Business

NatWest Group is finalising plans to pay out close to £450m in bonuses for last year as it prepares for a return to full private ownership nearly 17 years after its bailout. Sky News has learnt that the bank’s remuneration committee is close to signing off the bonus pool ahead of its annual results announcement later this

Donald Trump has said he will place 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on goods from China from Saturday. The move raises fears of price increases for US consumers as the US president suggested he would try to blunt the impact on oil imports. He has been threatening the tariffs

The UK’s benchmark stock index has reached another all-time high, in a month of record breaking. The FTSE 100 index of most valuable companies on the London Stock Exchange closed at 8,666.65, breaking the record set on Thursday night after four consecutive days of rises. January has been the best month in more than two

India’s richest family has clinched a landmark deal to buy a 49% stake in the Oval Invincibles in a deal that will unite the London-based team with the ownership of the Indian Premier League’s Mumbai Indians. Sky News can exclusively reveal that the Ambani family, who have a fortune estimated to be tens of billions

Lloyds Banking Group is to close a further 136 branches. Britain’s biggest mortgage lender said It will shut 61 Lloyds, 61 Halifax and 14 Bank of Scotland sites between May this year and March 2026. All workers affected by the closures would be offered alternative roles, the group said. A list of the affected branches

Retailers have suffered unprecedented annual levels of shoplifting losses and incidents of violence and abuse against staff, according to industry data, although one major chain has told Sky News there are now signs of a fightback. The British Retail Association (BRC) used the publication of its annual retail crime survey, covering the 12 months to

Quiz Clothing, the troubled fashion business, is close to collapsing into administration days after its shares were delisted from the London stock market. Sky News has learnt that Quiz, which is chaired by the former JD Sports chief Peter Cowgill, is lining up Teneo as administrator in a move expected to take place before the

The average asking price to rent a home outside London has fallen for the first time since before the COVID pandemic, according to a property website. Rightmove credited improved levels of rental properties for the welcome shift, but declared that advertised private rents in the capital continued to tick up, for a 13th consecutive quarter,

US tech firms exposed to big artificial intelligence (AI) investments are seeing their shares take a hammering over the emergence of a low-cost Chinese competitor. The likes of Nvidia, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Alphabet all saw their stocks come under pressure as investors questioned whether their share prices, already widely viewed as overblown following an

Profits at Europe’s biggest airline are nearly ten times higher than the same time last year as more passengers paid more expensive airfares. Ryanair‘s profit after tax rose to €149m (£125.36m) in the three months from October to December, up from €15m (£12.62m) the same time a year earlier. Money blog: Dentist reveals how you

Rachel Reeves will this week announce plans to unlock tens of billions of pounds from corporate pension schemes as part of government plans to kickstart economic growth. Sky News has learnt that the chancellor will use a crucial speech on Wednesday to disclose that she wants to use so-called surplus release to boost investment in

WH Smith is in secret talks to sell its entire high street business in Britain more than 230 years after it opened its first shop in central London. Sky News can exclusively reveal that the listed retail group, which has a market capitalisation of almost £1.5bn, has been in negotiations with a number of prospective

The Original Factory Shop (TOFS), the independent discount retail chain, is close to being sold after more than 17 years under the ownership of private equity firm Duke Street. Sky News has learnt that Baaj Capital, a family office which counts In The Style and party supplies group Amscan International among its investments, has emerged

The family behind Lakeland, one of Britain’s most prominent privately held retailers, is exploring a sale after more than 60 years amid growing cost pressures sweeping the industry. Sky News has learnt that Lakeland, which is controlled by the three sons of founder Alan Rayner, has appointed advisers to gauge the appetite of prospective buyers

There has been an “unprecedented” rise in the number of businesses on the brink of insolvency, according to a closely watched report. The latest Red Flag Alert report by Begbies Traynor, an insolvency specialist, showed those in critical financial distress rose by 50% in the three months to December compared to June-August. It said that

The boss of Britain’s biggest mortgage lender has told Sky News he expects three interest rate cuts this year, bringing some relief to borrowers and mortgage holders. Lloyds Banking Group chief executive Charlie Nunn said he anticipates rates will continue to fall gradually thanks to the resilience of household and business finances – but cautioned