proposals submitted today, UK Finance, the industry body, said “the current ringfencing regime puts the UK at a disadvantage internationally, as well as trapping liquidity and [...]
Barclays cuts bonus pool as profits tumble eight per cent on £500m provisions for loan defaults

February 15, 2023

Barclays performed worse than expected in the final quarter of 2022, as higher expenses and an increase in bad loan provisions weighed on performance, leading to a £200m bonus cut for top staff. Profit fell in the quarter after the bank set aside £498m in impairment costs in case of bad loans, compared to a [...]
What now for Standard Chartered, and why is the bank still a takeover target?

February 15, 2023

Standard Chartered found itself the target of takeover talks last week, after Bloomberg reported that First Abu Dhabi Bank was ready to make an offer once the cooling off period from its last offer, which had been just weeks earlier in January, had passed. The rumours were quickly quashed by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), [...]
Leap in business insolvencies as ‘tough start’ to 2023 leads to 52 per cent surge in compulsory liquidations

February 14, 2023

Corporate insolvencies rose seven per cent year-on-year in January 2023 with the number of compulsory liquidations up over 50 per cent, according to figures released today. The Insolvency Service said 1,671 companies went insolvent in January 2023, a seven per cent rise on the same month the previous year and 11 per cent when compared [...]
Britcoin needs to prove it can secure adoption and not spy on our consumers, experts warn

February 13, 2023

The digital pound faces a range of challenges before it could be adopted in the UK, experts told City AM, as industry figures continue to grapple with the announcement that a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is “likely to be needed” in the future. The risks a so-called Britcoin poses to financial stability and the [...]

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By: Chris Dorrell

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