Full map of closures: Santander axes another 44 branches putting 291 jobs at risk January 29, 2026 Santander has made another cull to its branch network as the Spanish banking giant ploughs ahead with its digital transformation. The lender said it would close another 44 branches, which will put 291 jobs at risk of redundancy, as the bank turns its focus to its digital offer to keep at pace with its fintech [...]
Lloyds shares rally after profit boost and £1.8bn buyback January 29, 2026 Shares in Lloyds Banking Group jumped on Thursday as the bank launched a £1.8bn share buyback after breezing past profit expectations in the 2025 financial year. The FTSE 100 banking giant recorded a 12 per cent jump to pre-tax profit in the full-year netting £6.7bn and easily surpassing the £6.4bn pencilled in by internal analysts. [...]
Sorry performative politicians, a 2026 World Cup boycott just won’t work January 29, 2026 Politicians calling for a boycott of the World Cup are only proving how out of touch and powerless they are, writes Ed Warner. Every four years, politicians rediscover our football. And inevitably, they then threaten to take it away from us. Think Russia, then Qatar. This time, President Trump is the trigger. Quelle surprise! The [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Miners lead stock rally; Pound holds onto gains January 29, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Is President Donald Trump trying to devalue the dollar? That’s the question many in the City and across global markets were asking yesterday after Trump referred to the dollar dropping 1.3 per cent against a basket of currencies as “great”. The President’s triggered another 0.2 [...]
Law firms, legal tech, and the branding battle royale January 29, 2026 It seems like every week brings a new AI player on the scene, but now there’s a trend of legal spats over what exactly to call them. AI-focused businesses have been popping up everywhere as demand for the tech surges. According to LawtechUK’s data, the number of UK-founded lawtech companies on its tracker climbed from [...]
Gold continues to glitter as investor demand reaches record highs January 29, 2026 Gold has continued its record breaking rally, as investors and central banks scramble to get their hands on the safe haven asset in the face of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. Total gold demand exceeded 5,000t for the first time in 2025, with the precious metal setting a staggering 53 new all time highs during the year. [...]
Would it have killed Kemi to throw Tory centrists a bone? January 29, 2026 Speaking to Morning Wire at the start of this week the former John Lewis boss and West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, insisted that the Tories can beat Reform if they embrace the centre-right and resist the urge to fight Nigel Farage on his own turf. The new vehicle launched to make this case is called [...]
LSEG axes Financial Times subscriptions amid FTSE coverage retreat January 29, 2026 The operator of the London Stock Exchange has cancelled hundreds of corporate subscriptions to the Financial Times, Morning Wire understands, in a move that could end a decades-long relationship between the two City institutions. LSEG is understood to have taken the decision in response to the paper’s gradual retreat from coverage of the London markets, [...]
Fintech founder Adam French: I wish the City would be braver January 29, 2026 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City's great and good. Today, we speak to Adam French, partner at early-stage VC firm Antler.
10 years of Laver Cup: Nerves, serves and Federer’s ‘lucky’ London farewell January 29, 2026 Tony Godsick vividly remembers the day, exactly 10 years ago, when he and Roger Federer, his biggest client, went public with their big idea: the Laver Cup. “I was nervous,” Godsick tells Morning Wire. “I had been in the sport for a long time already, and this concept was screaming to be done, but no [...]