Global banking powerhouses await forex class action ruling July 12, 2021 A London court this week will rule whether a multi-billion-pound class action filed against the world’s largest banks over accusations of foreign exchange rigging can proceed. Barclays, NatWest, UBS, Citigroup, JPMorgan and MUFG Bank are waiting to see whether they will face the first forex class action in the UK after the five-day hearing kicked [...]
Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond to take crypto firm Circle public in Spac deal July 8, 2021 Former Barclays boss Bob Diamond is set to take cryptocurrency firm Circle public through a $4.5bn (£3.3bn) blank-cheque listing. The complex Spac deal will see Circle merge with Concord Acquisition Corp, which is backed by Diamond, before the combined entity is acquired by a new Irish holding company that will trade on the New York [...]
Wise valued at £8bn in London’s biggest ever tech float July 7, 2021 Wise, one of Britain’s biggest fintech firms, has seen its valuation hit £8bn after listing on the London Exchange this morning, marking a major boost for the capital’s tech scene. Shares in the payments group, formerly known as Transferwise, began trading at £8 each in its eagerly-awaited stock market float. It follows an auction process [...]
UK banks bolster debt collection teams ahead of first Covid loan repayments July 6, 2021 The UK’s leading banks are bolstering their debt collection teams as the first repayments of emergency Covid loans fall due. Britain’s four largest banks have hired over 750 workers in their debt collection units in an effort to manage a wave of potential defaults. NatWest has taken on 150 extra staff to handle chasing Covid [...]
John Lewis and Waitrose to introduce flexible working for head office staff July 5, 2021 Bosses at John Lewis and Waitrose have confirmed they will introduce flexible working for all staff based at the company’s head offices. The announcement by the employee-owned retailer came after Boris Johnson confirmed plans to lift most lockdown restrictions on 19 July, including an end to the government’s work from home guidance. “If restrictions are [...]
FTSE 100 lifts as supermarkets drive rally July 5, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 rose on Monday afternoon, driven by a rally in supermarket shares. The capital’s premier index added 0.56 per cent to reach 7,163 in the afternoon session, paring back this morning’s losses. The gains were partly caused by shares in supermarkets rising in afternoon trading after Apollo Global Management announced it was considering [...]
New car registrations up as lockdown end nears July 5, 2021 The total number of cars registered grew in June from the same period last year, however new registrations still lag pre-pandemic figures, which raises questions about further growth in the industry. A total 186,128 new cars were registered in June, according the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), up 28 per cent on the [...]
US stocks reach record high after strong jobs report July 2, 2021 US stocks hit a record high on Friday after the Labour Department posted better than expected jobs figures. The blue chip S&P 500 gained 0.31 per cent, up to 4,333, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.43 per cent to hit 14,585, both record highs. US businesses embarked on a hiring spree last month as the [...]
Barclays to up junior bankers’ base pay to $100,000, following Wall Street rivals June 30, 2021 UK bank Barclays is expected to increase base pay for junior bankers to $100,000 amid an exodus of young workers. The pay hike would bring the company’s rates in line with those announced by JPMorgan this week. In April, Bank of America also increased junior banker salaries by up to $25,000. While the changes are expected [...]
UK banks’ profits slashed by more than half June 28, 2021 Big UK banks’ profits have slid by more than half over the last year, according to a ranking of the world’s largest lenders published today. UK lenders included in The Banker’s top 1,000 World Banks 2021 experienced a 53 per cent drop in profits. Losses were attributed to the severe damage the pandemic has inflicted [...]