Half of all UK bank branches have been shut or are scheduled for closure as fintech kills off 736 locations in 2021 alone December 27, 2021 New figures published this morning show that the number of bank branches across the UK is dropping dramatically. In fact, nearly half of all banks’ branches have been lost since 2015, or are scheduled for closure, according to Which? Vulnerable customers are being left at risk of being “cut adrift”, the consumer organisation said after [...]
Christmas in Canary Wharf: UK’s largest banks face £8.5bn HMRC bill with £35.8bn of tax under consideration December 22, 2021 Large banks face a potential £8.5bn tax liability from the UK tax authority, according to new figures obtained by Freedom of Information (FOI). The FOI to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), carried out by City law firm DLA Piper, showed that, at the end of March 2021, additional tax liability under investigation had increased by [...]
Starling Bank CEO: Barclays ‘firmly in our sights’ as we’ll be bigger within five years November 15, 2021 Barclays is firmly on the radar of Starling Bank’s senior management, as the company said it is working to overtake the Canary Wharf-based banking giant in the business banking market within the next five years. The bold predictions come as the digital lending disruptor is getting ready for a stock market float. Starling’s founder and [...]
Ex-Barclays banker banned for life after Euribor rigging November 1, 2021 A former Barclays banker, convicted for rigging a benchmark rate, has been handed a lifetime-ban by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from working in the finance sector again. In 2019 Colin Bermingham was found guilty of manipulating the Euribor benchmark by a majority verdict of a jury, and sentenced to five years in prison. In a [...]
Jes Staley leaves Barclays: CEO exits bank after shock report on Epstein links November 1, 2021 Embattled Barclays chief Jes Staley has left his post over his ties with with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Staley will leave his role as chief executive of the bank with immediate effect after a probe into his links with Epstein suggested he mischaracterised the relationship to his employer and UK regulators. The bank’s [...]
Global deal making frenzy lifts Barclays profits to record high October 21, 2021 Barlcays has ridden the wave of a booming global deal making frenzy to post its strongest ever third quarter results. The UK banking behemoth registered a pre-tax profit of £6.9bn in the year to the end of September, its best take ever. The standout performance was driven by Barclays’ investment banking division posting its best [...]
Despite rise of 40 per cent so far this year, bank stocks have more room to run October 15, 2021 Bank stocks have already risen nearly 40 per cent this year, but National Securities Chief Market Strategist Art Hogan says they have more room to run. Watch the full report.
A slice of the pie: UK financial firms target booming fintech market October 11, 2021 As banks and financial services firms in the UK switch their attention from pandemic survival to driving growth, they are increasingly tapping into the booming fintech space as a way to future-proof their business, according to new research. Almost half (46 per cent) of the UK’s financial services firms are targeting acquisitions and partnerships with [...]
Private equity salaries swell by 52 per cent to £152k as war for talent with banks intensifies October 11, 2021 Private equity firms are prepared to pay junior staff with less than two years experience an average salary of more than £152,000, a jump of 52 per cent compared to two years ago. In 2019, private equity professionals across Europe with only two years in the industry were paid, on average, just under £100,000 in [...]
Buy-to-let and partnerships power LendInvest portfolios in first results since IPO October 11, 2021 In its first update since going public, property finance asset manager Lendinvest has reported a 31.7 per cent increase in assets under management and a 39.8 per cent increase in funds under management. The growth was caused by record originations in buy-to-let (BTL) as well as new transactions and financial partnerships – including the £100 [...]