NatWest to shutter two London branches in latest round of closures taking UK total to 66 January 26, 2023 Natwest will close a further 23 branches between April and June this year, including two in London, as the shuttering of its presence on Britain’s high streets picks up pace. The closures add to the 43 branches Natwest has already confirmed will be closing in 2023. Only two of the branches – Clapham High Street [...]
FTSE 100 close: Barclays, HSBC and Easyjet shine on otherwise poor day in London January 25, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 today gave up morning gains to finish lower before stronger-than-expected retail earnings provided a balm against recession fears. The capital’s premier index fell 0.22 per cent to 7,740.34 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, slid 0.38 per cent to [...]
How intelligent automation has become a mainstay of financial services, and what it means for private banking January 25, 2023 The increasing levels of automation in private banking reflects a need to move into the digital age, but it also brings with it challenges. City A.M. sat down with specialist Mark Bruce, chief executive of of Britannia Financial Group to find out how intelligent automation and artificial intelligence is impacting the sector. Mark, why don’t [...]
Barclays promotes Wright and brings in ex- Credit Suisse dealmaker Deasy to co-head its investment banking division January 25, 2023 Barclays has appointed Taylor Wright and Cathal Deasy as new co-heads of investment banking yesterday. Wright and Deasy will jointly manage the business and will be tasked with “deepening client relationships and dealmaking efforts around the world”. They will replace John Miller and Jean-Francois Astier and report to Paul Compton, global head of Barclays’ corporate [...]
Mark Carney’s net zero group disputes data showing only 7 per cent of banks’ energy financing goes to renewables January 24, 2023 Only seven per cent of global banks’ energy financing between 2016 and 2022 went towards renewable energy projects, according to new data, although Mark Carney’s net zero financial coalition has disputed the claim. A report by a group of campaign groups, including BankTrack and Rainforest Action Network, indicates “major failings” by financial institutions to help [...]
Asda owners explore £13bn merger with petrol business EG Group January 22, 2023 Asda’s owners are exploring merging the business with petrol forecourts business EG Group before EG’s 2025’s £7bn refinancing, The Times reported on Saturday. The two businesses are both jointly owned by Mohsin and Zuber Issa and private-equity company TDR Capital. The paper said the merger would create a business worth between £11bn and £13bn, with [...]
Sports TV: What’s on, what time is it on, where to watch? January 20, 2023 European rugby groups conclude this week as the sports schedule begins to look towards February. There’s free-to-air football on the television while the Australian Open continues. Here’s what you need to add to your sporting calendar this weekend. Rugby: Harlequins v Sharks, Saturday This weekend sees the final round of the group stages of rugby [...]
Tech Nation ‘working round clock to secure future’ after Govt strips it of £12m contract and awards it to Barclays January 20, 2023 Start-up body Tech Nation said it is facing an existential crisis and was scrambling to secure funding for its future today, after the government stripped it of a major £12m government contract and handed it to Barclays. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed it had handed the new tech deal to Barclays [...]
Where are Lloyds and Halifax closing 40 branches in 2023 and what does the high street exodus mean for you? January 20, 2023 Lloyds Banking Group said it will close a further 40 branches this year, as the exodus of banking branches from Britain’s high streets continues. Lloyds will close the doors at 22 branches while there will be 18 closures at Halifax. The branches will be closed between April and June this year. The bank noted that [...]
UK banks’ shares slide on fears of recession and bad debt January 19, 2023 UK banks’ share prices dipped on Thursday as increasing fears of recession, bad debt and a fairly poor set of US bank earnings this week spooked investors. Barclays shed 2.8 per cent, HSBC 0.6 per cent and Standard Chartered 0.8 per cent. Domestic-focused lenders Lloyds and Natwest also traded lower, finishing down 1.0 per cent [...]