Forvis Mazars and top partner hit with £600,000 fine for audit failings July 2, 2026 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has hit accountancy giant Forvis Mazars and a top partner at the firm, David Allen, with a combined £610,537 for audit failings relating to a retail firm listed on the London Stock Exchange’s main market. The FRC said it has issued the fines following an investigation into both Forvis Mazars [...]
Halifax ends 173-year high street run as Lloyds ditches branding July 1, 2026 Lloyds Banking Group is set to ditch its Halifax brand in a move that will end the retail bank’s 173-year run on the high street. The FTSE 100 titan – whose subsidiaries also include Bank of Scotland and Scottish Widows – said on Wednesday it would rebrand Halifax under the central moniker of Lloyds. Lloyds [...]
Government-backed ESG reporting platform put up for sale as firms backtrack on eco-goals June 30, 2026 An ESG reporting platform backed by the government-owned British Business Bank has been put up for sale after appointing administrators, City AM can reveal, in the latest sign blue-chip companies are paring back their sustainability commitments. World Wide Generation, which operates the platform, known as G17 Eco, has opened the bidding to interested parties and [...]
Geoswift and SKUx Announce Strategic Partnership to Develop a First-of-Its-Kind Programmable Stablecoin Commerce Network June 29, 2026 Bridging digital assets, traditional finance, enterprise treasury, and agentic commerce through global programmable money infrastructure
How the SpaceX IPO revealed a ‘back door’ into Britain’s capital markets June 29, 2026 The UK’s public offer platform regime was rolled out as part of a package of reforms designed to get capital flowing into British companies. Now SpaceX has used it to raise funding in the biggest IPO of all time – in New York. Maisie Grice asks whether the changes are working as intended. In January, [...]
Heatwave drives shoppers off high streets in blow to retailers June 26, 2026 Record June temperatures have driven British shoppers off of the high streets in a blow to already struggling retailers. The heatwave pushed retail footfall across the UK as much as 10 per cent lower this week, according to data collected by Sensormatic for City AM. In London, where temperatures reached 36C, high streets took an [...]
Halfords shares rev up as garage growth drives return to profit June 25, 2026 Halfords shares have boomed after it smashed analyst expectations to turn a £44m profit, in a sign that the motoring and cycling retailer’s turnaround is beginning to gain pace. The company notched a £43.6m pre-tax profit in the year to April, returning to the black after last year’s £30m loss, as revenue grew five per [...]
Mark Kleinman: Share price slump moves Steiner closer to Ocado checkout June 25, 2026 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his City AM column Share price slump moves Steiner closer to Ocado checkout Five words might have given it away: “Ocado confirms that the CEO and the board continually engage in long-term succession planning and regularly engage with potential candidates,” said the somewhat [...]
‘There’s a kind of romance to it’: Cubitts opens King’s Cross hub on site of Victorian stables June 25, 2026 Cubitts has opened a major new hub in King’s Cross, marking the latest chapter of the trendy spectacle maker’s expansion. The London-based business, which first opened its doors in 2012 and has made bespoke glasses for the likes of Idris Elba, Ryan Reynolds, Madonna and Cynthia Erivo, has taken up a 13,000 square foot lease [...]
City firms send workers home as heatwave melts London June 24, 2026 City firms have told their workers to stay away from the office this week as London is hit with a record June heatwave. Several multinational companies headquartered in the Square Mile have advised their employees to consider remote work in a bid to dodge the sweltering heat. Banking giant JP Morgan Chase is the biggest [...]