Property fintech LendInvest sells £243m buy-to-let mortgage portfolio following financing deals May 30, 2023 London-listed property fintech LendInvest confirmed the sale of a £243m buy-to-let mortgage portfolio to digital bank Chetwood Financial. The portfolio includes mortgages originated between 1 March 2022 and 30 November 2022 during which time interest rate hikes reduced the profitability of the mortgages. LendInvest will take a £10.5m loss on the sale which will be [...]
Blockchain and Britcoin could bolster fight against ‘fraud epidemic’, experts argue May 29, 2023 The digital pound could be an important weapon in regulators’ fight against the rising tide of fraud, experts have argued. With the widespread scale of scams in the UK, Quant’s chief executive Gilbert Verdian said “we need a complete reset”. Quant builds technology for blockchains, including those underlying central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). According to [...]
Another fine mess: Credit Suisse faces £750m bill over former Georgia PM’s assets May 26, 2023 The embattled, scandal-hit and soon to cease to exist lender Credit Suisse announced this morning it will appeal a ruling in a Singapore court that it breached its duty to safeguard the assets of a former Georgian Prime Minister. The ruling, in a Singapore court, will see the bank forced to cough up $926m (£750m) [...]
How Wall Street is preparing for worst-case scenario debt default May 26, 2023 Anxiety is increasing in parts of Wall Street that rely on Treasury securities to function, with some traders starting to avoid U.S. government debt that comes due in June and others preparing to deal with securities at risk of default. U.S. President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy are closing in on a deal that would raise [...]
Monzo founder Blomfield fires parting shot at London as he packs bags for San Francisco May 25, 2023 Monzo founder Tom Blomfield has warned there are no quick fixes for London’s "very real" listings problem, in a parting blow to the capital as he packs his bags for the US.
Anne Boden to step down as chief of Starling as bank reports record profits May 25, 2023 The founder of Starling Bank, Anne Boden, has announced she will step down as chief executive of the firm at the end of June as the bank reported record profits in the year to March today.
Plans to boost scrutiny of regulators don’t go far enough, experts argue May 24, 2023 New plans to boost oversight of financial regulators have been criticised by experts, as the government responds to concerns that watchdogs face too little scrutiny. Earlier this week, the it was reported that the Treasury is planning to beef up the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner (FRCC) in order to more robustly hold regulators to account. [...]
EU remains firm on post-Brexit clearing plans despite pressure on both sides of the Channel May 24, 2023 The EU is set to reject calls to rethink its approach to the clearing business despite mounting pressure on both sides of the Channel. The EU’s financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness said the plans were vital to the EU’s “financial resilience”. “I want to underline that this matter is actually not so much about Brexit. [...]
UK mortgage holders will see payments rise to 30 per cent of their income, Barclays boss warns May 24, 2023 UK mortgage holders will see their monthly payments jump to up to 30% of their income from about 20% over the past few decades, the boss of Barclays has said. CS Venkatakrishnan, known as Venkat, said the sharp rise in interest rates will lead to a “huge income shock” by the end of next year. [...]
Close Brothers recovers from bruising start to the year while rising rates lifts fellow merchant bankers Arbuthnot May 24, 2023 Merchant banking group Close Brothers delivered a battling update as it attempts to calm investor nerves following a poor start to the year. In a trading update for its third quarter, Close Brothers reported that its loan book increased by two per cent to £9.2bn. This was driven by a strong new business in commercial [...]