FTSE 100 Live: BBVA Sabadell bid falls through, tax rises in focus October 17, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. Rachel Reeves isn’t going to introduce a Wealth Tax, but she is going to tax the wealthy. She isn’t going to impose austerity, but she is going to get spending under control. Confused? Speculation over the contents of next month’s Budget has reached fever pitch, and it’s [...]
Former Aviva chief executive dies in car crash October 16, 2025 The former UK boss of insurance giant Aviva has died in a car crash, after his vehicle collided with a tree. David Barral, who held senior roles as Aviva Life and Pensions, was driving his Aston Martin when it crashed on the A58 between Bardsey and Collingham just outside his native Leeds on Tuesday. “We [...]
Aviva partners with ICE InsureTech for digital transformation October 13, 2025 Insurance giant Aviva has rolled out a digital insurance platform in partnership with ICE InsureTech, completing a transformation project in just 12 months. The overhaul saw Aviva go live in September 2025 with ICE’s Policy Admin System, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform aimed at streamlining operations and enabling fully digital insurance journeys. The system allows white-labelled, [...]
Fenchurch Street’s new skyscraper looks great. Will it ever get built? October 2, 2025 The City of London Corporation has approved plans for another skyscraper in the Square Mile. Having had a look at the application, the building looks gorgeous and will surely make a great addition to the City’s skyline. I particularly like how the facade is interspersed with patches of greenery. But will it ever get built? [...]
New City of London ‘showpiece’ skyscraper approved September 30, 2025 A 34-storey skyscraper set to dominate the City skyline has been approved by Square Mile officials, in a major boost to the area’s high-grade office capacity and local economy. A proposal to redevelop a tower block at 130 Fenchurch Street into a “showpiece office building” was approved unanimously by the City of London Corporation’s planning [...]
From law to tech: Who’s championing equal parental leave in the UK? September 16, 2025 New research has revealed the inaugural list of 165 UK employers that offer equal parental leave, including more than 20 professional services firms. The full findings, which will be formally launched at the UK’s first Working Dads’ Summit, revealed that 72 of the 165 companies offer dads up to six months of fully paid paternity [...]
How to make it: be ready to replace your CEO September 15, 2025 If there’s one inevitable in business aside from death and taxes it’s that the CEO will always leave, so succession planning is essential. But why hire an expensive headhunter when the right person could already be in your boardroom? Asks Richard Harpin As the new football season nears kick-off, I’ve been pondering that famous old [...]
If Pat McFadden wants to get Britain back to work, business has the answers September 9, 2025 The new work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, should look to the City for ideas on getting 9m adults back into work, says Matthew Elliott Britain’s growth problem is evident to everyone. Since the global financial crisis of 2008, GDP per capita has expanded at barely half a per cent a year – a fraction [...]
Ahead of the Game: Fifa eyes Morocco over Spain as 2030 World Cup HQ August 27, 2025 Fifa is in advanced discussions about basing the headquarters of the 2030 World Cup in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The centenary World Cup will be co-hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with the opening three games to be held in Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay in a nod to the competition’s roots. The 2026 World Cup [...]
Aviva’s profit soars ahead of merger with Direct Line August 14, 2025 Aviva posted a profit jump for the first half of the year after strong growth across its wealth and insurance divisions. The company’s operating profit climbed 22 per cent to just north of £1bn – topping the £875m netted in the first half of 2024. This comes after Aviva completed its £3.7bn takeover of rival [...]