World Triathlon targets T100 Olympic event as soon as Brisbane 2032 December 22, 2025 World Triathlon president Antonio Arimany on its alliance with the PTO, Olympic expansion ambitions and returning to London in 2026. After a few years of flux characterised by challenger leagues and competitions sprouting up at a dizzying pace, it feels like consolidation is in the air in the sports industry. Golf awaits the consummation of [...]
Banks to set own contactless limit as FCA scraps cap December 19, 2025 UK banks will be able to set their own contactless limits under new rules set to be introduced by the City watchdog next year. In the current system, banks place a cap on payments of up to £100 per transaction when consumers are using physical contactless cards. But changes introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority [...]
Brits’ disposable income shrinks in disappointing Golden Quarter December 18, 2025 Brits feel far poorer now than they did at the start of 2025, with even high-income households downbeat about their financial prospects. In January, people were four per cent more likely to say their pay had gone up rather than down, but Brits are now seven per cent more likely to have seen their pay [...]
Cut interest rates, City AM Shadow MPC tells Bank of England December 17, 2025 The Bank of England should cut interest rates by 25 basis points when it meets tomorrow, City AM’s Shadow Monetary Policy Committee has said in a three-way split decision. In the face of the dual problems of high inflation and a continued jobs market decline, the majority of experts on City AM’s nine-strong Shadow MPC [...]
Bank of mum and dad now funding multiple steps up housing ladder December 17, 2025 The ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ are funding more than just first steps on the housing ladder, with financial gifts pivotal for second steppers too. Nearly 20 per cent of second-time buyers have received support to buy their property, according to new research from Barclays, rising to 30 per cent for first-time buyers. This amounts [...]
FCA: Motor finance lenders ‘very focused’ on negatives of redress December 16, 2025 The boss of the UK’s financial watchdog has taken a swipe at motor finance lenders that are begrudged with the regulator’s redress scheme, stating they are “very focused” on the negatives. In a session with the Treasury Select Committee, Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) opened the door to changing the [...]
Motor finance lenders brace for legal battles amid redress spat December 15, 2025 Motor finance lenders have been sent a major warning over a potential influx of legal battles if the UK’s financial watchdog fails to “genuinely compensate” consumers. Britain’s top banks were thought to have been granted some reprieve earlier this year after the Supreme Court sided with upheld the appeals of two lenders in the landmark [...]
HSBC follows Nationwide with branch pledge in bid to woo customers December 12, 2025 HSBC has promised it will not shut any branches in the UK until at least 2027 as the bank ramps up its efforts to appeal to customers. The FTSE 100 titan, which is Europe’s biggest lender, will invest £55.8m into its 327 branches in 2026, a 30 per cent increase on the £42m it spent [...]
Nationwide hit with fine after failing to flag Covid furlough fraud December 12, 2025 Nationwide had been slapped with a £44m fine by the City watchdog for failures in its financial crime controls. The building society giant has been blasted by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for missing opportunities to identify fraudulent Covid furlough payments. The FCA said one customer received 24 payments, totalling north of £27m, over 13 [...]
Big banks SME lending comeback slowed down by Budget jitters December 11, 2025 High street banks’ return to small business lending slowed in the third quarter of 2025 after the chaos on the road to the Autumn Budget dampened activity in the economy. Big banks dished out nearly £4.2bn in total loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the three months to 30 September – a level [...]