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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Starmer meets BlackRock’s Larry Fink for growth talks

May 20, 2025

The Prime Minister this morning met the boss of the world’s largest money manager, in the latest such conversation as part of ministers’ growth agenda. Sir Keir Starmer held discussions with Larry Fink, who leads the $11.6tn giant BlackRock. Fink was pictured leaving Downing Street on Tuesday morning. This follows on from the American billionaire’s [...]
Lloyds Bank boss: No evidence of harm in motor finance scandal

May 20, 2025

Lloyds Banking Group’s chief executive faced a grilling from the Treasury Select Committee on Tuesday over the lender’s historical exposure to the motor finance market. Charlie Nunn, the bank’s boss, said there was “no evidence of harm” from the firm’s operations in the car financing market. The scandal in the sector headed to the Supreme [...]
Is HSBC turning its back on Europe?

May 20, 2025

When Georges Elhedery took the helm at HSBC, he wasted no time making his mark on the firm. Elhedery plotted a “simpler, more dynamic and agile organisation” in his sweeping restructure first announced in October 2024. One significant change introduced by the new bank chief was splitting the business into “eastern markets” covering the Asia-pacific [...]
Diploma: Shares in FTSE 100 firm rocket after profit upgrade

May 20, 2025

Shares in FTSE 100 firm Diploma rocketed on Tuesday after the firm upgraded full-year guidance and delivered a strong performance for the first six months of its financial year. In its half-year report, the company, which distributes specialised technical products and services, noted a 14 per cent jump in revenue to £728.5m. Organic revenue growth [...]
Smiths Group: Shares jumps as demerger on track

May 20, 2025

British engineering firm Smiths Group posted a boost to revenue in the third quarter as it progressed on demerger plans. The group’s revenue jumped 10.6 per cent on the back of “strong performance and momentum in the order book”. Shares in the group rose over two per cent to 2,100p during early trading on Tuesday. [...]
Klarna, Zilch, Clearpay: What does the buy now pay later crackdown mean for UK fintech?

May 20, 2025

The Treasury’s regulatory shakeup of buy now pay later services is set to reshape the UK fintech landscape and industry leaders have been left with questions. The UK government will enact legislation that brings buy now pay later firms under the scrutiny of the Financial Conduct Authority. This means firms such as Klarna and Clearpay [...]
SSP: Upper Crust owner’s shares surge after profit soars

May 20, 2025

Owner of Upper Crust bakery chain SSP Group grew across a number of business lines in its half-year report as revenue soared, despite some headwinds in Europe. The FTSE 250 firm recorded £45m in operating profit – up 20 per cent growth from the first six months of 2024. Shares soared nearly four per cent [...]
One in four Brits cling to bank branches as closures soar

May 20, 2025

Brits remain keen for in-person banking even as high-street sites shutter, a fresh report from the Financial Conduct Authority has revealed. One in four current account users still opted to use branch services in the year to May 2024 despite their waning availability. The figure marks a steep drop from 63 per cent in 2017, [...]
Reeves must provide ‘more stable’ tax policy, finance bosses say

May 20, 2025

Rachel Reeves is facing pressure to provide a “clearer, more stable tax environment,” when she delivers her growth strategy in July. The Chancellor is once again in the spotlight after a damning report from finance bosses indicated the industry was prepped to support growth ambitions, but structural barriers were holding them back. Top players in [...]
Revolut looks to France for major European expansion

May 19, 2025

British-born digital bank Revolut has chosen Paris for its fresh Western Europe headquarters with a major €1bn investment. The fintech giant said it will create over 200 jobs in France, in what it calls the “largest investment in the French financial sector in a decade.” The firm has also applied for a French banking licence, [...]

Sainsbury’s threatens to crack down on shoplifters caught swapping eggs

What next for LIV Golf and Newcastle United after Saudi PIF strategy shift?

The watch podcast disrupting the ‘pale, male and stale’ image

By: Samuel Norman

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