NatWest ups dividends as profits surge on the back of interest rate hikes July 29, 2022 NatWest today upped its dividend after its pre-tax profits increased 13 per cent to more than £2.6bn for the first half of 2022. Higher lending incomes on the back of the Bank of England’s interest rate hike lifted NatWest’s finances and saw the bank raise its full-year revenue forecast to around £12.5bn, up from previous [...]
London markets jump ahead of expected big US Federal Reserve rate rise July 27, 2022 London markets shrugged off bets on the US Federal Reserve hiking rate steeply later today to jump during opening exchanges. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index added 0.43 per cent to reach 7,337.93 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, increased 0.07 per [...]
Virgin Money announces plans to take UK’s fast-growing ‘buy now, pay later market’ by storm July 26, 2022 Virgin Money said this afternoon the bank plans to enter the buy now, pay later (BNPL) market later this year. With an offering called Virgin Money Slyce, Virgin Money is set to launch a new BNPL credit card product. Any spend over £30 can be spread across three, six, nine or 12-month repayment plans. Paying [...]
UBS profits drop below expectations July 26, 2022 A sharp fall in profits at UBS’s investment banking division caused by charges to deal with the fall out of the collapse of Bill Hwang’s Archegos Capital and tumbling global stock markets has raided the Swiss lender’s bottom line. UBS profits sank around $100m (£83m) over the last year to $2.1bn (£1.7bn), it announced today, [...]
London markets muted ahead of US Federal Reserve rate decision July 25, 2022 London markets were mixed today as traders brace for another potential rate bazooka from the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index edged 0.41 per cent higher to 7,306.30 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, dropped 0.11 per [...]
Week ahead: Banks to report amid high inflation and interest rate fears July 25, 2022 Customer behaviour and cost control are set to be top of the in-tray for the major banks as they update investors over the next week. Barclays, Lloyds and NatWest are all set to update the markets in a bumper week for the sector. Although priorities will vary slightly, there will be significant focus on whether [...]
EXCLUSIVE: Revolut’s UK risk and compliance chiefs quit in slew of senior resignations July 22, 2022 Revolut has been hit by a slew of resignations from its UK regulatory and compliance chiefs in the past weeks amid heightened tensions with regulators and delays to the firm’s banking licence, City A.M. has learned.
FTSE 100 loses Wall Street bounce as banks falter July 20, 2022 A boost from a bumper day on Wall Street yesterday was not enough to help London’s FTSE 100 finish higher today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index shed 0.44 per cent to close at 7,264.31 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, added [...]
NatWest will provide £1.25bn in aid to farmers facing inflation July 18, 2022 NatWest will offer farmers a £1.25bn lending package amidst surging inflation in the UK. This package follows earlier support and takes the bank’s total lending for the agriculture sector to more than £6.7bn. The capital will be deployed through loans, asset finance, and higher overdraft limits, and will also help farmers transition to more sustainable practices [...]
War for talent swells new starter City pay packets July 18, 2022 Pay packets in the Square Mile are bulging as banks, insurers and brokers try to outbid each other to lure top talent amid a tight jobs market, reveals a new survey released today. Finance workers that switch employers received an average 25 per cent pay bump in the three months to June, according to recruiter [...]