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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Bank of America analysts slap ‘buy’ rating on Barclays shares

May 1, 2025

Bank of America analysts gushed over Barclays’ first-quarter performance, reiterating their ‘buy’ rating on the stock. Analysts said that while geopolitical-related concerns ahead of results were understandable, the lender “printed a strong set of numbers”. The FTSE 100 bank booked a £2.7bn pre-tax profit, ahead of the £2.5bn pencilled in. This was boosted by income [...]
HSBC on hunt for new chair as Mark Tucker to retire by year-end

May 1, 2025

HSBC chair Mark Tucker will retire by the end of 2025 after an eight-year stint at the lender, the bank has said. Europe’s biggest lender said Tucker would continue as a strategic adviser to Georges Elhedery, the lender’s chief executive, in his retirement. The Board’s Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee said it is already on [...]
Post Office extends banks’ cash deal as MPs call for mandated acceptance

May 1, 2025

The Post Office has reached a five-year banking deal with lenders and building societies to keep cash services running amid a continued retreat of banks from the high street. This renewed deal follows research commissioned by the company, which found nine in ten people believe it is important to maintain access to cash. The partnership [...]
Lloyds’ finance boss slams ring-fencing amid waning growth forecast

May 1, 2025

Lloyds‘ finance boss raised the alarm on lenders’ ability to help drive growth due to restrictions from the ring-fencing regime. The bank trimmed its UK GDP expectations and has projected a rise in unemployment in the latest warning sign for the health of the British economy. The FTSE 100 giant pencilled in 0.2 per cent [...]
Lloyds costs soar as lender increases provisions after tariff turmoil

May 1, 2025

Lloyds Banking Group’s profit took a hit in the first three months of the year as the domestic-focused bank’s operating costs soared. The FTSE 100 giant, which includes Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, met analyst expectations for pre-tax profit at £1.5bn – marking a seven per cent drop from the first quarter of 2024. [...]
Labour to be handed ‘spying powers’ on bank accounts in Fraud Bill

April 30, 2025

Labour is facing fresh questions over its Fraud Bill, which has been slammed for handing the government “spying powers”. The legislation, which passed in the Commons on Wednesday, bulks up the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) ability to recover money directly from fraudsters’ bank accounts. The DWP pledged the reforms would deliver “the biggest [...]
UK fintech Revolut expands lifestyle reach with mobile plans

April 30, 2025

Revolut is to offer mobile plans to customers as the UK fintech continues to diversify its product range. The Canary Wharf-based business is looking to enter the mobile market in the UK and Germany later this year before eying further market expansion. Revolut said its plans will include unlimited calls, texts and data at home, [...]
Barclays boss breaks from FTSE 100 peers on Reeves lobbying

April 30, 2025

The chief executive of Barclays has defended the ring-fencing regulation facing British banks, despite his FTSE 100 peers calling on the Chancellor to abolish it. CS Venkatakrishnan told Sky News on Wednesday morning that the benefits of protection offered by the rules outweigh the costs of implementing and administering the system. The UK’s ring-fencing regime [...]
GSK shares rise as FTSE 100 giant ‘well positioned’ for pharma tariffs

April 30, 2025

British drugmaker GSK insisted it was “well positioned” to respond to the impact of sector-specific tariffs amid widespread speculation President Donald Trump is set to target pharmaceutical imports with his tariff agenda. Trump voiced his desire to slap tariffs on pharma products in the “not too distant future”. He previously said: “We don’t make our [...]
Santander UK’s provisions surge after branch closure backlash

April 30, 2025

Santander UK was struck with a surge in provisions in its first-quarter report as backlash mounted to its branch closure operation. The Spanish-headquartered lender’s provisions for liabilities and charges rose 69 per cent to £140m. The firm said £42m of this was driven by “charges relating to changes to our branch network”. This comes as [...]

City law firm Shoosmiths launches Microsoft-led AI tool for junior lawyers

Advertising at World Cup: Levi’s genius, hydration breaks and dodging rules

Georgia PM’s Starmer outburst over City AM sanctions scoop

By: Samuel Norman

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