‘Make the process look less scary’: UK banking licence applications hit zero in 2025 April 8, 2026 The number of applicants for UK banking licences plummeted to zero in 2025, raising questions over the government and regulators’ capacity to foster competition and attract overseas investment. The fresh figures – revealed in a Freedom of Information request by financial regulation consultancy Pathlight Associates – show a steep fall from the 11 licence bids [...]
As the Big Four cut back on staff BDO is building its own pipeline – from school April 7, 2026 As the accountancy sector faces a “perception problem” among younger talent, advisory giant BDO is moving the goalposts by engaging school-level students. Speaking to City AM, Louise Sayers, audit partner and head of audit, people and culture at BDO, explained that when it comes to attracting new talent, the sector does not have an image problem [...]
Crypto, international competitiveness and consistency: where the UK’s going wrong April 3, 2026 The UK’s ambition to be a global crypto hub is being undermined by the government’s decision to the exclude Crypto Exchange Traded Notes (cETNs) from Stocks and Shares ISAs, which risks the country’s international competitiveness and credibility as a predictable place to invest, says John Glen The UK’s ambition to be a global crypto hub [...]
Prove Accelerates Global Innovation with Expansion of Ireland R&D Hub April 2, 2026 $5M investment and expanded Dublin team accelerates product strategy and supports Prove’s growing global customer base
Whisky investment in 2026: Structure, new markets and scarcity March 26, 2026 For investors seeking diversification in their portfolios to counter this era of stock market volatility and geopolitical pressures, the biggest takeaway is this: whisky investment has grown up. Premium spirits are no longer a niche asset characterised by the flipping of limited releases to make easy-money following the speculative surge during the pandemic. Instead, whisky [...]
Interactive Brokers Enables Crypto Portfolio Transfers for Lower-Cost Trading and Broader Market Access March 25, 2026 Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global broker, today announced that clients can transfer their existing holdings in supported cryptocurrencies to their Interactive Brokers-linked crypto account, enabling them to trade crypto at lower costs while gaining access to global investment markets – all without selling their digital assets upfront. Interactive Brokers offers a comprehensive solution [...]
Starmer says he doesn’t hold power to approve North Sea projects March 25, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he doesn’t hold legal powers to approve fresh exploration of North Sea oil and gas fields, with the decision falling in the hands of net zero secretary Ed Miliband. Starmer said current legislation determined that a quasi-judicial decision relating to cases for more gas extraction at Shell’s Jackdaw site and [...]
Investors swerve bitcoin as they look to ride out market volatility March 25, 2026 Retail investors are turning away from bitcoin in favour of mainstream assets in a bid to avoid the effects of wider market volatility. Investors’ optimism of the digital asset is cooling, with only 54 per cent expecting bitcoin’s price to rise over the next 12 months, down from 65 per cent last quarter, according to [...]
A grassroots crypto campaign just forced its way into the House of Lords. Now it wants to reshape British banking March 25, 2026 When Stand With Crypto UK launched a petition calling for a national stablecoin strategy six months ago, few expected it to end up in the corridors of Westminster, but as the petition closed with almost 85,000 signatures it had already more than achieved the petitioners’ aims. Stand With Crypto UK, a grassroots organisation, can now [...]
Blockworks Launches Investor Relations Platform for Onchain Businesses March 24, 2026 The platform combines curated analytics, a branded investor portal, and white-glove advisory services, all designed to make investor communications less of a burden and more of a trust-building opportunity