Financial services are not prepared for AI risks January 20, 2026 The Bank of England, the FCA and the Treasury must be proactive in protecting the system against this rapidly developing technology’s potential worst-case scenarios. If not, they are exposing the stability of the UK’s financial system to significant risks, says Meg Hillier It feels like discussion and debates about the AI revolution have reached fever [...]
UK financial system exposed to ‘serious harm’ from AI risks January 20, 2026 The Treasury, the financial watchdog and the Bank of England have been handed a stiff warning that the nation’s financial system is not adequately prepared for an AI shock. A group of influential MPs sat on the Treasury Select Committee took aim at the institutions for “not doing enough to manage the risks presented by [...]
Inflation expected to inch back up due to travel rush January 19, 2026 Inflation is expected to edge back up as higher airfares and tobacco prices are squeezing British families’ budgets and adding to pressures on the cost of living. A Bloomberg poll of economists has predicted consumer price index (CPI) inflation to hit 3.3 per cent rate for the year to December, which would be higher than [...]
Hundred: Barclays replaces Tyrrells as London Spirit front-of-shirt sponsor January 19, 2026 Banking giant Barclays has replaced Tyrrells crisps as the front-of-shirt sponsor of Hundred franchise London Spirit as new investors flex their new-found power. The upmarket crisp’s parent firm KP Snacks signed a multi-year deal to sponsor the eight Hundred franchises, using brands such as Hula Hoops and Butterkist to occupy prime advertising real estate. But [...]
UK inflation faces December bump from travel and food costs January 18, 2026 UK inflation may have edged higher at the end of last year, with Christmas travel and higher duties pushing up prices, economists have warned. Several forecasters expect the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) to have ticked up in December after falling sharply in November. Economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics say they expect inflation to rise to 3.3 [...]
Bank of England’s Bailey: Central banks must challenge populism January 16, 2026 Andrew Bailey has called on central banks international institutions to stand up to proponents of populism with their words and actions, warning that organisations like the Bank of England are being painted as “unresponsive and acting for the benefit of powerful” interests. In a speech to a group of economists and officials in London, governor [...]
Watch: We’ll regret granting this embassy to hostile China January 15, 2026 Is China our enemy or our ally? Is it an adversary or a partner? The trading relationship is huge, but so are the security risks. In the City, China means big business. Last year the UK exported £30bn worth of goods and services to China while we bought £70bn worth from them. But we exported [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Gold surges amid Trump tensions; JLR leads growth rebound January 15, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Rachel Reeves’ report card for 2025 has received another dim review with fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing growth came in at a sluggish 0.1 per cent in the three months to November 2025. This was led by a modest rebound [...]
Bank of England’s Taylor: Trade with China to drive interest rate cuts January 14, 2026 Cheap goods flooding into the UK from China will lower inflation and prompt the Bank of England to cut interest rates further, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee has said. Alan Taylor, considered to be the most dovish rate-setter on the MPC, warned that cheap goods flowing in from China would lower inflation over [...]
FTSE 100 Live: BP’s $5bn hit; Prudential taps ex-HSBC chair January 14, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Investors were taking a back seat to risk on Tuesday after President Donald Trump’s latest salvo on the Federal Reserve rocked global markets. The US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, as Trump escalated his crusade against the central bank’s [...]