Standard Chartered evacuates Dubai offices amid Iran war March 11, 2026 London-headquartered Standard Chartered has begun to evacuate staff from its offices in Dubai following the latest escalations in the war in the Middle East. The FTSE 100 giant boasts a large presence in the region as part of international expansion efforts across the United Arab Emirates but has now found itself caught in the growing [...]
Revolut lands full UK banking licence after four-year wait March 11, 2026 Revolut has landed its full UK banking licence following a four-year wait for the permit. The $75bn fintech juggernaut has been in the mobilisation stage for over 18 months after being granted approval for the licence last July. The final green light from the banking watchdog hands the digital bank permission to formally start lending [...]
JP Morgan marks down private credit loans amid AI jitters March 11, 2026 JP Morgan has marked down the value of specific loans held by private-credit groups, tightening its grip on the sector as boss Jamie Dimon warns of a looming AI reckoning. The bank’s move specifically targets software companies, which it now views as highly vulnerable to being replaced by artificial intelligence. By devaluing these assets, JP [...]
Barclays joins run of mortgage rate hikes in blow to borrowers March 9, 2026 Barclays has become the latest in a flurry of mortgage lenders to hike their rates amid mounting fears the Bank of England will keep the base interest rates higher for longer following the war in the Middle East. The blue-chip banking giant has slapped a 0.1 per cent increase on rates on a selection of [...]
Grounds for expansion: Airwallex’s Europe chief bets on London in licence pursuit March 6, 2026 As payments giant Airwallex laid out plans to double down on Europe, they turned to a man with experience at a multi-billion dollar deposit holder. The $8bn cross-border specialist was looking for someone to steer the ship amid expansion plans across Europe but in that endeavour didn’t poach a veteran of Wall Street or the [...]
Revolut makes second bid for US banking permit March 5, 2026 Revolut has made its second play for a US banking licence to crack the North American market as efforts for a UK permit continue to drag on. The London-born fintech juggernaut said on Thursday it had filed for a US bank charter as it named its new boss for the North America region. Nik Storonsky, [...]
Barclays set to cash in on market frenzy amid Middle East crisis March 5, 2026 Barclays and its UK banking peers could be set for a cash boost from the brewing crisis in the Middle East as investors quickly dump equities and fears of an inflation spike spread. FTSE 100 giant Barclays has been noted as uniquely shielded by analysts due to its mammoth market divisions. Jefferies analysts said the [...]
Metro Bank shares dip after SME lending pivot sees profit balloon March 4, 2026 Metro Bank has swung back into profit as the firm’s pivot into small business lending led to a bump in revenue. The FTSE 250 lender returned to profitability with a pre-tax profit of just north of £98m – a 15-year high and major clawback from losses of £14m last year. The swing came as Metro [...]
Ex Goldman chief: I smell another financial crisis March 2, 2026 Goldman Sachs’ top boss throughout the 2008 financial crisis has sounded the alarm that the global economy was drawing closer to another crash. Billionaire investment banker Lloyd Blankfein, who served at the helm of Goldman from 2006 until 2018, said: “I don’t feel the storm, but the horses are starting to whinny in the corral.” [...]
HSBC bonus pot swells to 14-year record despite profit hit February 25, 2026 HSBC announced its bonus pot had swelled to an over decade high on Wednesday despite the bank recording a hit in annual profit as hefty impairment charges helped offset a boom in the bank’s wealth management operations. The FTSE 100 banking titan recorded a seven per cent drop in pre-tax profit for the annual year, [...]