Former Virgin Money chief set to lead Financial Reporting Council July 13, 2026 The former chief executive of Virgin Money has been selected as the government’s preferred candidate to lead the UK’s accountancy regulator following the expected departure of Sir Jan du Plessis. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was named by Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle to replace du Plessis for a four-year term overseeing the Financial Reporting Council [...]
JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon under fire over whether he lobbied Treasury on Epstein advice July 13, 2026 The boss of JP Morgan is facing mounting scrutiny from US lawmakers on whether he lobbied the UK government on tax affairs on the advice of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Jamie Dimon – who is well-regarded as one of the world’s most influential figures in finance – said under oath in 2023 that he [...]
Magic circle Freshfields ousts equity partners amid US push July 13, 2026 Senior staff are bracing for a shake-up at magic circle law firm Freshfields, as partners have been forced out to boost growth and fund its US expansion. The City-based firm has ousted several equity partners in recent weeks across several European offices, including London, according to the Financial Times, as it focuses on growth. Speaking [...]
Rory Sutherland joins Adam Smith Institute as senior fellow July 13, 2026 Advertising executive Rory Sutherland has joined free-market think tank the Adam Smith Institute as a senior fellow, strengthening the organisation’s efforts to promote behavioural economics and free-market policy as the UK grapples with sluggish growth. Sutherland, vice chairman of advertising giant Ogilvy and one of Britain’s best-known marketing figures, will advise the Institute on how [...]
Fresh tech sell-off fears as investor chip frenzy cools July 13, 2026 Chipmaking stocks plunged in Seoul and New York on Monday as investors opted to cash out of SK Hynix following a blistering share price rally following its Nasdaq debut last week. The Kospi, Seoul’s blue-chip index, tumbled 8.9 per cent to 6,806.9 points, dragging it further from the 9,000 mark it was touching just under [...]
Bargain: England World Cup semi tickets vs Argentina just $2,700 July 13, 2026 Deep-pocketed fans can watch England in the Fifa World Cup semi-final against Argentina for $2,700. England earned a spot in their second World Cup semi-final in three tournaments with a nervy 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway on Saturday night and have been rewarded with a last four tie against the defending champions Argentina. The semi-final [...]
Plus500 revenue surges as US prediction markets drive growth July 13, 2026 Plus500 reported a rise in revenue after the trading platform pushed into the surging US prediction markets. Revenue reached a three year record high, increasing 12 per cent year on year to $462.9m (£346m). The firm also pinned the performance on “heightened market volatility”. Earnings before tax remained flat at $187.5m, after growth was offset [...]
Making free trade a reality: The UK-GCC strategic dialogue July 13, 2026 The UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA), agreed upon in May 2026, promises greater resilience to unprecedented rifts in international relations that would, until recently, have been unimaginable. In our previous analysis of this dynamic, prior to the signing of the FTA, we observed that the UK-GCC FTA was a response to troubling seismic shifts among the world’s [...]
London-listed firm cheers surge in demand for ‘dog wash machines’ July 13, 2026 Europe’s biggest photobooth operator has expanded into user-operated dog washing machines in a bid to recover from an Iran war hit to profit. ME Group, which operates laundry machines and photo booths across the UK and Europe, said it is rolling out hundreds of dog wash machines in a bid to drive growth. The FTSE [...]
As it happened: Choppy day for FTSE 100 after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz as strikes ramp up July 13, 2026 Welcome back to the Morning Wire liveblog. Markets are returning from the weekend to face another geopolitical shock after Iran confirmed it had closed the Strait of Hormuz once more. The narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea had slowly seen a pick up in traffic [...]