Bank of London appoints former Credit Suisse boss as chief executive Banking Embattled fintech ‘unicorn’ the Bank of London has appointed the former UK boss of Credit Suisse as chief executive today, as it looks to recover from a string of setbacks and the sudden exit of its founder last year. In a statement, the digital clearing bank said Christopher Horne, who previously headed the failed Swiss [...]
FCA chair: Our growth push will test UK’s risk appetite Investing The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) push to slash red tape and unleash growth in the City will test the UK’s appetite for risk, its chair has warned, accepting that two of its new proposals could open the door to more fraud and mortgage defaults. Writing in City AM today, Ashley Alder said the FCA will [...]
FCA looks to ease consumer duty burden as Reeves pushes regulators for growth Investing The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will look to ease the burden of complying with its stringent consumer duty rules as part of a push to cut red tape in the City and unlock growth. In a letter to the Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week, FCA boss Nikhil Rathi said the regulator would drop a requirement [...]
Business confidence plunges to lowest level since Liz Truss’s mini-budget January 15, 2025 Rachel Reeves’s tax hikes have pushed business confidence to its lowest level since the wake of Liz Truss’s calamitous mini-Budget, as firms fret over a surge in costs and slowdown in the domestic economy, a closely watched survey has suggested. Concerns over a looming tax bill and a slump in sales caused business confidence to [...]
Who is the new City minister, Emma Reynolds? January 14, 2025 As a former City lobbyist and known face around the Square Mile, Emma Reynolds was seen by many as the favoured pick for City minister when Labour swept to power in July. Standing in the way, however, was Tulip Siddiq. The Prime Minister’s constituency neighbour and long-time ally had held the role on the opposition [...]
Yougov boss facing call to resign from activist investor Gatemore January 14, 2025 Yougov is facing calls to sack its boss and kick off an “urgent strategic review” from an activist investor today after a dramatic fall in its share price over the past year. Gatemore Capital Management, an activist investment firm which owns around 1.3 per cent of Yougov, wrote to the company’s board demanding that boss [...]
Private equity firms under pressure to kickstart UK dealmaking January 14, 2025 Private equity fund managers are coming under mounting pressure from their investors to begin striking deals after a sluggish two years hampered by political turmoil and lofty interest rates, advisers have said. While deal value ticked up through 2024, backers of top private equity funds are taking a “sterner” tone with fund managers after a [...]
CBI chair Rupert Soames: Reeves has created a ‘hole in the trust of business’ January 13, 2025 Rachel Reeves has created a “hole in the confidence and trust of business” by using the private sector to fill a £22bn hole in the government’s finances, the chair of the UK’s top business body has said. Rupert Soames, chair of the Confederation of British Industry, said the Chancellor had “bruised” British companies after rolling [...]
Tax hikes on the cards as Rachel Reeves tries to save her fiscal rules January 13, 2025 “Public services now need to live within their means,” Rachel Reeves told a room full of business leaders at the CBI’s annual summit in November, “because I’m really clear, I’m not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes.” The Chancellor’s comments were designed to strike a reassuring tone to the private sector and settle [...]
Reeves ‘will be forced to hold Spring Budget’ to settle gilt jitters, Abrdn predicts January 9, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be forced to hold a spring Budget this year to rein in government spending and settle investors’ nerves, after the cost of government borrowing hit multi-decade highs this week, Abrdn has predicted. Despite ministers insisting the gilt market was functioning in an “orderly” way and no emergency measures would be taken, [...]
