‘I fired the board that fired me’: TGI Fridays boss on restaurant turnaround April 8, 2026 TGI Fridays had its heyday in the 1980s but slumped into administration last year. Its new boss Ray Blanchette tells Felix Armstrong the nostalgic chain can win back Britain after a period in turmoil. “I land at Heathrow and jump in a cab. The plane got in late,” says Ray Blanchette, recalling the day he [...]
Londonmaxxing could save the capital’s jobs market April 8, 2026 Can Londonmaxxing help revive the capital's flailing job market? Employment expert Kevin Fitzgerald thinks so.
Bank of England: Interest rate hike predictions cool as trader sentiment resets April 8, 2026 Fears of several interest rate hikes being made have eased as traders raved at the news of a ceasefire in the Middle East. Markets are now pricing in just one interest rate hike as the two-year gilt yield dropped to 4.1 per cent. The current interest rate is set at 3.75 per cent by the [...]
Shell and BP plummet after Trump declares ceasefire with Iran April 8, 2026 FTSE 100 oil stocks plunged in early morning trading as Brent prices fell after US President Donald Trump declared a two week ceasefire with Iran. Oil giant Shell suffered a 7.1 per cent slump, trading at 3,311.4 pence, bringing its rally over the course of the Iran war to a screeching halt. Rival BP recorded [...]
Jeito Capital Hits Record $1.2 Billion (€1 Billion)1 Close for Jeito II Fund to Drive Breakthrough Therapeutic Innovation for Patients April 8, 2026 This record closing is the largest raise ever achieved by a fully independent European fund dedicated to Biopharma, validating Jeito’s patient-driven investment strategy, its multidisciplinary, collaborative expertise spanning from science to commercialization of medicines, and value creation In five years, Jeito Capital has tripled its assets under management to €1.6 billion, firmly establishing itself among the top-tier global Biopharma investors Jeito II will build on Jeito I’s proven and differentiated strategy, investing in the most promising clinical Biopharma companies which address unmet patient needs and severe diseases, accelerate breakthrough therapeutic innovation, and deliver transformative benefits for patients This fundraise represents significant momentum for European Biopharma, strengthening its financial firepower and expertise to develop the next generation of global champions
N3XT and Zodia Markets Partner to Enable 24/7 Instant USD Payments Across Zodia’s Institutional Digital Asset Ecosystem April 8, 2026 N3XT, the blockchain-powered narrow bank built for instant, programmable B2B payments, and Zodia Markets, the digital asset platform enabling institutional capital through stablecoins, today announced a partnership to deliver real-time U.S. dollar settlement across Zodia Markets’ client base. The collaboration tackles a core friction in digital asset markets, where fragmented banking access and restricted operating [...]
Close Brothers shares soar as bank ‘well positioned’ for £320m motor finance hit April 8, 2026 Close Brothers has insisted it is “well positioned” to absorb the financial hit from the City watchdog’s motor finance redress scheme but added to speculation another legal battle could be on the horizon. The FTSE 250 lender told markets on Wednesday morning that it estimates the cost of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) redress scheme [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Blue-chip stocks boom on Trump and Iran ceasefire April 8, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Markets are in line for a major boom this morning after Donald Trump confirmed a two-week ceasefire with Iran shortly ahead of his latest bomb threat deadline. Trump announced the two-week postponement by stating the US and Iran were “very far along” with a “definitive” [...]
Gucci, BYD, Netflix: Who replaces gambling on Premier League shirts? April 8, 2026 The end of the Premier League season is in sight, and for some clubs it could spell a financial nightmare. Not because they’ll inevitably part with millions of pounds to bring in the world’s top talent, but because a key revenue stream could be left vacant come the start of next season. Premier League clubs [...]
A generation risks being put off university just when we need graduates most April 8, 2026 Current public debate, with headlines about student debt, graduate underemployment and a supposedly collapsing graduate jobs market risk the impression that university is no longer a worthwhile investment When Daniela Amodei, co-founder of world-leading AI firm Anthropic, was asked recently whether she regretted her English literature degree, her answer was unequivocal: no. In fact, she [...]