Shawbrook’s private equity owner eyes another £3bn IPO November 12, 2025 The private equity owner of specialist lender Shawbrook is eyeing another blockbuster listing for one of its portfolio companies, fresh reports have suggested. Pollen Street Capital is understood to be laying the groundwork for an IPO for its UK insurer Markerstudy with conversations underway with investment bankers over a listing that could value the firm [...]
Capgemini: Banks and Insurers Deploy AI Agents to Fight Fraud and Process Applications, With Plans for New Roles to Supervise the AI November 12, 2025 Three in five banks and insurers cite customer onboarding among top reasons for AI agent adoption 33% of firms are actively developing proprietary AI agents in-house, though only 10% have deployed at scale Nearly half of banks and insurers are creating new jobs to supervise AI agents
Motorpoint sold hundreds of cars using AI agent as profits jump November 12, 2025 Motorpoint has revealed it sold hundreds of cars using its new AI agent as the car dealer reported a jump in profits. Chief executive Mark Carpenter said the use of the agent allowed the London-listed firm to be more persistent with its sales strategy when human sales agents might have given up. “We’ve sold about [...]
Fuller’s boss hits out at ‘lack of clear plan’ from Chancellor amid Budget fears November 12, 2025 The boss of one of Britain’s biggest pub chains has taken aim at a “lack of clear plan” from the Chancellor as the hospitality sector braces for another round of tax rises at the forthcoming Budget. Simon Emeny, executive chair of Fuller’s, said the government needed “new ideas, new thinking” if it is to live [...]
Exclusive: Middlesex to play just two T20 Blast games at Lord’s in 2026 November 12, 2025 Middlesex will play just two Twenty20 Blast matches at Lord’s next year in a further indication of their declining foothold at the Home of Cricket. The 13-time county champions have been tenants at Lord’s since 1864 and have a 12-month rental agreement with the Marylebone Cricket Club that is renewed on an annual basis, but [...]
Three quarters of Brits think UK ‘heading in wrong direction’ as Budget looms November 12, 2025 The UK is heading in the wrong direction, most Brits believe, in the latest sign of rising gloom about the state of the country’s economy. A City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll has shown that 76 per cent of voters are pessimistic about the future of the country, the highest level of pessimism recorded since our polling [...]
Autumn Budget: B&Q boss hands Reeves tool kit for growth November 12, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, the boss of retail stalwart B&Q warns truly fixing the foundations starts with building confidence. After Labour’s monumental 2024 general election sweep, Chancellor Rachel Reeves seized her economic tool kit, telling Britons she was “fixing [...]
Aviva sign deal worth £4.5m per season for major stadium November 11, 2025 Insurance giant Aviva has extended its stadium sponsorship agreement for Dublin’s Aviva Stadium through until 2030 in a deal reportedly worth around £4.5m per season. The 51,000-capacity Lansdowne Road site has been sponsored by the London headquartered insurance firm since 2010 and the new deal – with the Irish rugby and football unions – is [...]
British insurers sound alarm over unprecedented rise in AI-driven scams November 11, 2025 The insurance sector is struggling to combat the growing influx of AI-driven fake claims, as sophisticated fraud is challenging the sector’s outdated traditional system, putting increased pressure on insurers to adapt. According to a recent report by fintech firm Adyen, one in seven claims (15 per cent) were proven to be fraudulent, resulting in a [...]
UK banks send regulation warning as private credit threat rises November 11, 2025 Top bosses of UK banks have fired a warning shot over the country’s status as a competitive financial hub as the government’s efforts to overhaul regulation risk missing the mark. Michael Roberts, the top boss of HSBC Bank and chief of corporate and institutional banking, told lawmakers on Tuesday the Treasury’s deregulation work was a [...]