US shoppers behind Klarna’s recent platform transaction boom May 28, 2021 Swedish ‘buy now, pay later’ company Klarna has reported a jump in transactions using its platform in the January to March quarter, helped mainly by growth in the United States. Klarna’s gross merchandise volume (GMV) – the value of transactions made using its payment platform – nearly doubled to $18.9bn in the first quarter from $9.9bn a [...]
Afterpay marketing costs double in bid to secure US payments market August 25, 2021 Australian transactions firm Afterpay has watched its losses widen in the past year, as it ramped up costs in a bid to secure the US market. Marketing costs more than doubled in the year to June, as the firm attempted to capitalise on the pandemic-induced buy now, pay later (BNPL) services boom – which accompanied [...]
Turnaround for Santander as bank takes home over €8bn in 2021 February 2, 2022 Spanish bank Santander took home over €8.1bn (£6.7bn) in 2021 profits, after enjoying its most profitable quarter for 12 years.
Starmer attacks PM and ‘loan shark chancellor’ over Covid fraud February 9, 2022 Sir Keir Starmer has hit out at the government over the billions of pounds lost to Covid fraud, accusing Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak of “turning a blind eye to scammers”. The Labour leader also labelled Sunak today as the “loan shark chancellor” over his recently unveiled package of measures aimed to reduce household energy [...]
Klarna mulls London stock market float after post-Brexit listing revamp May 21, 2021 Klarna is weighing up a potential stock market float in London, but has said its decision will rest on changes to listing rules in the capital after Brexit. Chief executive Sebastian Siemiatkowski said London had the opportunity to strengthen its reputation as a global financial hub by attracting more fintech firms and banks. “As Brexit [...]
Fashion spending to hit £112bn this year as consumers hunt for post-pandemic wardrobes September 2, 2021 Retail shoppers are set to spend an extra £4.2bn on fashion and beauty over the next 12 months, in comparison to 2019. Spending is predicted to rise 3.4 per cent, according to a report jointly commissioned by the British Fashion Council and Clearpay, in partnership with Oxford Economics. Brits shopping for a ‘bounceback wardrobe’ will [...]
Shoppers expected to cut back as country faces deepening cost of living squeeze February 4, 2022 January marked the eleventh consecutive monthly of like-for-like retail sales as shoppers have returned to London’s shopping hotspots. However, retail chiefs warned that the cost of living squeeze may soon curtail Brits’ spending habits. Total like-for-like sales, combined in-store and online, increased by +51.9 per cent in January, according to data from accountancy firm BDO. [...]
Exclusive: ‘We have to believe the FCA does things in our best interest’ says fintech chief November 5, 2022 Telecom giant EE said this morning it is planning to burst onto the fast-growing cyber security scene. The operator unveiled new products such as alarm systems and an online cyber security package. The telco’s move underpins the fast-growing character of the cyber security space. Particularly the need for ID verification online seems to be stronger than [...]
Challenger challenge: Monzo aborts US banking licence application October 4, 2021 Monzo has followed in rival Robinhood’s footsteps and abandoned its application for a US banking license after regulators told the UK fintech it was unlikely to be approved. In a major setback for its international expansion plans, the challenger bank said it had decided to withdraw from the process after recent talks with the Office [...]
Sunak unveils £9bn package to slash £350 off energy bills this year February 3, 2022 The “vast majority” of households will get government help on their energy bills to the tune of £350 to partially offset soaring prices as a part of a £9bn package announced by Rishi Sunak today. The announcement comes as Ofgem today announced an increase in the energy price cap from April, which will mean the [...]