Wetherspoon shares sink after business rates knock profit January 21, 2026 Wetherspoon shares slumped on Wednesday after the pub giant laid bare the scale of the financial hit from November’s tax-raising Budget. The FTSE 250 member said cost rises across energy, wages, repairs and business rates had put up costs by a staggering £45m in the 25 weeks to mid-January. That would imply a cost rise [...]
Finovate Announces Live Demo Companies and Industry-Leading Speakers for FinovateEurope 2026 January 21, 2026 Finovate, a research and events firm focused on innovation in financial and banking technology, today announced its list of demo companies and featured speakers for FinovateEurope 2026, taking place February 10-11 at the Intercontinental O2 in London. A premier event dedicated to shaping the digital future of the financial services industry, FinovateEurope is set to [...]
Why the most expensive inefficiency on a City trading desk is the one nobody measures January 21, 2026 At a time when geopolitics can be completely upended over the weekend, trades that have been agreed on a Friday but aren’t booked ’til Monday have become one of the biggest vulnerabilities in a desk’s profit and loss swing, says Oliver Blower Since the dawn of time, City trading desks have prided themselves on their [...]
England cricket chiefs refusing to let counties blow Hundred cash on wages January 21, 2026 The England and Wales Cricket Board is at loggerheads with a number of counties who are growing increasingly frustrated at delays in accessing the proceeds from the £520m sale of stakes in the eight Hundred franchises last year. While the ECB have already distributed tens of millions of pounds from the sale to counties with [...]
Bank bosses brace for interrogation in FTSE 100 lenders’ earnings season January 21, 2026 Britain’s banking heavyweights are gearing up to report full-year earnings with top bosses set to face the crunch on the progress of their overhaul strategies. Lloyds chief Charlie Nunn will be the first of the City’s top bankers to go under the microscope when the FTSE 100 giant releases its annual report on 29 January. [...]
London fintech Guavapay founder quits ahead of Mastercard court battle January 21, 2026 The founder of London fintech Guavapay has resigned as a director as the firm gears up for a court case brought by payments giant Mastercard. Azerbaijani entrepreneur and Russian university graduate Orkhan Nasibov, who launched the company in 2017, has stepped back from his role at the helm of the company due to “fatigue and [...]
Business health check: the five-point plan to sharpen 2026 performance January 20, 2026 Businesses thrive on certainty, something that is frequently in short supply. That’s why now is a good time to check your business has the tools to withstand whatever the next 12 months might send your way. Prepare for what you know about – and what you don’t. Planning for the year requires getting comfortable with [...]
Starmer to face legal action on Chinese embassy approval January 20, 2026 China’s new “mega” embassy near the City will face a legal challenge from campaigners and local residents despite receiving approval from Keir Starmer’s government after months of diplomatic wrangling and protests highlighting security concerns. Residents of the Royal Mint Court site, the location where China is planning to build its embassy, have confirmed they will [...]
Dispatch from Davos: This is Trump’s town January 20, 2026 President Trump may be yet to touch down, but his presence can be felt everywhere in Davos, writes Zaki Cooper.
Independent to run London Standard newspaper January 20, 2026 Independent Media is poised to run the digital and commercial operations of the London Standard, little more than a year after the freesheet pared back its print operation to focus on a weekly edition. Staff were informed in a memo circulated on Tuesday that the Lord Evgeny Lebedev-owned Standard was “in the process of negotiating [...]