The Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve have claimed the safety and strength of banking systems ahead of key decisions on interest rates.

After Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, the failure of regulatory action to stop declines in bank stocks prompted alarm on both sides of the Atlantic.

British banks are seeing a pick-up in enquiries to switch cash between institutions after the collapse of U.S.

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and at least two other banks expect the European Central Bank to deliver a smaller quarter-point hike in May, as it grapples with stress in the banking sector and high core inflation.

Europe's stock markets and the euro slumped Wednesday on renewed fears of contagion following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

Dealers expect Britain to ramp up issuance of government bonds in the coming financial year, although by less than suggested by Debt Management Office (DMO) forecasts published in November, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.

A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever.

Declining cash usage fuels current Bank of England and HM Treasury consultation on a new 'digital pound' before the end of this decade.

Global stock markets sank Friday as banking shares faced a rout over contagion fears, while US jobs data was seen all but ensuring further aggressive interest rate hikes.

According to a new rumour, Apple will spare no effort to widen further the gap between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models.

Valentine's Day helped to boost British retail sales in February but volumes remained down on last year as households cut back on non-essential items, a survey published on Tuesday showed.

Arm Ltd, the British chip designer owned by Japan's SoftBank Group Corp, is likely to aim to raise at least $8 billion from what is expected to be a blockbuster U.S. stock market launch.

International Women's Day is just round the corner but only two cricket boards pay equal salaries to their contracted male and female cricketers—India and New Zealand.

Asian shares nudged higher on Tuesday, tracking small gains on Wall Street.

Investors such as pension funds and family offices plan to increase allocations to credit and global macro hedge funds in 2023, although their overall appetite for hedge funds is weaker this year, a survey by Barclays PLC showed on Friday.

British banks face a tougher battle for mortgage customers and business borrowers in 2023, as rising costs and deposit rates paid to long-suffering savers threaten to outpace flatlining profit margins, senior industry executives and analysts said.

Britain's Lloyds Banking Group signalled that falling house prices, competition on savings and rising costs may crimp future returns after reporting flat profit growth for 2022.

Britain looks on course to sidestep a forecast recession as businesses reported an unexpected bounce in activity this month as well as receding price pressures, according to a survey on Tuesday.

British bank NatWest on Friday posted a jump in annual profits as it trimmed costs and the sector benefitted from rising interest rates.

Stocks rose on Thursday as recent economic data from around the world fed hopes that the global economy might not face as hard a landing as feared a few months ago, even as interest rates threaten to remain higher for longer than expected.

That's still a high level of inflation, but the pound's retreat reflected a shift for the foreign exchange market.

Europe stock markets climbed Wednesday after Asian counterparts finished lower, with traders digesting news of cooler UK and US inflation.

Britain's stocks and bonds are drawing strong buying interest, not quite a vote of confidence in the economy but a reassuring sign for policymakers that a deep investment freeze in British markets prompted by last year's upheaval has thawed.

European banks risk jeopardising the path to net-zero carbon emissions and the growth of renewable energy unless they stop directly financing new oil and gas fields this year, investors managing assets worth more than $1.5 trillion said on Friday.

Shoppers around the world will pay even more for groceries this year than they did in 2022, according to retailers, consumer goods firms and investors, unless commodity costs decline or the shift to cheaper store-brand products accelerates.

Proposals to reimburse hundreds of millions of pounds to scam victims in Britain are "fundamentally flawed" and are taking too long to come into force, lawmakers said in a report published on Monday.

The European Central Bank is set to raise interest rates again on Thursday and pencil in more hikes for the next few months, with the only open question being how big these will be.

Rising borrowing costs are giving a long-awaited lift to Europe's beleaguered banks, but they come with a sting in the tail.

Whatever new year fillip the euro zone economy got from ebbing natural gas prices, the UK saw none of it - showing just how peculiarly British the downturn there has become and heaping pressure on the Bank of England.

England's National Health Service (NHS) aims to begin discharging thousands of patients into care homes and other settings in the next few weeks in an effort to free up desperately needed beds during one of its toughest ever winters.