Paragon Bank: Stamp duty boost offsets motor finance provision June 4, 2025 Specialist lender Paragon Banking Group bolstered its profit in the first half of the financial year as increased lending managed to offshore a motor finance provision. The FTSE 250 bank’s pre-tax profit surged 26.7 per cent to £149.4m, up from £146.4 in the first half of 2024. This was driven by 4.9 per cent expansion [...]
Private equity: Are the doors to the most exclusive club in town finally opening? June 4, 2025 Private equity has carved out a record as one of the best-performing assetclasses of the last 25 years – for the exclusive benefit of a privileged few. Now, at last,private investors can get in. Trillions of dollars have flowed into private equity in the past twenty-odd years. Global private capital assets under management reportedly more [...]
Bank of England warns pace of rate cuts ‘shrouded in uncertainty’ June 3, 2025 The pace of UK interest rate cuts is “shrouded in a lot more uncertainty” due to the “unpredictable” global economic situation, the governor of the Bank of England has said. Andrew Bailey told MPs during a Treasury Committee session that while rates are on a “glide path” downwards the Bank had “genuine concerns” about escalating [...]
JP Morgan launches risk-rated investment portfolios June 3, 2025 JP Morgan plans to scale up its UK investment offering after fresh research revealed a huge frustration among UK retail investors. The lender found nearly one in six UK investors were unsatisfied with the income they received from investments, despite two-thirds saying the income from investing was important. The firm is using its Asset Management [...]
Monzo: The rockstar fintech setting the City abuzz June 3, 2025 Monzo has dominated City chatter in recent months with its hotly anticipated IPO, and now the fintech unicorn’s latest financial results indicate the talk is only going to get louder. The UK fintech veteran broke another milestone in the last 12 months after topping £1bn in annual revenue. Behind the surge in takings was a [...]
HSBC accelerates private credit pivot with $4bn injection June 2, 2025 Europe’s biggest lender has continued its pivot into private credit funds with a $4bn investment into its asset management arm. HSBC has used its asset management business to spearhead a transition into the booming $1.6tn private credit market. The firm said it will invest the new cash into its alternative credit funds, with the goal [...]
Natwest returns to private ownership May 30, 2025 Natwest has finally re-entered private ownership ending one of British banking’s longest-running sagas. The government sold off its remaining 0.26 per cent stake in the group on Friday marking a full exit from the lender. The Treasury’s share of the FTSE 100 lender dates back to the 2008 financial crisis. Natwest, then under the Royal [...]
Nationwide posts bumper year after stamp duty rush May 29, 2025 Nationwide Building Society bolstered its takings in the 12 months to March 31 2025, after a rush to beat the stamp duty deadline led to a surge in first-time buyers. The firm said it served more first-time buyers than any other lender in the UK, with 120,000 purchasing their first home. This was a significant leap from [...]
HSBC cuts more investment bank roles in latest European retreat May 27, 2025 HSBC has reportedly given more than two dozen analysts in its investment banking division the chop as the bank’s boss presses on with his sweeping overhaul. The firm’s cuts primarily focused on Europe, where the lender has continuously signalled a winding down of operations. The banking juggernaut slashed ten per cent of its work force [...]
Is Natwest set for a deal spree after privatisation? May 27, 2025 As Natwest finally breaks from the shackles of government ownership, the banking juggernaut may be gearing up for an acquisition spree. The FTSE 100 giant is speculated to return to privatisation in a matter of days after the government accelerated its sell off over the last year. Shares in the firm rose one per cent [...]