Big Four KPMG cleared as regulator drops Entain audit probe April 2, 2026 The regulator has closed a probe into the Big Four giant, KPMG, over its audit of the Ladbrokes owner, Entain. In January 2025, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) announced an investigation into Entain regarding its financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022. At the time, a KPMG UK spokesperson said: “We will cooperate [...]
As KPMG looks to cut hundreds of staff, expect more layoffs at the Big Four March 31, 2026 The Big Four giants, after hitting pandemic-era highs, are currently navigating a perfect storm of challenges: a harsher market, a surge in AI investment and a stagnant economy. These pressures are forcing firms to take a pair of shears to their workforces as the industry’s traditional “attrition model” fails to keep pace with reality. Over [...]
FCA slashes banks’ motor finance payouts as compensation scheme finalised March 30, 2026 City banks are set to face a more than £9bn motor finance bill after the UK’s financial watchdog laid out plans for its long-awaited motor finance redress scheme in a major U-turn after months of backlash. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed the details of its industry-wide redress scheme for the car mis-selling saga on [...]
Mortgage approvals bounce back after two-year low March 30, 2026 Mortgage approvals have bounced back after slumping to a two-year low last month, suggesting the property market was regaining momentum before the Iran war shocked global markets. The number of approved mortgages for house purchases increased to 62,600 in February, up from the two-year low of 60,200 in January, according to the Bank of England. [...]
KPMG to dismiss more than 400 auditing staff March 28, 2026 KPMG UK is set to fire more than 500 staff in a redundancies round hitting the auditing industry, reports have suggested. The Big Four consultancy is set to fire staff across its advisory arm in the UK as well as the audit business, which will be more heavily affected. Consultancy bosses reportedly told staff on [...]
If Reeves wants Britain to lead in AI, she must offer tax incentives March 25, 2026 The government is aware of the levers it’s able to pull to compete on AI: planning, electricity connections, visas, higher education policy, direct subsidies. But where’s tax? Asks Tim Sarson A couple of weeks ago one of those mini news stories came along, the sort that is so neatly zeitgeisty that it demands further consideration. [...]
UK recession is ‘real possibility’ as Reeves meets City analysts March 24, 2026 The UK economy faces a “real possibility” of falling into a recession, a City economist has warned, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves and pensions minister Torsten Bell met with gilt analysts to discuss the shock from the war in the Middle East. The Chancellor invited top economists from firms key to the gilt markets to the [...]
UK must learn lessons from this crisis – starting with energy policy March 24, 2026 Has the US brought Iran to heel? Or has Iran discovered it has the upper hand? These are urgent questions and the world waits with bated breath for clear answers. Trump claims Iran approached the US, seeking a deal to end the war, and while the Iranians deny this it seems likely that contact has [...]
Starmer vows to use ‘every lever’ to protect Brits from damage to UK economy March 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to use “every lever” to prevent households from being hit by higher energy prices amid growing fears the Iran war is wreaking havoc on the UK economy. On Monday morning, the Prime Minister suggested an emergency Cobra meeting between the most senior government ministers and the Bank of England governor [...]
Alan Flanagan joins U.S. Bank as head of Global Investment Services March 17, 2026 U.S. Bank announced today that veteran securities executive Alan Flanagan has joined the bank as head of Global Investment Services, a division comprising Global Fund Services and Global Corporate Trust. In this role, Flanagan will lead a global team that combines industry-leading expertise with superior client service to offer customized product solutions for alternative investments, [...]