COP26: HSBC makes green push as it pumps £500m into new fund for SMEs across UK November 8, 2021 HSBC has launched a £500m Green SME Fund, the banking giant said. The new £500m fund is available for businesses with a turnover of less than £25m and will offer 1 per cent cashback on loans, starting from £1,000 to help SMEs invest in green activities, HSBC clarified. “This is the first green offering for small businesses with a [...]
Credit Suisse chair Antonio Horta-Osorio says largest investors back bank overhaul November 7, 2021 Credit Suisse chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio has today revealed that the six largest investors of the bank back its newly announced strategy, according to reports. “We are in close contact with our shareholders – in particular the six largest, who together own around 30 per cent of the capital,” Horta-Osorio told Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, [...]
State Street denies bank staff must get special approval to hire white men November 7, 2021 Investment bank State Street tonight forced to push back against reports it will insist managers get special approval to hire white men over female or minority candidates. The bank wants to triple the number of black, Asian and other minority staff in senior roles by 2023 and has mandated lower bonuses for execs if they do not hit [...]
Virgin Money restructuring plans push shares down 7 per cent November 4, 2021 Shares in Virgin Money have fallen 7.3 per cent this afternoon after the digital bank revised its strategy to include an expensive cost-cutting exercise. In an unscheduled trading update the lender unveiled plans to “accelerate” its switch to digital banking services, but warned of the cost-cutting exercise this would incur over the next three years [...]
Metro Bank shares surge on Carlyle Group takeover approach November 4, 2021 Shares in high street lender Metro Bank jumped 35 per cent today after it confirmed it was in talks with funds linked to the Carlyle Group regarding a takeover. Shares are currently up 35 per cent at 139p per share. It added in a statement there was no certainty an offer would be made and [...]
Revolut backing venture capital firm Draper Espirit portfolio value jumps to £1.3bn November 4, 2021 UK venture capital firm Draper Esprit, which backed fintech star Revolut, expects its gross portfolio value to exceed £1.3bn. The results, predicted for its interim results for the period ended 30 September, would mark a jump of over half a billion pounds compared to the same period last year when the venture capital firm recorded [...]
Top finance brass: City grandees need to show off green stripes to rake in bonuses November 3, 2021 City grandees will need to show off their green stripes to rake in bumper bonuses, some of the finance industry’s top brass said today. The chief of one Britain’s biggest banks, part state-owned NatWest, sent a warning shot to the bank’s top dogs that their environmental track record will be considered when awarding bonuses. Speaking [...]
Ex-Barclays chief Staley to receive £22m bonus windfall November 3, 2021 Former Barclays chief Jes Staley who quit this week to fight the findings of a report into his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is in line receive bonuses of up to £22m. The American banker could receive around 11m shares in the bank he headed for six years if it hits performance goals [...]
Quilter announces £1bn net inflows as wealth management ahead of reorganisation November 3, 2021 Quilter, a British wealth management company, has today announced robust third quarter results with net inflows of £1bn, ten times that of the same period last year. Following the quarterly results for the three months ended 30 September 2021, Quilter’s year-to-date net inflows stand at £3bn, almost triple that of £1.1bn in 2020. Quilter’s assets under [...]
TP ICAP reports energy trades revenue boost amid energy price volatility November 2, 2021 TP ICAP, the world’s largest interdealer broker, has reported a 16 per cent rise in revenue in energy and commodities in the third quarter, as volatile energy prices have increasing trading opportunities. Global broking revenue at TP ICAP also increased by 2 per cent over the latest quarter, but both areas saw a decline in [...]