
Monzo is turning brand building into a global expansion lever. Its first global platform, Get busy living, arrives as the digital bank pushes beyond challenger status.

Graduate hiring is weakening under finance-led cost pressure, Deloitte finds. The latest CFO Survey finds cost control is the leading factor reducing graduate recruitment among major UK companies.

SME innovation plans are weakening under R&D tax relief uncertainty. RCK Partners research finds 62% of R&D-active SME finance chiefs have cut investment after reforms to the UK regime.

Pension capital could move closer to British scale-up funding plans. Major providers are exploring a £1bn vehicle to back high-growth science and technology companies, with the British Business Bank supporting the proposed fund.

Manufacturing output has returned to growth after months of strain. NatWest’s tracker shows stronger confidence and easing cost inflation, though services and SMEs remain weaker.

Central bank decisions will test market confidence this week sharply. Rate signals, oil prices, bank earnings, and retail pricing data will shape second-half planning assumptions.

Bank-account access is becoming a sharper operational risk issue. Reform UK’s reported account freeze highlights the tension between compliance checks and service continuity.

The ECB’s inflation judgement now rests heavily on energy persistence. Philip Lane says the current shock remains medium-sized, but policymakers are watching whether energy costs feed into wider wages, prices, and expectations.

European lenders enter reporting season with profit momentum still intact. Analysts expect stronger second-quarter results, but investors will be watching whether rate benefits, trading income, and AI-led efficiency can translate into durable returns.

A narrow EU exemption could unblock UniCredit’s long-stalled Alfa transaction. The move may help the Italian lender deal with historic obligations while keeping Russia sanctions controls intact.