HSBC boss: Rachel Reeves hiking bank tax would dent growth July 30, 2025 The boss of FTSE 100 juggernaut HSBC has become the latest banking voice to warn Rachel Reeves against raising taxes on banks over fears it would harm economic growth. Georges Elhedery, HSBC’s chief executive, said on Wednesday any further financial pressures on lenders could spark trouble for the UK economy. “Additional taxation on banks runs [...]
Could Astrazeneca completely switch its allegiance to the US? July 30, 2025 The UK’s largest listed companies are turning their heads towards the glimmer of the Nasdaq after growing impatient at the lacklustre performance of the London Stock Exchange. Chief among them is pharmaceutical giant Astrazeneca, which cancelled plans for a Liverpool vaccine plant due to lack of economic support earlier this year and has expressed frustration [...]
Santander UK axes jobs and branches in transformation overhaul July 30, 2025 Santander UK recorded a surge in provisions as the bank powered forward with its transformation strategy slashing its branch network and shedding workers. The bank said provisions for other liabilities and charges were up 74 per cent to £249m driven by “higher transformation related charges”. The lender listed losses and provisions as rising 119.8 per [...]
Motor finance: ‘Nothing is certain’ as banks await historic ruling July 30, 2025 The Supreme Court will hand down what could be the “most consequential ruling for lenders” in recent history on Friday in the dramatic culmination of the motor finance saga. In a twist, the highest court in the land surprised the market last Friday evening after updating its system with the information that it will announce [...]
It’s not the rich who fill the gaps when non-doms leave Britain – it’s you July 30, 2025 16,000 high-net-worth individuals are set to leave Britain this year, taking with them jobs, investment and growth. Here’s how we win them back… We talk a lot about wealth in Britain. We just don’t talk enough about what happens when it walks out the door. Because it’s happening. And faster than anyone wants to admit. [...]
Cut tax for under 35s or watch them leave the country July 30, 2025 The most pressing choice I faced over the past week was whether to swim in the pool or the sea. We lounged our way from lazy lunch to long dinner, occasionally mustering the energy to stroll to the boulangerie. As I put the key in the front door of our south London home last night [...]
Retail investors cool on AI and pile into defence sector July 30, 2025 Retail investor appetite for AI stocks has cooled as geopolitical tensions spark a surge in enthusiasm for the defence sector. Over 50 per cent of retail investors believe the defence sector will deliver the strongest growth over the next six months, according to new research from online investing and trading platform IG. AI-related industries slipped [...]
IMF upgrades world economy’s growth forecast as Trump’s tariffs reduced July 29, 2025 The world economy will not suffer as badly from President Trump’s tariffs as previously thought, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted. Global growth is set to be three per cent this year, the IMF said, which is higher than its previous 2.8 per cent forecast made in April. The world economy will grow by [...]
Smart Pension invests £330m into Octopus Energy fund as Mansion House Accord bears fruit July 29, 2025 Smart Pension has made a £330m investment into two funds managed by Octopus Energy in an early sign the Chancellor’s Mansion House Accord is beginning to bear fruit. The pensions firm, which has more than £7bn in assets under management, said the commitment will represent 5 per cent of the portfolio of its default fund, [...]
Donald Trump slams North Sea oil taxes that ‘make no sense’ July 29, 2025 US President Donald Trump has slammed the UK for its high taxes on North Sea oil, which he described as a “TREASURE CHEST” for the UK. In an early morning post on Truth Social, Trump said the UK could cash in its oil reserves near Scotland, where Trump opened a new 18-hole course at the [...]