Challenger banks face ‘profitability trap’ at growth crossroads September 8, 2025 The UK banking sector faces a profitability roadblock that will give the industry’s challengers an “existential” turning point. Fresh data from KPMG suggests the industry’s average return on equity will fall to eight per cent come 2027 down from 13 per cent four years prior. This is set to spark an £11bn reduction in pre-tax [...]
Geopolitical instability hits the bottom line as businesses suffer investment losses September 3, 2025 Businesses have suffered losses in international projects or investments due to geopolitical and economic risks, with interest in political risk insurance (PRI) soaring as a result. According to a new report by insurer Howden, over half of the companies surveyed, comprising around 500 senior risk and treasury function decision-makers, reported suffering a political loss to [...]
Don’t let France overtake Britain in tech September 3, 2025 To maintain its economic leadership, the UK must learn from the proactive policies of competitors like France and urgently reform its own R&D and investment schemes to better support innovative start-ups and scale-ups, says Gregor Poynton As the UK faces up to the economic challenges we confront as a country, we should remain optimistic about [...]
Week in Business: Will Reeves Launch a Massive Tax Raid on Property and Pensions? August 21, 2025 Christian May interrupts your holiday with grim news on another punishing round of tax hikes coming in the Autumn.
Admiral: Shares surge after FTSE 100 giant’s profit jumps August 14, 2025 Shares in insurance giant Admiral surged 5.5 per cent in early deals this morning after the group reported a significant jump in earnings for the first half of its financial year, thanks to its UK insurance arm and income from Admiral Money. The group reported a 69 per cent jump in profit before tax from [...]
Beazley: Shares slump after profit falls August 13, 2025 Shares in Lloyd’s of London insurance group Beazley fell more than 11 per cent after the company reported a sharp drop in profit for the first half of 2025. Beazley reported a profit before tax of $502.5m (£371.9m) for the six months ending 30 June 2025, down from the $728.9m reported in the first half [...]
Brits could be missing out on cheaper home insurance deals August 12, 2025 UK customers could be missing cheaper home insurance deals by failing to shop around for cheaper covers. One in four homeowners auto-renew their home insurance without looking for better quotes, potentially causing them to lose out on cheaper deals or extras, according to a survey from financial services comparison platform Go Compare. Of the 2,000 [...]
Royal London profit rises after new business sales August 8, 2025 Royal London reported strong profit growth in the first half of the year after an increase in new business sales. The insurance company recorded a 15 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to £166m, compared to £144m in 2024, crediting its higher business sales and bulk purchase annuity buy ins. The group completed eight BPA [...]
TP ICAP shares fall despite revenue growth August 6, 2025 Interdealer broker TP ICAP Group reported record revenue growth in the first half of the year, supported by strong broker productivity, cost control, and strategic diversification. The firm recorded adjusted revenue of £1.22bn, up seven per cent, driven by momentum in its global broking and Liquidnet divisions. The global broking arm was the business’s best [...]
Rachel Reeves could use bank windfall tax to plug Labour’s U-turns July 31, 2025 Rachel Reeves could launch a fresh tax grab on banks to plug the spending holes left by Labour’s recent U-turns, new analysis has found. The Chancellor is poised to hike taxes in the Autumn Budget after a series of government policy switches eroded her already wafer-thin fiscal headroom of £9.9bn. This comes as fresh research [...]