Credit card spending rose by 2.6% between October and November

2nd February 2026 Consumer Lending | #credit card spend

Analysis of credit card data for November 2025 by global analytics software leader FICO has found that spending, balances and payments followed seasonal trends in the run-up to Christmas. However, while spending rose as expected during November, it was lower year-on-year, signalling continued pressure on household finances. Average balances resumed an upward trajectory as payment…

Read more

Mortgage approvals dropped in December

Latest data from the Bank of England data has shown that net mortgage approvals for house purchase fell by 3,100 to 61,000 in December 2025. By contrast, approvals for remortgaging rose by 1,600 to 38,400 in December. Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals remained unchanged when compared to November at £4.6 billion in December. The…

Read more

Number of businesses in critical financial distress increases by 43.8%

Latest Red Flag Alert research from Begbies Traynor has revealed a considerable 43.8% year-on-year increase in ‘critical’ financial distress in Q4 2025. Throughout 2025, UK businesses continued to grapple with a prolonged period of economic uncertainty, rising operating costs driven by inflation and higher wages, increased tax burdens, elevated interest rates, and weakened consumer demand. The persistence…

Read more

Business leader confidence jumps in January

The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, jumped to -48 in January 2026, from -66 in December 2025. Business leader confidence in their own organisations also jumped, to +14 in January from -4 in December. The underlying indicators, particularly revenue and export expectations, also saw…

Read more

Afin Bank appoints Chief Risk Officer

2nd February 2026 Appointments |

Specialist lender, Afin Bank has appointed Rebecca Griffin as Chief Risk Officer. Griffin joins from 118 118 Money, where she was Chief Risk Office and brings over 15 years of financial services experience. With a foundation in accountancy at some of the UK’s big four firms, Griffin transitioned into compliance and finance spending almost 12…

Read more

Business confidence falls

Business confidence weakened this month over concerns about the global economic outlook, according to the latest Lloyds’ business barometer. The survey reported a net balance of 44% in January, down from 47 per cent in December, driven by a 14-point drop in businesses’ net economic optimism. However, businesses’ expectations for their own activity rose by…

Read more

Santander appoints new CEO

2nd February 2026 Appointments |

Santander has announced the appointment of Mahesh Aditya as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Santander UK Group Holdings plc and Santander UK plc, effective from 1st March 2026. Aditya joins from Banco Santander, where he has been Group Chief Risk Officer since 2023 and prior to that spent six years at Santander in the US,…

Read more