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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Oaknorth delays net zero goal as US expansion fuels lending boom

March 17, 2026

UK fintech Oaknorth has slapped a ten year delay on its ambition to be a net zero bank as the firm’s expansion across the Atlantic picked up pace. The small business lender said it expects to meet net zero commitments by 2045, as opposed to previous guidance of 2035 set four years ago. Oaknorth said [...]
Close Brothers to axe fifth of jobs after motor finance ‘wipeout’ warning

March 17, 2026

Close Brothers has warned it will cull as much as a fifth of its headcount as the bank continued its aggressive cost-cutting strategy following mounting losses linked to the motor finance scandal. The FTSE 250 bank said it would axe a staggering 600 full-time roles by the end of the 2027 financial, which represents around [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up; Gas prices surge after drone attacks

March 17, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.5 per cent yesterday, settling at 10,317.69p led by a three per cent jump in Endeavour Mining. It came as global markets were brought some reprieve from declining oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil [...]
‘No one expects’ Bank of England to cut interest rates, says former MPC member

March 17, 2026

A former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has said that “no one expects a cut” to interest rates amidst deepening conflict in the Middle East. Prof Jonathan Haskel, who is also a member of City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee, told BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme he believes a rates [...]
Close Brothers shares sink as infamous short-seller warns of motor finance ‘wipeout’

March 16, 2026

Shares in Close Brothers plummeted on Monday after a group notorious for short-selling warned the bank had “systematically misrepresented” its exposure to the motor finance scandal. The FTSE 250 bank nosedived as much as 12 per cent during afternoon trading after Viceroy Research, a group famed for its exposés of Wirecard and Home Reit, warned [...]
Bank of England: We can’t eliminate bias in AI

March 16, 2026

A top boss at the Bank of England has warned the use of artificial intelligence programs will never be bias-free and instead users must be aware of the risk. Jem Davis, chief compliance officer at the Bank of England, said: “My view is you’re probably not going to be able to eliminate bias completely, but [...]
‘More needs to be done’ to help pension savers after salary sacrifice, says Standard life boss

March 16, 2026

The boss of one of the UK’s largest pension providers has warned “more needs to be done” to help those saving for retirement after the government introduced a cap on salary sacrifice in the latest Budget. Andy Briggs, the chief executive of Standard Life, told City AM: “Obviously, we weren’t supportive of [salary sacrifice changes] [...]
UK banking sector faces ‘AI-washing’ legal warning

March 16, 2026

The UK’s banking sector is facing a new wave of regulatory AI warnings as bullish lenders race to rapidly beef up their tech capacity. Rosehana Amin, cyber and litigation partner at Clyde & Co LLP, warned banks may face a significant legal liability over misleading markets over their use of AI. Speaking at the City [...]
‘Pressure point’: Oil prices spike as Trump turns up heat on Nato

March 16, 2026

The price of oil spiked once more as trading for the new week began after Donald Trump ramped up pressure on his Nato peers to help get supply flowing. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, jumped 2.9 per cent as trading open after the weekend to near $106.12 a barrel, but later gave [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks jump, Oil spikes, fresh Thames Water rescue deal

March 16, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. This morning Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose 1.8 per cent to $104.98 per barrel during early trading in Asia. It follows President Trump stating he is unwilling to make a deal with Iran and his energy secretary warning the war will [...]

UK banks brace for sour loan spike as household savings run dry

Budget 2026: Healey warned betting tax hikes could hit non-league football

Business leaders debate the future of the Capital at the Central London Alliance Summit

By: Samuel Norman

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