High risk clients: Furloughed workers and self-employed with Covid grants refused mortgages July 15, 2021 Furloughed workers and self-employed people who have received government grants during the pandemic have been refused mortgages by some of the UK’s major banks. This comes as some brokers argued that banks see people who have received Covid-related grants as high risk. Two of the UK’s biggest high street banks, NatWest and the Royal Bank [...]
Bank of Scotland fined £45m for failing to report HBOS fraud June 21, 2019 Bank of Scotland has been hit with a £45.5m fine for failing to report suspicions of fraud at its Reading branch. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said there was “insufficient challenge, scrutiny or inquiry across the organisation and from top to bottom”. Read more: Lloyds bank avoids shareholder revolt over pension pay The bank identified [...]
How Blockchain Can Take the Finance Industry Beyond APIs March 17, 2022 Have you got an API for that? In the developing world of fintech, many platforms are based around Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). These APIs are essential for offering one’s services to clients who wish to consume machine to machine rather than through your website. They have become the next big thing after delivering your services [...]
Can NFTs Increase Efficiency in Trade Finance? March 17, 2022 Synopsis: How the traditional processes of trade finance can be streamlined through the use of NFTs. From original works of art to providing proof of ownership to almost any physical asset imaginable, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are fast emerging from their niche in the crypto sector to find a visible and important position in the global [...]
UK house prices rise for second straight month in sign of economic recovery June 19, 2024 UK house prices rose for their second consecutive month in April, latest official figures show, amid hopes for a rebound in the housing market as the economy improves.
New breed of private capital firms will face performance headwinds October 18, 2022 Under the private equity fundraising model, every few years fund managers secure capital commitments with a 10-year duration and charge management and advisory fees during the lock-up period. While longer-dated products have emerged over time, the basic pattern has remained essentially unchanged. Unfortunately, fundraising is cyclical. Downturns require patience: fund managers must wait until the [...]
Bulb Energy unable to hedge against rising wholesale prices due to credit issues, says administrator report January 11, 2022 Bulb Energy dropped into administration because it was unable to hedge effectively against surging wholesale energy prices.
UK Government sell shares of bailed-out NatWest for £1.1bn as stake shrinks to 55 per cent May 11, 2021 UK Government sell shares of bailed-out NatWest for £1.1bn as stake shrinks to 55 per cent
Treasury sells £1.1bn NatWest shares back to the banking group March 19, 2021 The Treasury said this morning it had completed the sale of £1.1bn in NatWest Group shares, selling the stock back to the banking group. The agreement with NatWest, formerly the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, represents the government’s third sale of its NatWest shareholding, bringing its stake down from 61.7 per cent to 59.8 per [...]
Westminster might quarrel with Scotland, but the City and Edinburgh get on just fine January 23, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon and Rishi Sunak's government have gone head-to-head, but the financial institutions in London and Scotland are busy keeping our relationship strong, writes Chris Hayward