Diversity blow: UK banks lost 10,000 women in 2020 March 12, 2021 The number of women at the UK’s five biggest lenders shrank by three per cent during 2020, according to new Bloomberg data. Men saw a decline of around 2.1 per cent as banks pushed ahead with long-planned cuts and navigated the Covid-19 crisis. At NatWest, roles filled by women fell by nine per cent compared [...]
HSBC concedes to investor pressure over climate change March 11, 2021 HSBC has given in to investor pressure by tabling plans to phase out its financing of coal power by 2040, staving off backlash over the bank not being aligned with its climate ‘ambitions’. The bankin giant said today it will retire from funding both coal-fired power and thermal coal mining across the EU by 2030, and [...]
City Moves: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? March 10, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email [email protected] to be featured. New strategy director joins Wates Construction Wates Construction Group has appointed a new strategy and integration director for its recently formed group of businesses Wates Integrated Construction Services (WICS). Joining the London office, [...]
HSBC launches £15bn lending fund for British SMEs March 10, 2021 HSBC has today launched a new £15bn fund to help UK SMEs through the economic recovery. The fund, which includes over £10bn of regionally focussed allocations, seeks to move away from the “traditional” London focus and drive growth in regions across the country. “The past 12 months have highlighted the challenges many small businesses face. [...]
Coming or going? Aviva the latest to cut office space as rival bosses say ‘remote working can’t last’ March 4, 2021 Aviva the latest to cut office space as rival bosses say 'remote working can't last'
HSBC to cut jobs in London-based equities team February 26, 2021 HSBC plans to cut jobs in its London-based equities division, in a further shake up to the UK office. In the last two days, the holdings company informed staff of its plans to make cuts to the London equities team, Financial News first reported. The job cuts are part of HSBC’s ongoing restructuring work, first [...]
HSBC results: Shift to Asia, office space slashed, dividend returns February 23, 2021 HSBC today said it plans to nearly halve its office space globally as part of a radical overhaul that will see the lender shift its focus to Asia. The bank will pump roughly $6bn (£4.3bn) into the region over the next five years, focusing mainly on its wealth management business in greater China as well [...]
HSBC to move top brass out of Canary Wharf in ‘pivot to Asia’ February 22, 2021 HSBC will accelerate plans to increase its presence in Asia, as the bank prepares to shift some of its senior executives from London to Hong Kong, according to reports. Chief executive Noel Quinn is expected to begin marketing HSBC’s “pivot to Asia” when he announces the bank’s 2020 earnings tomorrow. Under the plans, a raft [...]
City Moves 17 February: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? February 17, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email [email protected] to be featured. This week we see movements across the financial sector, with Canada Group, BNP Paribas and Gateley Capitus all welcoming fresh additions. BNP Paribas AM gets new deputy CEO BNP Paribas Asset Management appointed a [...]
Ranked: Monzo tops list of best UK banks as digital services thrive February 15, 2021 Digital fintechs Monzo and First Direct provide better service to customers than traditional banks, according to a recent survey. Ipsos MORI conducted a review of around 1,000 customers from each of the 19 biggest personal current account providers in the UK to rank the best and worst banks. The findings are designed to compare the [...]