Alpine A290 GTS review: 2025’s most exciting EV turns up the heat June 12, 2025 The reborn Renault 5 has already won almost every automotive award going in 2025, including the European Car of the Year title. It’s the greatest comeback since Elvis Presley at Burbank Studios in 1968, or Niki Lauda at the Italian Grand Prix in 1976. If the electric Renault is the best thing since sliced baguette, [...]
What did a rally across the world teach me about business? It’s about being in the drivers’ seat June 12, 2025 Driving across deserts from Peking to Paris is a reminder that, in business, it’s not always the strongest or the fastest who win the race, it’s those that stay cool under pressure and get back on the road, says John Caudwell I’m filing this month’s column a short distance from the border of Georgia and [...]
FCA appoints deputy chief to steer growth mission June 10, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has made Sarah Pritchard its deputy chief executive, a new role the watchdog has forged to reflect its growing remit and bolster its efforts to support the government’s growth mandate. The City’s main watchdog confirmed Pritchard’s appointment in an announcement on Tuesday, with the FCA’s integration with the Payments Systems [...]
FCA: Motor finance redress scheme must keep market afloat June 5, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority has pledged any redress scheme it may implement on the motor finance industry must keep the market afloat. The watchdog said ensuring the integrity of the motor finance market, so it works well for future consumers, would be crucial framework for a redress scheme. The Supreme Court is expected to give [...]
Paragon Bank: Stamp duty boost offsets motor finance provision June 4, 2025 Specialist lender Paragon Banking Group bolstered its profit in the first half of the financial year as increased lending managed to offshore a motor finance provision. The FTSE 250 bank’s pre-tax profit surged 26.7 per cent to £149.4m, up from £146.4 in the first half of 2024. This was driven by 4.9 per cent expansion [...]
F1 Arcade: London spot where you pay £100 to taste Formula 1 lifestyle June 3, 2025 With Formula 1’s rapid fandom rise, it was only a matter of time before you paid £100 to watch an F1 race down at your local. Matt Hardy takes a look at F1 Arcade. The seemingly sudden rise in Formula 1 interest among non-petrol heads has been nothing short of astonishing. In its 75th year [...]
Aston Martin Vantage Roadster review: An emotional high May 28, 2025 Six-point-eight seconds. No, that isn’t how long the Vantage Roadster takes to reach 62mph (it got there 3.2 seconds ago), but the time needed for its roof to go from open to closed. Aston Martin says this is ‘fastest fully automatic deployable roof mechanism on the market today’. And believe me, when the Alpine weather [...]
Close Brothers slapped with a downgrade after rocky third-quarter May 26, 2025 Close Brothers was handed a downgrade by Peel Hunt analysts on Friday after its third-quarter update did little to calm investor nerves. The bank said fees and expenses were still at an “elevated level” in the recent quarter as net expenses jumped to £13.9m. This was up from £11.6m in the same period last year. [...]
Investec rakes in £1bn profit after lending and deposit boost May 22, 2025 Investec’s profit soared to more than £1bn in its latest financial year after increased lending and deposits bolstered its revenue. The FTSE 250 bank recorded a 7.8 per cent annual jump in operating profit to just over £1bn for the year to 31 March, 2025. This beat the bank’s own upgraded forecast in March, where [...]
Motor finance: Is Close Brothers heading for a car crash? May 22, 2025 Costs are mounting, loan books are shrinking, an existential motor finance ruling looms – is Close Brothers heading for disaster? It’s been a bruising 12 months for the lender, with its stock down over 25 per cent. Recent rallies have helped it claw back gains of over 65 per cent in the last six months [...]