Europe’s second largest neobank joins rush for US banking licence January 7, 2026 Europe’s second biggest digital bank has become the latest fintech aiming to capitalise on President Donald Trump’s deregulation agenda after filing for a US banking licence. Bunq has set its sights on the US after lodging an application for a national charter to operate as a bank with a US Treasury Bureau. The Dutch challenger [...]
Banking and insurance to drive financial M&As after 2025 frenzy January 7, 2026 Deals in the financial services sector are expected to be “robust” in the year to come, following a burst of activity from the banking and insurance sector in 2025. UK banks, insurers and asset managers publicly disclosed 337 deals last year. Whilst this dipped down from the record high of 378 in 2024, the value [...]
Scathing report blames MoJ for wasting public funds and failing justice system January 7, 2026 A new scathing Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) revealed that a cyberattack last year at the Legal Aid Agency gave hackers access to sensitive providers’ and data for four months. There was a cyberattack on the Legal Aid Agency last year that took the services offline for some time [...]
Back Bawn to start the New Year with a Boom January 6, 2026 AFTER huge crowds packed into Kempton for two high-class days of racing over Christmas, which saw a brilliant three-way finish in the King George, racing returns to the Sunbury-on-Thames venue this Saturday. Ground conditions continue to be much dryer than the norm for this time of the year, and while rain is due later this [...]
Accenture bets on British AI talent with Faculty buy January 6, 2026 Professional services firm Accenture has announced the acquisition of London-based AI specialist Faculty, in a deal that cements the City’s role as a global talent hub. The Dublin-based US firm said the acquisition will bring more than 400 AI specialists into Accenture’s workforce, deepening its capabilities in applied AI, decision intelligence and AI safety. The [...]
From avoidance to evidence: Britain should take the financial literacy test January 6, 2026 We all know an education bore who says at parties: “I would be a lawyer/accountant/doctor/engineer/etc but I just couldn’t be bothered to take the test.” We don’t believe them, so why should we believe a country that says, “We invented modern finance, but please don’t check our homework.” The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [...]
Billionaire Hohn handed £60m dividend and ramps up philanthropy January 6, 2026 Hedge fund billionaire Sir Chris Hohn gave himself a £60m dividend in 2025 and cemented his reputation as one of the world’s most generous philanthropists, dishing out nearly £600m of his investment firm’s profit to good causes. Hohn’s TCI Fund Management was bolstered by the strong performance of its flagship funds, which carried turnover at [...]
UK still waiting on IPO revival as 2025 cohort offers glum returns January 6, 2026 The London stock market is still waiting for its IPO revival after debuts disappointed in 2025 despite major market pushes from the government and regulators. In the last year, the average return for new entrants to the London stock market was -3.3 per cent when comparing firm’s debut prices with year-end market closes. This marked [...]
Global Group snaps up Gary Neville-founded The Overlap January 6, 2026 Gary Neville-founded media business The Overlap has been sold to Global in a deal that will see the radio juggernaut complete a majority acquisition. The Overlap, founded in 2021 and home to video series Stick to Football, will now be merged into the Global portfolio with the aim of growing a “network of video-led media [...]
London Stock Exchange poised for IPO rebound in 2026 January 6, 2026 After a long-winded exodus, London’s flagship stock exchange saw a flurry of IPO activity at the tail end of last year, with the exchange poised for further revival in 2026. In the final quarter, the UK market saw 11 IPOs which raised £1.9bn, bringing the total number of listings for the year to 23. This [...]