BoE gives banks all-clear but warns them to keep up support October 8, 2020 The Bank of England has warned lenders that reducing their support to households and businesses “would be costly” for the economy and for banks themselves. It came as the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said the UK’s lenders were strong enough to weather the rest of the coronavirus storm – even if unemployment soared to [...]
Optimism rises among financial services firms as business volumes stabilise October 8, 2020 Optimism within the financial services sector increased for the first time in three quarters as business volumes showed signs of stabilising following the initial shock of the coronavirus crisis, a new survey showed. Sentiment among finance firms rose nine per cent in the three months to the end of September, according to the Confederation of [...]
Barclays teams up with rugby ref Nigel Owens to launch £250m agri-tech fund October 7, 2020 Barclays has teamed up with world-renowned rugby referee Nigel Owens to launch a £250m fund to help farmers make their businesses carbon neutral. The new funding comes as research showed that 83 per cent of UK farmers said they could achieve net zero by 2035, five years before the deadline set by the farming union. [...]
Prepare for Libor’s demise, City regulator tells markets October 7, 2020 Financial markets need to prepare themselves for regulatory announcements about the Libor benchmark interest rate ceasing at the end of next year, the City watchdog said. “Market participants need to be ready for announcements later this year setting out what will happen at the end of 2021,” the FCA’s director of markets, Edwin Schooling Latter, [...]
Banking industry group UK Finance names David Postings as new boss October 7, 2020 UK Finance, the banking lobby group, has appointed David Postings as its new chief executive to help steer the industry through the Covid-19 crisis. Postings, who recently stepped down as global chief executive of Bibby Financial Services, will take up the role at the start of next year, UK Finance said. He had previously held [...]
Banking sector warns against irresponsible lending after PM’s low deposit mortgage pledge October 7, 2020 The banking sector has cautioned against irresponsible lending after the Prime Minister announced plans to help millions of potential buyers onto the housing ladder by allowing low deposit mortgages. Boris Johnson yesterday said he wants to turn “generation rent” into “generation buy” by allowing people to purchase homes with a five per cent deposit. The [...]
Bounce Back Loan scheme could cost the taxpayer up to £26bn October 7, 2020 The cost to the taxpayer of the government’s emergency loan scheme for struggling small businesses could be as much as £26bn, a new report has found. According to the National Audit Office (NAO), the cost of the government’s Bounce Back Loan scheme “has the potential to be very high” through a combination of firms being [...]
On the brink: SMEs cut off from bounce back loans as banks close to new customers October 6, 2020 Small businesses are being shut out of potentially life-saving bounce back loans (BBLs) because lenders are turning down new customers, despite the funds being fully guaranteed by the government. Morning Wire has spoken to a number of businesses who have had applications to set up new business accounts with lenders rejected, often without explanation. Many [...]
Goldman Sachs ‘to name fewer than 60 partners’ in 2020 October 6, 2020 Goldman Sachs will reportedly name no more than 60 partners this year, but partners will be given more financial perks as the investment banking giant seeks to make its partnership more exclusive. The bank’s new class of partners, due to be promoted next month, is likely to be Goldman’s smallest cohort since the 1990s, the [...]
FCA amps up crackdown on coronavirus-related fraud October 6, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has ramped up efforts to crack down on coronavirus-related fraud during the pandemic through the rollout of two new sandbox services. Sandboxes allow companies to innovate new products without being subject to usual regulation, allowing them to test financial services before developing them globally. The FCA’s two new sandboxes, launched [...]