GXO-Wincanton deal would raise costs for supermarkets, says CMA February 19, 2025 Logistics firm GXO’s takeover of Wincanton is likely to reduce competition and bump up costs for supermarkets stocking up shelves, according to the UK’s competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday published its initial assessment into the £762m deal following a year-long investigation. The regulator noted GXO and Wincanton are currently two [...]
Treasury confirms shift to one-day settlements as Rachel Reeves calls in City bankers February 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed that the UK will move to a ‘T+1’ standard for settling securities trades from 2027. She is meeting with chiefs of investment banking and asset management firms today to discuss the overhaul. The government has set 11 October 2027 as the date for the UK to transition to a one-day [...]
Thames Water restructuring plan approved by High Court February 18, 2025 Thames Water’s restructuring plans have been approved by the High Court, giving the beleagured utility a lifeline to avoid temporary nationalisation. The UK’s biggest water supplier had been set to run out of money by 24 March without a £3bn loan from its creditors, amid debts of more than £19bn. Such an outcome would have [...]
New towns: Why Starmer needs to avoid being a cowboy builder… February 18, 2025 Promises can be a tricky thing in politics. Just look at the flack Nick Clegg received for pledging to scrap tuition fees, and then, well, not. Similarly, putting Partygate aside, I suspect Boris Johnson isn’t exactly fondly remembered as PM by those voters living in areas promised one of his 40 new hospitals. While some [...]
Britons, our businesses need YOU to take risks February 17, 2025 Brits have become too cautious, and business is suffering because of it. It's time for us all to embrace risk, writes Chris Hayward.
Thames Water asks watchdog to let it charge even higher bills February 14, 2025 Thames Water is asking the competition regulator to allow it to charge customers even more over the coming years than had previously been granted. The company has already been allowed a 35 per cent rise in consumer bills over the next five years by water regulator Ofwat, after Thames had previously lobbied for a 59 per cent hike. Now, it wants [...]
The FCA must move faster on introducing a consolidated tape February 14, 2025 A consolidated tape, bringing together all available data on securities, will make markets more competitive and transparent. The FCA should bring it forward now, says Giovanni Cespa Transparency in market data is universally seen “as a good thing”. However, moves to develop and implement a tool that will address a glaring lacuna in market data [...]
After Allbright, is there a future for women-only members clubs? February 14, 2025 Allbright is just the latest women's members club forced to shut up shop in London, which begs the question: do women even still want them?
Barclays and Natwest to set tone for Big Four banks in year ahead February 12, 2025 As Britain’s Big Four banks prepare to post annual results, analysts expect “strong” performances, but warned of long-term challenges. Barclays and Natwest will lead the first round of results this week, with the pair reporting on Thursday and Friday respectively. This will be followed by HSBC on February 19 and Lloyds on February 20. The [...]
Bitpanda set to shake up UK crypto market after FCA approval February 12, 2025 European crypto platform Bitpanda is set to expand operations across the UK following approval from the City regulator. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has permitted Bitpanda to bring its suite of 500 cryptocurrencies to the UK market. Bitpanda’s entry adds to the increasing pressures across traditional banks as they face competition from the modern abilities [...]