By: Samuel Norman

Senior City Reporter Samuel is a Senior City Reporter covering banking and fintech as well as stories on capital markets and economics. He also leads on City AM's morning liveblog from 7am everyday. He has previously written for the Daily Mail and The i Paper and worked for Sky News as an election stringer. He enjoys writing in-depth analysis of major blue-chip firms and start-ups and also industry trends. He can be contacted at samuel.norman@cityam.com and posts on LinkedIn and X at x.com/samnormanwrites.

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Barclays shares near post-financial crisis high

February 18, 2025

Shares in Barclays closed in on a post-financial crisis high on Tuesday morning. The stock has surged higher over the past 12 months due to improved investor sentiment towards the banking sector thanks to higher interest rates. Shares rallied to a high of 310.20p following market open, touching highs not witnessed since the rebound of [...]
UK fintech investment hits four-year low

February 18, 2025

Fintech investment in the UK had another sluggish year with new data showing it sunk to a four-year low in 2024. KPMG’s bi-annual fintech report showed UK fintech investment fell by 27 per cent to £7.9bn last year, down from £10.1bn in 2023. Despite this, the UK managed to scoop up more funding than France, [...]
Lloyds Bank urged to release full HBOS review

February 17, 2025

Lloyds Banking Group has been told it must publish a “full copy” of the long-delayed report into the mishandling of the HBOS Reading scandal. Dame Meg Hillier, who chairs the Treasury Committee, has backed campaigners’ calls for Lloyds to be transparent in private correspondence obtained by The Times. This follows Lloyds’ pledge to “fulfil any [...]
Borrowing boom to boost banks

February 17, 2025

Banks have been given a boost after new data predicted borrowing growth would rise throughout 2025. After the Bank of England slashed interest rates three times in the last six months, research from EY Item Club anticipates total UK bank lending will rise to 3.7 per cent this year, up from 2.3 per cent in [...]
Analysts say ‘Buy’ Natwest shares after annual results

February 14, 2025

Analysts have slapped a ‘Buy’ rating on Natwest shares after the bank’s annual results beat expectations. Peel Hunt analysts Robert Sage and Stuart Duncan said the lender’s strong performance in 2024 increased “conviction that market expectations can be delivered”. Natwest reported a £6.2bn pre-tax profit for 2024, up 0.3 per cent on 2023’s headline figure, [...]
Natwest skims past profit expectations

February 14, 2025

Natwest narrowly beat analysts’ annual profit expectations after posting a bump in its consumer lending. The FTSE 100 lender posted a £6.2bn pre-tax profit, ahead of £6.1bn pencilled in by analysts and up 0.3 per cent on 2023. Net loans to customers hit £368.5bn, an increase of £12.9bn, which reflected Natwest’s acquisition of Metro Bank’s [...]
Wealthiest adults do not financially plan for marriage

February 13, 2025

Only one in five of the UK’s wealthiest adults discuss financial planning ahead of marriage, according to fresh research. Among a survey of 500 UK adults, who have at least £1.5 million in investable assets or total assets of £15 million, 93 per cent agreed planning for unexpected life events, such as divorce, was crucial [...]
Crypto fraud surges after Donald Trump’s re-election

February 13, 2025

Crypto platforms have been warned the industry is at a “critical juncture” after a Sumsub report showed a spike in fraud cases. The verification platform’s State of the Crypto Industry 2025 said fraud cases were up 48 per cent, with document forgery making up 31 per cent of detected cases in the last year. Following [...]
Barclays puts aside £90m for motor finance scandal

February 13, 2025

Barclays announced in its annual results it had set aside £90m to cover potential motor finance payouts, amidst ongoing disputes over the misconduct row. This follows the landmark Court of Appeal’s October 2024 judgment, ruling in favour of three consumers and determining that lenders were liable for paying undisclosed commission to car dealers who acted [...]
‘Temporary share price glitch’ sends Barclays shares lower

February 13, 2025

Shares in Barclays slumped on Thursday morning after the bank posted its annual results. The Big Four bank reported a £8.1bn pre-tax profit, up 24 per cent from 2024, surpassing analyst expectations of £8.07bn. However, its stock dropped five per cent, as low as 290.34p after the market opened. Still, despite the drop, Peel Hunt [...]

UK launches £500m Sovereign AI fund as Kendall backs ‘British winners’

London Lions CEO: We’d love to be in NBA Europe but we have a reason to exist anyway

Celebrating Pan Am’s iconic legacy as airline plans return to the skies

By: Samuel Norman

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