Fintech boss outlines industry’s Spring Statement needs March 20, 2025 With the Chancellor’s Spring Statement under a week away, a fintech boss has laid out how the government must support the industry. Laurent Descout, co-founder and chief executive of payments platform NEO, said Rachel Reeves must prioritise support for the fintech sector through two key areas: university funding and helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). [...]
UK wage growth remains hot as Bank of England set to decide on interest rates March 20, 2025 Wage growth has continued to soar, new figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that annual regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew 5.9 per cent between November 2024 and January 2025. Total pay growth, which includes bonuses, increased by 5.8 per cent. “Overall pay growth remains relatively strong, with pay growth high in [...]
DIY sales support Wickes as big-ticket items still off the table March 20, 2025 Wickes has reported another drop in big-ticket home improvement sales as Brits continue to shy away from large purchases. The company also announced a new share buyback programme of £20m, which will start in April 2025. The retailer reported a one per cent drop in revenue in the year ended December 28, from £1.5bn last [...]
Littler, Gen Z and Netflix: Why investment banks have fallen for darts March 20, 2025 Forget AI, clean energy and healthcare, there is a new hot tip for investors looking for big returns: the historically downmarket, beer-soaked world of darts. The sport is riding the crest of a wave generated by better promotion, wider consumption and, more recently, the rise and rise of teenage phenomenon Luke Littler. Ticket demand is [...]
Prudential: FTSE 100 insurer smashes profit expectations March 20, 2025 FTSE 100 insurer Prudential beat profit expectations amid news it is considering spinning off its Indian asset management business. The firm reported adjusted operating profit before tax of $3.1bn (£2.4bn), up 10 per cent and above analyst expectations of $3bn, it revealed in its full-year results. As expected by analysts, Prudential also increased its dividend [...]
Mark Kleinman: CMA revamp to spur boom for M&A bankers March 20, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles changes at the CMA, Achilles’ new target, and a logistics funding boost. Will there even be a competition regulator at this rate? After this week’s latest summons to Downing Street for a [...]
London closes in on New York as top financial hub but risks remain March 20, 2025 London has edged closer to becoming the world’s top financial centre, fresh research shows, but concerns have been raised over the City’s future competitiveness. The 37th edition of Z/Yen Group’s Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 37) showed London maintained its second-place ranking amongst the world’s top financial centres, whilst climbing 12 points from its last [...]
‘I lament the pairing of trainers with suits’: Cheaney shoes’ Jonathan Church on swapping banking for brogues March 20, 2025 Church's shoes Jonathan Church is a veteran of the British footwear business. He tells us why he swapped banking for brogues.
PMQs: Starmer won’t repeat pledge to unfreeze income tax thresholds March 19, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “plotting stealth taxes” after he failed to repeat Rachel Reeves’ pledge to unfreeze income tax thresholds. The Prime Minister was pushed on his economic plans ahead of next week’s spring statement – which Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded an “emergency budget”. During Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, [...]
Will Rachel Reeves hike taxes in her first Spring Statement? March 19, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to make her first Spring Statement next week, and rumours are starting to swirl that the tax hikes could be on the cards as she tries to get the government debt under control. Given the Chancellor’s commitment to just one major fiscal event a year the Spring Statement is intended [...]