British bank bosses give up bonuses amid coronavirus crisis April 8, 2020 Top bosses at British banks including Natwest and Lloyds have taken salary cuts and ditched bonuses worth millions of pounds as consumers and businesses suffer the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Natwest chief executive Alison Rose will donate a quarter of her remaining salary for 2020 — set at £2.2m per year — to a [...]
Coronavirus business loans hit £450m but doubts about scheme remain April 8, 2020 UK banks have now lent £453m through the government’s coronavirus business loans scheme as it picks up following an overhaul, although a large number of firms are still struggling to access the cash they need. The Treasury said today that more than 2,500 loans for business had been approved as of yesterday via the coronavirus [...]
Coronavirus: Angling Direct secures new credit facility to cope with outbreak April 6, 2020 Fishing supplies retailer Angling Direct announced this morning it has secured a new credit facility to help it cope with the impact of coronavirus. The company has agreed a £2.5m credit facility with Natwest after it was forced to furlough staff and close all of its stores after the UK entered a coronavirus lockdown. Angling [...]
Banks must engage with businesses on coronavirus loans or “be bypassed”, think tank says April 2, 2020 The UK’s banks must engage with businesses seeking coronavirus support measures or “be bypassed” by the government, a new paper has found, as pressure grows on lenders to do more to support struggling companies. The report, from think tank Policy Exchange, says that it is imperative that measures already announced by the government such as [...]
Treasury to push back target date to sell off RBS stake March 10, 2020 The Treasury is set to push back its target date for selling its stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in the wake of stock market uncertainty. The government is due to announce tomorrow that it will not divest its 62 per cent stake in RBS until 2025. An exit strategy the Treasury published [...]
Coronavirus: Rory Stewart says authorities should look at shutting down the Tube March 9, 2020 The UK’S public transport systems and schools should be shut down early to combat the spread of Coronavirus, according to independent mayoral candidate Rory Stewart. Stewart said the “short-term economic damage” of shutting down Transport for London, for instance, would be worth it to “stave off a bigger spread”. It comes after London mayor Sadiq [...]
Natwest unveils £5bn coronavirus support package for small businesses March 9, 2020 Natwest today said it will pledge £5bn of funding to support small and medium-sized businesses across the UK amid disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The bank, which recently rebranded from RBS, said the cash injection will mark an extension of its existing growth funding package, which is designed to help companies that have been [...]
London economy’s post-election bounce continues March 9, 2020 London’s private sector grew strongly in February, survey data has shown, even as the coronavirus outbreak took its toll on tourism. The Natwest/IHS Markit London purchasing managers’ index posted 56 in February, down slightly from 56.5 in January but stronger than the long-run average. A score of above 50 indicates that the private sector expanded. [...]
Five things you need to know about HSBC’s radical overhaul strategy February 18, 2020 Banking giant HSBC today launched one of the most radical strategic overhauls by a blue-chip lender in the past decade in a bid to revitalise its stuttering operations. HSBC is seeking to slash annual costs by $4.5bn and shed $100bn of assets by 2022 in a bid to keep pace with leaner and more focused [...]
HSBC: Profit plunges as bank plans 35,000 job cuts February 18, 2020 HSBC has outlined plans to offload $100bn (£77bn) of assets and dramatically downsize its investment banking arm in a restructure that will cost 35,000 jobs over the next three years. Profit before tax tumbled by a third to $13.6bn in 2019, HSBC said as it revealed its most radical overhaul since the financial crisis in [...]