By: Samuel Norman

Senior City Reporter Samuel is a Senior City Reporter covering all the top financial institutions from retail banks to fintechs as well as stories on capital markets and economics. He has broken stories on some of the biggest names in the City and regularly writes in-depth analysis pieces on companies and industry trends. Samuel also leads on City AM's morning liveblog from 7am everyday. He writes a weekly column found in print and online on Wednesdays. He can be contacted at samuel.norman@cityam.com and posts on LinkedIn and X at x.com/samnormanwrites.

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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 [...]
Barclays shares jump as investment arm cashes in on market storm

April 30, 2025

Barclays enjoyed a bumper first three months of 2025 as its investment and private banking arms cashed in on market volatility. The bank’s share rose over 1.5 per cent during early trading on Wednesday. The FTSE 100 giant’s investment bank bolstered income by 16 per cent to £3.9bn, compared to £3.3bn from the same period [...]
Reeves unveils new crypto rules as she promises to back UK fintech

April 29, 2025

Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged to back UK fintech as she unveiled new crypto rules during a landmark address to industry executives on Tuesday. Speaking at Innovate Finance’s 11th global fintech summit, Reeves pledged to support growth and consumers through new “clear” outlines for digital assets. The fresh crypto legislation follows on from the Treasury’s launch [...]
Rate setter calls for market digitalisation and touts Bank of England’s flexibility

April 29, 2025

Bank of England rate setter Dave Ramsden has called for bold action on digitalisation in a rebuke of concerns that the Bank’s prescriptive rules were stifling innovation. Speaking at the Innovate Finance Global Summit on Tuesday, the central bank Deputy Governor said widespread innovation in wholesale financial markets from authorities and industry would boost the [...]
BP shares plummet as firm chops buyback amid weakened oil market

April 29, 2025

British energy giant BP chopped its quarterly share buyback after President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff agenda sent the price of oil tumbling. BP cuts its buyback to $750m (£559m), compared to $1.75bn the previous quarter. The firm’s shares dropped nearly four per cent in early trading on Tuesday. This comes after the cost of a [...]
Puregym bulks up in US market as membership soars

April 29, 2025

UK-based gym operator Puregym is set to expand into the US after a bumper 2024. The firm increased revenue by 10 per cent to £605m as membership soared. The British gym franchise ended 2024 with 2.25m customers, adding 400k in the last year – a jump of 21 per cent. The group’s total gyms rose [...]
HSBC shares jump as lender ups bad loan provisions after tariff chaos

April 29, 2025

HSBC shares rose in early trading after the lender increased provisions for loan losses in its first-quarter report. The FTSE 100 giant’s stock jumped two per cent as trade war woes clouded the lender’s results. The bank raised expected credit losses to $876m (£653m), from $202m in a stark indication of firm’s outlook on the [...]
Channel 4’s investment arm gives £3m backing to UK fintech Sprive

April 29, 2025

Channel 4 has entered the fintech realm after its investment arm participated in a funding round that topped £5.5m. Channel 4 Ventures injected £3m into mortgage overpayment app Sprive, in a fundraiser led by venture capital firm Ascension. The funding aims to assist the early-stage consumer fintech’s in fulfilling its mission to help millions repay [...]

Healey rules out expanding mansion tax to £1.5m homes

Manchester City owners must get messaging right or risk own fans turning against them

Where to eat Greek food in central London

By: Samuel Norman

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