HSBC results: Shift to Asia, office space slashed, dividend returns February 23, 2021 HSBC today said it plans to nearly halve its office space globally as part of a radical overhaul that will see the lender shift its focus to Asia. The bank will pump roughly $6bn (£4.3bn) into the region over the next five years, focusing mainly on its wealth management business in greater China as well [...]
Lloyds and HSBC: What to expect in next week’s earnings February 19, 2021 This week Barclays and Natwest announced a return to dividend payments but laid bare the extent of the pandemic on earnings. Barclays reported a 30 per cent drop in pre-tax profit to £3.1bn for 2020, while Natwest reported a pre-tax loss of £351m for the year. Next week it will be Lloyds and HSBC’s turn [...]
Barclays pay pot for top execs swells to £1.6bn despite profit plunge but Jes Staley takes £2m pay cut February 19, 2021 Barclays pay pot for top execs swells to £1.6bn despite profit plunge but Jes Staley takes £2m pay cut
“Some challengers don’t want to make a profit” says Cashplus boss February 19, 2021 With plans to raise external investment and a new chairman in tow, challenger bank Cashplus is going full steam ahead just weeks after securing its full banking licence. Earlier this month the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) granted Cashplus a full banking license. Like its digital peers, Cashplus offers current accounts for UK SMEs, currently serving [...]
Banks move to buy parts of NatWest’s Irish loan book February 19, 2021 Allied Irish Banks has entered a non-binding agreement to buy around €4bn of corporate and commercial loans from NatWest’s Irish outfit, while separate talks elsewhere are ongoing to buy other assets. This morning NatWest announced it will pull out of its operations in the Republic of Ireland, after reporting a £351m annual loss in 2020. [...]
NatWest tumbles to £351m loss in 2020 as bank shuts door on Irish market February 19, 2021 NatWest has today announced that it will pull out of its operations in the Republic of Ireland after reporting a £351m annual loss. The bank intends to withdraw from its Ulster Bank but operations will not be affected in Northern Ireland. It will exit the country following a strategic review and send $4.84bn worth of [...]
New City lobby: Big bank influence is holding UK financial services back post-Brexit February 18, 2021 A new pro-Brexit Canada lobby group has taken aim at competitor The CityUK, saying that the established body is “dominated by multinational banks” that do not care about the UK’s prosperity. The CityUnited project was formed earlier this week by a group of Eurosceptic City figures and politicians, with the group aiming to [...]
Exclusive: Cashplus hires new chairman after securing banking licence February 18, 2021 Digital challenger bank Cashplus has hired banking veteran Mark Sismey-Durrant as its new chairman just weeks after securing a new banking licence. Earlier this month the Prudential Regulation Authority granted Cashplus a full UK banking licence 16 years after it was founded. Sismey-Durrant, previously chief executive of Sun Bank, Heritable Bank and most recently Hampshire [...]
UK Treasury mulls scrapping EU cap on bonuses for City bankers February 18, 2021 The UK Treasury is reportedly considering scrapping an EU cap on bankers’ bonuses in a bid to keep the City competitive post-Brexit. The UK is now free to set its own regulatory agenda on financial services, with divergence from EU rules expected. The Financial Times reports that one potential change could be removing an EU [...]
Analysts: ‘Dogged’ Barclays weathering pandemic storm as investment banking arm booms February 18, 2021 Barclays’ investment banking arm is ‘firing on all cylinders’ after posting a record income earlier this morning. The division’s success has helped the bank to soften the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit profits repeatedly in 2020. John Moore, senior investment manager at Brewin Dolphin, deems the success of Barclays’ investment division ‘ironic’ [...]
