Natwest and Lloyds shares sink as Iran tensions drag FTSE 100 into red March 19, 2026 The FTSE 100 was treading slightly above the 10,000 mark on Thursday as fears grew that the index could slip underneath the milestone. London’s blue-chip index fell 2.7 per cent by the afternoon to lows of 10,002.30p. It came as shares in a number of the City’s banking giants led the FTSE 100’s downturn this [...]
Pension transfers: Sluggish providers holding up your money March 18, 2026 Some UK pension providers and administrators are taking eighteen times longer to transfer retirement savings than their counterparts, leaving savers waiting months for their money to be moved. The fastest transfers took just five days, while the slowest took between a staggering 47 to 90 days, according to the latest analysis from Pension Bee. Some [...]
Treasury reforms to banks ombudsman threaten independence, MPs warn March 18, 2026 The Treasury’s reforms to the banks ombudsman threaten to upend the body’s independence, a group of influential MPs have warned. The government revealed its overhaul proposals for the financial ombudsman service (FOS) on Tuesday in a bid to curb concerns it had behaved as a “quasi-regulator”. But a fresh letter to City minister Lucy Rigby [...]
City AM Awards 2026: Meet the Finalists March 18, 2026 And the nominees are…. Personality of the Year Greg Jackson CBE The entrepreneur and CEO of Octopus Energy has become one of the UK’s most prominent business leaders, known for his straight talking and punchy views across a range of topics including UK entrepreneurship, the business environment, capital markets and, of course, energy. In August [...]
Cash incentives keep Brits sticking with the high-street March 18, 2026 Digital banks are luring a number of Brits away from traditional providers, but cash incentives are leading many to stick with high-street banks. Almost 50 per cent of UK adults have now opened a digital only bank account, a near 10 per cent increase from last year, according to the latest report from comparison site [...]
Victory Capital raises offer as Janus Henderson bidding war heats up March 17, 2026 Victory Capital has increased its offer for rival asset manager Janus Henderson as the bidding war with Trian Fund Management and General Catalyst heats up. The latest offer from Texas-based Victory Capital comes just days after its previous approach was rejected, with the firm saying on Tuesday it would offer $40 (£29.96) per share in [...]
Bank of England: We can’t eliminate bias in AI March 16, 2026 A top boss at the Bank of England has warned the use of artificial intelligence programs will never be bias-free and instead users must be aware of the risk. Jem Davis, chief compliance officer at the Bank of England, said: “My view is you’re probably not going to be able to eliminate bias completely, but [...]
UK banking sector faces ‘AI-washing’ legal warning March 16, 2026 The UK’s banking sector is facing a new wave of regulatory AI warnings as bullish lenders race to rapidly beef up their tech capacity. Rosehana Amin, cyber and litigation partner at Clyde & Co LLP, warned banks may face a significant legal liability over misleading markets over their use of AI. Speaking at the City [...]
Nigel Farage invests in Kwasi Kwarteng-backed Bitcoin treasury business March 9, 2026 Nigel Farage has invested in an Aquis-listed Bitcoin treasury business as the Reform leader doubles down on his commitment to cryptocurrencies. Farage has spent £215,000 to acquire a 6.3 per cent stake in Stack BTC, a small-cap company which says it is “focused on building a portfolio of high-quality, cash-generative businesses alongside a Bitcoin treasury,” [...]
Meet Reeves’ outsider tasked with steering the City to growth March 3, 2026 The City has rolled out the red carpet for the banking watchdog’s new chief after Katharine Braddick, a seasoned veteran of the financial trenches, was named on Friday as the successor to Sam Woods. For a cool £314,000 a year, she’s set to take on the brief of steering the UK’s banking sector. Chancellor Rachel [...]