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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Starling plans to ‘come out swinging’ in diversification bid

August 6, 2026

Bernadette Smith has a spring in her step as she sits down in Starling’s headquarters to discuss her new role. The fintech’s new banking boss is buzzing with energy that she wants to pass onto customers and investors. “I want everyone to be talking about us,” she says, envisaging how she will measure success in [...]
Revolut founder’s wealth set to balloon amid talks of share award at $500bn valuation

August 5, 2026

The billionaire founder of Revolut is set to see his wealth balloon following reports of a pay package that would land him a major stock windfall if the fintech reaches a $500bn valuation. The digital bank, which is currently undergoing a secondary share sale seeking to value the firm at $115bn, is in discussions to [...]
Next hikes targets as heatwave boosts sales

August 5, 2026

Next has upgraded its profit targets for the year after breezing past second quarter expectations, putting its shareholders in line for a bumper payday. The FTSE 100 retail giant hiked its pre-tax profit expectations for 2026 to £1.24bn, around £25m higher than previously estimates. If achieved the figure would mark 7.3 per cent growth on [...]
As it happened: Stocks rise as oil fluctuates after Red Sea attack; US-Iran deal ‘being circulated’

August 5, 2026

Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Oil prices have snapped a losing streak following Yemen’s Houthis said they had attacked a Saudi vessel in the Red Sea. Brent crude drew back above the $80 per barrel mark on Wednesday morning on the news, but prices were still down for the week by around 10 [...]
Big bank bosses on alert as tax noise gets louder under Burnham

August 5, 2026

Banks have delivered booming profits for the first half of the year. In this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at how the calls for a tax rise on the sector will get louder under the new Prime Minister. “The saxophones are getting louder” is the internet’s new saying to depict growing anxiety. If you [...]
Barclays in legal battle with MFS administrators over part of £160m holding

August 4, 2026

The administrators of collapsed mortgage lender MFS are taking legal action against Barclays after the bank allegedly refused to hand back millions of pounds sat in its accounts. Alix Partners, which was appointed as joint administrators for Market Financial Solutions in February, filed a High Court claim against Barclays, represented by Latham and Watkins, on [...]
Metro Bank profit jumps as it bucks branch closure trend

August 4, 2026

Metro Bank secured its highest half-year profit on record in the first six months of 2026 as it bucked an industry-wide trend of branch closures and grew its small business offering. The FTSE 250 bank recorded a £60.7m pre-tax profit, up 41 per cent from the same period last year. This was driven by a [...]
HSBC kicks off $1bn share buyback after profit smashes forecast

August 4, 2026

HSBC has resumed its share buyback programme after profit soared past expectations in the second quarter of 2026. The FTSE 100 bank – whose market cap of £274bn makes it the London Stock Exchange’s most valuable company – posted $10.1bn (£7.5bn) in pre-tax profit for the last three months, surging past an internal forecast of [...]
As it happened: Oil prices tumble as Bessent says US-Iran deal imminent; miner stocks rally

August 4, 2026

Welcome back to the City AM FTSE 100 liveblog. The price of oil tumbled on Tuesday afternoon after a senior Trump ally said that a deal over control of the Strait of Hormuz could be agreed with Iran in the coming days. The price of Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil – tumbled [...]
Oil price falls but Trump and Iran clash on negotiations claim

August 3, 2026

The price of oil has drifted lower after Donald Trump called off strikes on Iran but progress towards a finalised peace deal continues to stall as the President clashes with Iran’s leadership. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – tumbled over five per cent on Monday to below $83 per barrel as [...]

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I turned 40 and booked the Silk Road trip of my childhood dreams

By: Samuel Norman

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