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.

All 1784 Articles

UK fintech Wise in tie-up with Oaknorth as it beefs up infrastructure division

October 6, 2026

UK fintech Wise is set to reveal a partnership with small business lender Oaknorth as the group looks to make its infrastructure arm a driving force. The cross-border finance firm’s tie-up with Oaknorth will see the latter adopt Wise’s international payments engine directly into its own banking platform for small businesses. Fintechs and challengers have [...]
Informa snaps up Clarion Events in £2.2bn deal with Blackstone

October 6, 2026

Digital services giant Informa has snapped up the world’s largest privately owned event and exhibition organiser in a multi-billion pound deal with private equity firm Blackstone. The FTSE 100 group revealed on Tuesday it had acquired London-headquartered Clarion Events for £2.2bn from Blackstone. The deal brings over 100 business-to-business live event brands under the Informa [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 jumps as oil price eases after crude exports rise

October 6, 2026

Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. The oil market is getting some relief as crude exports recover but the price of a barrel is stubbornly holding over the $100 mark. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – traded near $100 per barrel on Tuesday morning after declining in the previous session. It [...]
Monument Bank boss: Wealthy Brits in ‘fear’ ahead of punishing Budget

October 5, 2026

Wealthy Brits are in a state of “fear” ahead of the forthcoming Budget, according to a London bank chief, as economic turmoil and speculation of more punishing tax raids ramp up. Ian Rand, the boss of Monument Bank, said affluent Brits were raising concerns over “certainty” and “getting things wrong” when attempting to protect their [...]
UK bank bosses and John Healey set for tax showdown

October 5, 2026

When banking lobbyists geared up for an offensive ahead of the 2025 Budget, a tax cut barely made the wishlist. Modest in their ambitions, advocates were preparing to settle for anything that didn’t see their already eye-wateringly high tax bill rise. That is until, City AM understands, officials advised them to make a cut a [...]
‘Disastrous’: Average five-year fixed mortgage rate surges to six per cent

October 5, 2026

The average five-year fixed mortgage rate has broken the six per cent mark for the first time in three years after a fresh raft of lenders hiked prices. The typical five-year agreement has hit six per cent, according to Moneyfacts, while the average two-year is a whisker behind at 5.98 per cent. It is the [...]
Raising bank taxes will reduce jobs, former Chancellor Hunt warns Healey

October 5, 2026

Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has issued John Healey a major warning over any increase to the level of taxes paid by UK banks ahead of the forthcoming Budget. The top Tory MP, who has sat on the back benches since Labour came to power in 2024, said Healey must ignore the “siren voices” calling for [...]
Government intervenes as BT inks deal to rescue embattled Talktalk

October 5, 2026

Broadband giant BT has agreed to snap up embattled telecommunications firm Talktalk in a move that has prompted the government to weigh in. The FTSE 100 group said on Monday it had acquired Talktalk and its wholesale arm PlatformX Communications (PXC) out of administration on a debt-free basis. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, is [...]
As it happened: Oil stockpiles ‘scarily thin’; BT jumps on TalkTalk rescue deal

October 5, 2026

Welcome back to City AM‘s FTSE 100 liveblog. Markets are hoping to claw back some of last week’s losses to kick off the week after a global bond rout set ripples through the world’s top exchanges. The FTSE 100 is gaining on Monday, reversing some of its losses from Friday. This morning, Brent crude – the international [...]
‘It’s a s**t show’ – Legal 500 accidentally publishes damning barrister reviews

October 2, 2026

Legal 500 has been forced to take down its site after the firm mistakenly published negative reviews alongside its top lawyer rankings. The publisher, which evaluates law firms, solicitors and barristers across 100 countries, pulled its site on Friday for “maintenance” after it had emerged bad reviews were accidentally accompanying the profiles of those who [...]

‘What breathing space?’ Top economist and Labour MP debate the Budget

Sorry padel bores, the sport doesn’t deserve an Olympics spot yet

Watching my first Budget: An idiot’s blow-by-blow account

By: Samuel Norman

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