Banks and housebuilders bear brunt of market chaos markets Wild swings in UK debt markets and concern over borrowers’ capacity to pay costlier mortgages have whacked London-listed housebuilders and banks this week. Britain’s biggest property developers have been among the hardest hit listed companies during this week’s market sell-off. FTSE 100-listed construction firms Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments have shed more than 20 per [...]
Rising fintech star explains why banks are rushing to jump on the lucrative BNPL bandwagon Monday read Virgin Money recently confirmed plans to enter Britain’s buy now, pay later (BNPL) market. The banking player is the latest player to start offering BNPL products, which generally can help people to spread the cost of purchases without adding to their overall cost. Earlier this year, another bank, NatWest, said that it planned to enter [...]
Phones ringing in Canary Wharf as new Chancellor Kwarteng summons Britain’s bank and insurance chiefs Meeting planned for today The brand new Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, will set out the Government’s new economic approach to the bosses of UK’s major banks after he summoned the banking heavyweights to the Treasury for talks on his first full day in office. Along with the chief executives, the new occupant of No 11 Downing Street invited the leaders of [...]
NatWest forced to dish out £600,000 refunds after breaching banking rules August 31, 2022 The UK’s competition watchdog has forced NatWest to dish out £600,000 in refunds after it ruled the bank breached rules by forcing business customers to open “costly” current accounts to access loans.
Most employers believe four-day working week will be the norm before 2030 August 3, 2022 The majority of employers believe that a four-day working week will become the norm in the UK before 2030. According to a survey conducted by Censuswide on behalf of NatWest Rapid Cash, 78 per cent of employers believe it will happen by the end of the decade while 52 per cent of recruiters said it [...]
NatWest shock profits lift London’s FTSE 100 July 29, 2022 London markets were boosted by investors piling into NatWest after it announced it will hand back £2.1bn to investors. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index climbed 0.39 per cent to 7,374.25 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, added 1.32 per cent to [...]
NatWest ups dividends as profits surge on the back of interest rate hikes July 29, 2022 NatWest today upped its dividend after its pre-tax profits increased 13 per cent to more than £2.6bn for the first half of 2022. Higher lending incomes on the back of the Bank of England’s interest rate hike lifted NatWest’s finances and saw the bank raise its full-year revenue forecast to around £12.5bn, up from previous [...]
Week ahead: Banks to report amid high inflation and interest rate fears July 25, 2022 Customer behaviour and cost control are set to be top of the in-tray for the major banks as they update investors over the next week. Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest are all set to update the markets in a bumper week for the sector. Although priorities will vary slightly, there will be significant focus on whether [...]
NatWest will provide £1.25bn in aid to farmers facing inflation July 18, 2022 NatWest will offer farmers a £1.25bn lending package amidst surging inflation in the UK. This package follows earlier support and takes the bank’s total lending for the agriculture sector to more than £6.7bn. The capital will be deployed through loans, asset finance, and higher overdraft limits, and will also help farmers transition to more sustainable practices [...]
UK banks’ profits surge past French rivals for first time since before Brexit vote July 4, 2022 Profits at Britain’s banks have topped their French counterparts for the first time since before the Brexit vote, reveals a fresh study published today. The UK’s largest lenders posted pre-tax profits of $55.1bn (£45.6bn) last year, slightly higher than the $54.8bn (£45.3bn) registered by French banks, according to The Banker’s annual top 1,000 world bank [...]