For FSCS sake: Meet the body that protects Britain’s savers in a financial crisis March 30, 2026 As echoes of 2008 percolate through the banking system, the body that serves to protect Britain in a financial crisis says it’s ready to weather any storm. A combination of fears around private credit, the “stretched” value of artificial intelligence firms and more recently, concerns around a global energy shock, have made top bankers sound [...]
London and New York in tight race to be world’s top financial hub March 26, 2026 London and New York are locked in a tight-race in the fight to become the world’s most dominant financial hub. The latest Global Financial Centre’s Index from Z/Yen showed both cities retained their respective spots in new rankings, with each of their scores inching up by a singular point. New York topped the list at [...]
Crispin Odey tells court sacked receptionist was ‘dismissed for being a flirt’ March 24, 2026 Hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey took the stand at the High Court in his case against the City watchdog, as he faced questions over his alleged behaviour toward young female employees at his eponymous hedge fund. Odey said he had a “very flirtatious relationship” with one of the women who alleged sexual harassment against him, [...]
FCA hands Palantir sensitive data in AI crime push March 23, 2026 Britain’s financial watchdog is turning to AI to hunt down fraud, raising security questions over who gets to see and use sensitive data. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has awarded Palantir a three-month contract to analyse its internal intelligence systems which notably contain highly sensitive case files, in a bid to sharpen fraud detection. The [...]
Hike in conduct breach reports to FCA ahead of new rules rollout March 23, 2026 There has been a substantial increase in reports of conduct breaches made to the financial watchdog, with the spotlight on City behaviour amid ongoing legal proceedings regarding the disgraced financier Crispin Odey. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) received 10 per cent more complaints in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to the law firm [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown customers unable to make transactions after tech problem March 20, 2026 Customers at the UK’s largest DIY investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown have been locked out of their accounts, leaving them unable to make transactions during a period of severe market volatility. Since Thursday evening, investors attempting to log on to the website were unable to access cash savings, pensions and investment accounts because of an IT [...]
FCA launches investigation into collapsed shadow bank MFS March 20, 2026 The UK’s financial watchdog has begun a probe into shadow bank Market Financial Solutions following its collapse last month. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it had opened an enforcement investigation into the business. The regulator did not disclose the subject or terms of the investigation. The FCA said MFS is an “Annex 1 business”, [...]
FCA chief clashes with investment industry on over-reliance March 19, 2026 The investment industry must stop being over-reliant on regulators and solve their own problems in order to make investors less risk averse and boost economic growth, the financial watchdog has said. Speaking in an interview with CityAM, Simon Walls, interim executive director of markets at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), argued that despite the [...]
Zopa Bank’s profit booms despite ‘penalised’ motor finance hit March 19, 2026 Zopa Bank cruised to its third consecutive year of profitability in 2025 but has offered a stark warning it feels “penalised” by the UK’s financial watchdog after getting swept up in the motor finance scandal. The Canary Wharf fintech has set aside £7.9m in provisions for the car mis-selling saga, which centres around the use [...]
Treasury reforms to banks ombudsman threaten independence, MPs warn March 18, 2026 The Treasury’s reforms to the banks ombudsman threaten to upend the body’s independence, a group of influential MPs have warned. The government revealed its overhaul proposals for the financial ombudsman service (FOS) on Tuesday in a bid to curb concerns it had behaved as a “quasi-regulator”. But a fresh letter to City minister Lucy Rigby [...]