Rachel Reeves reforms ring-fencing in boost to Natwest and Lloyds May 18, 2026 Rachel Reeves has handed a major boost to the likes of Natwest and Lloyds with an overhaul of the ring-fencing regime in hopes to free up capital to be invested into the UK. The Treasury has unveiled a shakeup of the 15-year-old legislation, which requires major banks to separate their retail banking operations from their [...]
Emergency lifeline for collapsed banks doubled to £3bn May 18, 2026 The emergency credit fund that serves as a lifeline for collapsed lenders has been doubled as a result of “recent regulatory and operational developments”. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) – working in tandem with the Treasury and Bank of England – has hiked its revolving credit facility capacity to £3bn from £1.45bn previously. The [...]
Reeves to overhaul ring-fencing regime in a bid to boost the UK economy May 16, 2026 The Treasury is set to unveil a sweeping overhaul of the ring-fencing regime next week, in a bid to protect depositors at the UK’s biggest retail banks, as ministers scramble to boost economic growth. According to reports in Sky News, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has signed off plans aimed at unlocking billions of pounds of additional [...]
Starmer drama: Traders bet against UK as short-selling on pound and banks surges May 14, 2026 Traders are betting against the UK as the political storm in Westminster continues to send jitters through asset markets. The pound has tumbled to a two-week low against the dollar, clinging onto the $1.35 mark on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, figures from IG revealed that short-positioning on the pound-dollar, a bet that the price will further [...]
Revolut bags watchdog approval to beef up UK wealth offering May 14, 2026 Revolut has received the regulatory green light to bulk up its wealth management offering, marking one of its first major expansions in the UK after bagging its banking licence. The $75bn juggernaut’s trading arm has secured a Variation of Permissions from the City watchdog, which allows the firm to broadened the scope of regulated activities [...]
JP Morgan chief threatens to pull £3bn investment if Labour becomes ‘hostile to banks’ May 13, 2026 The chief executive of JP Morgan has threatened to pull a major investment from the UK if Labour government policy turns “hostile to banks”. Jamie Dimon – the influential American banker – revealed plans for a £3bn square feet tower in Canary Wharf last year, which is projected to inject as much as £10bn over [...]
Barclays and Lloyds shares sink as political storm puts banks in tax sights May 12, 2026 The UK’s banking giants led a major sell-off across the FTSE 100 this morning as a combination of political hazards hit the London stock market. Barclays was the top faller on the index shortly after market open, shedding over four per cent to 410.65p. Natwest was not far behind, also losing over four per cent [...]
UK Fintech Payments Company Icon Solutions Honoured With King’s Award for Enterprise May 6, 2026 Wimbledon-headquartered fintech wins innovation award for payments technology used by banks globally
FTSE 100 banks are facing £2.5bn of headwinds – HSBC and Barclays are in the firing line May 6, 2026 The FTSE 100’s Big Five banks toasted a healthy profit stash in the first-quarter, but, says Samuel Norman, storm clouds are gathering on the horizon for the sector. The London market’s five biggest banks swallowed a bitter cocktail of economic risks in the first three months of the year leaving a bumper cash haul overshadowed [...]
Santander to axe TSB from British high street ending 215 year run May 6, 2026 Santander plans to erase the TSB brand from Britain’s high streets after more than two centuries, just one week after completing its takeover over the UK lender. The Spanish bank is gearing up to drop the brand and run the combined business as Santander UK, once the integration of the two businesses is complete, according [...]