Why Natwest splashed the cash for a slice of the wealth management pie February 10, 2026 Natwest has opened its wallet for its biggest deal since the financial crisis, as the bank revives its appetite for acquisitions after the remaining government-owned shares in the business were finally sold. But after the FTSE 100 firm watched its share price sink into the red on Monday, will there be a sense of buyer’s [...]
NatWest nears £2.5bn Evelyn Partners takeover February 7, 2026 NatWest Group is closing in on a £2.5bn takeover of Evelyn Partners, in what would be its biggest corporate acquisition since the bank’s taxpayer bailout in 2008. NatWest Group is in advanced talks to buy the wealth manager from its private equity owners, Sky News reported on Saturday, after seeing off competition from Barclays in recent days. An announcement [...]
TSB’s profit soars ahead of Santander takeover February 6, 2026 Profit at high street lender TSB soared in the latest financial year as the bank slashed costs ahead of its landmark takeover by Santander. TSB’s pre-tax profit hit £350.4m in 2025, a 20.7 per cent jump from the year prior. The growth was fuelled by rising income streams and falling costs, even as the bank [...]
Santander takes jab at City watchdog as motor finance bill balloons February 4, 2026 Santander has took another major swipe at the City watchdog after the banking giant hiked its provisions for the motor finance scandal. As it reported full-year results, the bank said its bill for the car mis-selling saga had reached £461m, building on a previous £295m provision. It follows the bank’s UK arm missing its third-quarter [...]
Irn-Bru maker shares jump after snapping up soft drinks rivals for £50m February 3, 2026 The drinks merchant behind Irn-Bru is forecasting a major boost to profit for the latest financial year after the firm stripped back costs and snapped up a pair of its soft drink rivals. AG Barr, which owns brands such as Boost, Funkin Cocktails and Rubicon, told markets it had sealed a near-£38m deal to buy [...]
CAB Payments rejects ‘highly opportunistic’ Helios takeover bid February 2, 2026 London fintech CAB Payments has pushed back against another takeover proposal from African-focused private investment giant Helios. The firm – which was behind the “worst IPO of the year” in 2023 – has said the increased takeover proposal from a consortium led by Helios Investment Partners was “highly opportunistic” and undervalued the company’s future. Helios [...]
Fitzwalter backs off Auction Tech after hostile bidding campaign February 2, 2026 Investment giant Fitzwalter has backed off Auction Technology Group after a hostile campaign between the two led to 13 different takeover attempts of the latter. The London-headquartered said on Monday ATG’s Board had unanimously rejected its proposed offer of 400 pence per share. The offer sat above the UK market median for similar cash transactions [...]
Ryanair boss could land near-£2bn payout after Elon Musk feud January 21, 2026 The boss of Ryanair could land a cash payout of as much as £1.7bn if the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, acts on his threats to buy the airline. Michael O’Leary, who has been chief executive of the County Dublin-based business for more than 30 years, has accumulated the sixth-largest stake in the company, with [...]
Next seals deal to acquire Russell & Bromley January 21, 2026 High street giant Next has stepped in to buy shoe seller Russell & Bromley in the latest in a string of acquisitions by the FTSE 100 retail giant. The sale will see Next acquire the Russell & Bromley brand, and three of its stores in Chelsea, Mayfair and the Bluewater Shopping Centre, in exchange for [...]
‘Extreme shareholder destruction’: Fitzwalter dials up assault on Auction Technology Group January 12, 2026 Auction Technology Group management have been accused of overseeing a period of “extreme shareholder destruction” by its largest shareholder, in the latest salvo of a feud that has seen the auction platform provider rebuff 11 takeover approaches from the firm. In a blistering update to markets on Monday, Fitzwalter Capital said Auction Technology Group’s (ATG) [...]