Starling plans to ‘come out swinging’ in diversification bid Fintech Bernadette Smith has a spring in her step as she sits down in Starling’s headquarters to discuss her new role. The fintech’s new banking boss is buzzing with energy that she wants to pass onto customers and investors. “I want everyone to be talking about us,” she says, envisaging how she will measure success in [...]
FCA boss takes aim at motor finance lenders and claims firms Banking The boss of the City watchdog has taken a fresh swipe at the parties opposing the regulator’s motor finance redress scheme. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), told the Treasury Committee that he was “concerned about the integrity of the claims management market” and took a shot at lenders for trying [...]
A £3bn reckoning that will reshape buy now, pay later Regulation Buy now, pay later providers are cheering the arrival of new regulations.In this week’s column Samuel Norman considers how the industry could be reshaped. Five years ago, the government revealed plans to crack down on the buy now, pay later market after an industry review found financial risks posed by the ease with which consumers [...]
Bank of England warns Burnham of UK economy’s ‘big issue’ July 14, 2026 The Bank of England has warned Andy Burnham that economic growth remains the “big issue” facing the UK economy as he prepares to take the keys to Number 10. Andrew Bailey, the central bank governor, told policymakers on Tuesday that the UK has had “low growth for the best part of 16 to 17 years”. [...]
South East Water told to cough up £31m and improve infrastructure July 14, 2026 South East Water has been ordered to cough up a hefty redress and create an improvement plan for its operations after multiple investigations by the industry regulator found failures in its infrastructure and customer service. The utility firm – which supplies drinking water to 2.3m customers across the likes of Kent, Sussex and Surrey – [...]
Rachel Reeves to unveil next steps for ring-fencing reform at Mansion House July 13, 2026 Rachel Reeves will outline the next steps of her ring-fencing reforms at Mansion House on Tuesday, Morning Wire can reveal, in what is expected to be one of her last acts in the Treasury. The Chancellor will launch a consultation to seek industry input on the implementation of a package of reforms announced in May, including the [...]
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 [...]
Rachel Reeves’ legacy of tinkering with the City is not enough, says Mel Stride July 9, 2026 Sir Mel Stride has branded Rachel Reeves’ legacy in government as mere “tinkering” with City reform as the top Tory predicted her successor will create a “hostile” environment for the banking sector. In an interview with Morning Wire, the shadow Chancellor branded Reeves’ two-years in the Treasury as “managerial incrementalism,” adding it was “not enough”. [...]
Motor finance war of words heats up as City watchdog blasts law firm’s motives July 8, 2026 A blistering war of words has broken out between the City watchdog and the firms leading the consumer legal challenge to its £9bn motor finance scheme. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has urged the Upper Tribunal to throw out the case entirely as it slammed Courmacs Legal and its client Consumer Voice, for a serious [...]
Virgin Media slapped with £28m fine for stopping customers cancelling deals July 8, 2026 Virgin Media has been slapped with the media watchdog’s largest ever fine for direct harm to consumers after it was found to have mishandled millions of calls with users looking to switch away to a better deal The telecoms giant has been hit with a £28m fine after it was found to have put customers [...]