Barclays snaps up US personal loans fintech for $800m October 28, 2025 Barclays is set to take control of a US personal loans fintech in a deal that the lending giant hopes will beef up its loans package for its investment bank clients. The FTSE 100 bank said it would use consumer loan platform Best Egg as an “origination engine” after snapping the firm up for $800m [...]
Starmer: UK will not be pushed by China on embassy October 28, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at China’s Foreign Ministry as he said a decision on its embassy proposal at the Royal Mint Court site, located just beyond the Square Mile, would be taken in a “proper way regardless of any views or pressure from anyone”. In an interview with Bloomberg, the Prime Minister defended [...]
Transparency concerns as FCA makes short sellers anonymous October 28, 2025 Firms short-selling UK-quoted companies will no longer have to reveal their identities in the latest deregulation drive by the UK’s financial watchdog. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is consulting on a rule change to suspend disclosures of the companies that hold a short position in listed businesses, instead only publishing the total short positions in [...]
FTSE 100 live: HSBC takes profit hit, fresh food inflation rises October 28, 2025 Good morning from the Morning Wire liveblog team. It may have been more than 15 years since he was convicted and four years since he died, but legendary fraudster Bernie Madoff is still making headlines. Yesterday it was the turn of British banking giant HSBC to unveil the scale of its exposure to business connected [...]
Nik Storonsky-backed Robin AI seeks rescue buyer after fundraise falls short October 28, 2025 An AI business backed by the likes of Revolut co-founder Nik Storonsky is seeking a rescue buyer after its fundraising ambitions fell short, Morning Wire can reveal. London-based legal firm Robin AI has been put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace – meaning its future could be in doubt if a buyer is not [...]
Fresh food inflation continues despite fall in overall shop prices October 28, 2025 The price of fresh food has continued to climb despite a broader softening in inflation at UK shops, according to new data. Fresh food inflation increased to 4.3 per cent year on year in October, against growth of 4.1 per cent in September and above the three-month average of 4.2 per cent, according to the [...]
Looking for growth is a lot better than hoping for it October 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer like to say that economic growth is the defining mission of this government, but as the latest data shows it’s starting to resemble Mission Impossible. While the government deserves credit for addressing some of the deep-rooted issues that have held back growth for so long – whether though planning reform [...]
Reeves’ National Wealth Fund faces ‘very challenging’ growth goal October 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves faces an uphill battle as she looks to use her National Wealth Fund to ramp up the government’s economic growth mission, top MPs have warned. The Chancellor has touted the new unit as a growth-focused initiative that would unlock over £70bn in private investment. But in a new Treasury Select Committee report, the group’s [...]
Labour’s payments regulation overhaul more ‘reshuffle than reform’ October 28, 2025 The Labour government’s plan for a payments system revolution has fallen flat, a top trade body has warned, despite the Treasury’s promise of an “ambitious rethink” of regulatory structure. Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled her National Payments Vision (NPV) in her 2024 Mansion House address where she said the plan would include “decisive action to progress [...]
Rachel Reeves alerts top investors on tax rises and spending cuts October 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sent a message to international investors on incoming tax hikes and spending cuts in an effort to ease market nerves ahead of this year’s Budget. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative – or ‘Davos in the Desert’ – in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Reeves prepared investors for a more difficult Budget next [...]