Clearbank, Allica, Atom: The fast-growing future of UK fintech April 19, 2025 Fintech has planted its flag firmly in the Square Mile. Industry giants Monzo and Starling have become household names, helping London to established itself as a leading global fintech hub. KPMG’s bi-annual fintech report showed UK fintech investment was at £7.9bn last year. And now young firms are growing faster than ever, promising to send a [...]
S&U shares slump after motor finance drags profits down April 15, 2025 Shares in specialist lender S&U dropped nearly two per cent on Tuesday after annual profits tumbled due to challenges from the motor finance scandal. Pre-tax profit for the financial year ending January 31 2025 fell to £24m, compared to £33.6m in the previous period. Impairment charges rose to £35.6m for the group, reflecting a near [...]
Saga: Cruise demand drives double-digit profit increase April 9, 2025 Saga, the financial services and travel provider for over-50s, has reported profit ahead of market expectations, driven by demand for cruises. The company told markets this morning that underlying profit before tax for the year ended January 31 was £47.8m, up 25 per cent year on year. Revenue for the year was £588.3m, up four [...]
Close Brothers shares crash as analysts expect ‘refined’ motor finance ruling April 4, 2025 Shares in FTSE 250 lender Close Brothers fell as much as eight per cent on Monday as the landmark motor finance hearing came to a close. At the Supreme Court case, Close Brothers attempted to overturn the Court of Appeal’s October ruling that it was unlawful for banks to pay a commission to a car [...]
Dacia Bigster review: Budget family SUV is dressed for success April 3, 2025 Dacia has come a long way from its Romanian roots, back when it built rebadged versions of the Renault 8 and 12. In 2024, the Sandero supermini was Europe’s best-selling car, well ahead of the Renault Clio and Volkswagen Golf. And in the UK, Dacia shifted a record-breaking 31,500 vehicles – up 10 percent on [...]
Close Brothers shares soar past target price whilst FTSE 100 banks sink April 3, 2025 Shares in FTSE 250 lender Close Brothers rallied on Thursday morning whilst its banking rivals HSBC, Barclays and Standard Chartered tumbled. The lender made gains as high as ten per cent during early trading before consolidating around five percent, as the bank clawed back recent losses. Meanwhile, Standard Chartered led the FTSE 100 losses at [...]
Motor finance: Close Brothers stock falls as banks face judgment day in Supreme Court case April 1, 2025 Car dealers do not owe a fiduciary duty to customers when arranging finance, the Supreme Court heard Tuesday morning in opening remarks of the motor finance case
Close Brothers shares fluctuate as motor finance hearing kicks off April 1, 2025 Shares in FTSE 250 lender Close Brothers were volatile during early trading on Tuesday as the first day of the motor finance hearing kicked off. The bank was one of the FTSE’s top fallers as markets opened after it suffered a downgrade from City broker Peel Hunt. The broker said the “extent” of guidance downgrades [...]
Motor finance: Insurance industry nervously watches legal battle March 31, 2025 As the lenders brace for the start of a high-profile legal battle on Tuesday, the insurance industry lurks in the sidelines
FTSE and Europe in the red as US markets open on a downturn March 31, 2025 The latest escalation in Trump’s trade war painted global markets red on Monday. This new headache came ahead of Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ on April 2, which has investors bracing for a broad set of fresh tariffs. The President will slap 25 per cent tariffs on all automotive imports in the US from Wednesday, with [...]