Richard Davies

📢 Allica Bank CEO Richard Davies was quoted in The Times yesterday about how a few smart regulatory tweaks could unlock £500 million more in SME lending this year 🚀   He covered:   🏦 Why high street banks are pulling back from SME lending 💰 How UK businesses think about debt, and how to build confidence ⏩ Why speed of decision-making matters more than ever   We’re proud to back the UK’s established SMEs that make up the beating heart of the UK economy – and too often get overlooked.   With over £3 billion already lent, we’re transforming relationship banking with great rates, smart people and powerful technology. And with the right support from regulators, we could do even more.   Let’s make it easier for established SMEs to get the money they need to thrive 💼   👉 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/e8bbt8S2   #SMEs #businessbanking #fintech #regulation #growth

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Open banking was covered widely at this week's Labour Party Conference, with widespread recognition of its critical role in powering UK economic growth and innovation. A standout moment was our Policy Director, Luke Ryder joining a fintech panel alongside Luke Charters MP, TrueLayer’s Megan Coulson, Financial Conduct Authority's Sacha Sadan, and Startup Coalition’s Charlie Mercer. The discussion explored: ✅ The journey OBL is supporting with industry and regulators to secure a long-term framework for open banking; ✅ How we can accelerate progress towards Open Finance to unlock benefits for consumers, businesses and the wider economy; ✅ The growing collaboration across the ecosystem to make this vision a reality. We were also pleased to participate in Innovate Finance and EY’s roundtable on Tech’s Plan for Change, where open banking was highlighted as a prime example of UK-led innovation. Attendees welcomed the move towards a sustainable, long-term model that supports the full ecosystem and enables continued growth. OBL remains committed to working with industry, policymakers, regulators, and consumer and business representatives to support this flourishing UK sector and ensure open banking continues to play a pivotal role in driving inclusive economic growth. #OpenBanking #OpenFinance #Innovation #FinTech #FutureOfFinance #Innovation #DigitalInnovation #TechInnovation The Labour Party

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Challenger bank expands after £5 billion boost “We’ve built a resilient, diversified balance sheet that sets us up for sustainable profitability – and we’re still building momentum.” Chetwood Bank has unveiled expansion plans after breaking a £5 billion balance sheet benchmark. The digital lender is opening a Manchester office which will build on existing bases in London, Wrexham and Fleet, leaving it primed to continue its momentum across the UK banking sector. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eZpHStrf Paul Noble

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The British Business Bank has agreed an ENABLE Guarantee transaction of up to £300m with Close Brothers Asset Finance, unlocking fresh lending capacity for smaller UK businesses. Find out more at: https://lnkd.in/e8a_CPzz #CloseBrothers #AssetFinance #BritishBusinessBank #ENABLEGuarantee #SMEFinance

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If you ever question why collaboration pays, look at this result: advocacy groups from the #payments industry including UK Finance and The Payments Association have prevented well-meaning but disproportionate regulators from imposing 'creative' but what would have been seriously damaging changes to safeguarding regulations in the UK. The team at Travers Smith led by Natalie Lewis and Matt Humphreys highlight this outcome in their article, explaining how the changes being made will mean EMIs and PIs can continue to compete on a level playing field. World class collaboration. Riccardo Tordera-Ricchi Robert Courtneidge Mitch (Munish) Trehan Neil Harris Jana Mackintosh Nuala Jackson Sophie Boissier Ben Agnew Tom Brewin https://lnkd.in/evjedX7H

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Neo Banks Need Enterprise-Grade Compliance Now More Than Ever The recent £21 million FCA fine levied against Monzo underscores a growing concern across the digital banking sector: rapid growth without robust compliance is a dangerous combination. Monzo allowed customers to open accounts using addresses like 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace—clear signs of systemic gaps in onboarding and monitoring. And they’re not alone. Other fintechs, like Starling, have faced similar penalties due to inadequate financial crime controls. As neo banks and fintech challengers continue to scale, they must move beyond legacy or improvised compliance tools. The financial crime landscape is evolving—so too must the solutions. This is where Pelican comes in. Global institutions, including one of the largest tier one banks in Europe, already trust Pelican’s AI-powered compliance and payments platform. Its enterprise-grade solutions offer: ▪️ Real-time sanctions screening with dramatically lower false positives ▪️ Intelligent onboarding and address verification using Natural Language Processing ▪️ Modular architecture that integrates seamlessly with existing systems ▪️ Automated transaction monitoring to detect anomalies and high-risk behaviours For neo banks and fintechs looking to grow responsibly, Pelican delivers the control, scalability, and auditability regulators demand—without slowing down innovation. Compliance isn’t just a checkbox. It’s a foundation. Get it right from the start. www.pelican.ai

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OakNorth Bank is no shiny Monzo or Revolut. But what the UK challenger bank lacks in loud logos and viral advertising, it makes up for with a squeaky-clean reputation. Chief risk officer Mark Steele tells Farah Khalique in a sit-down interview at The Banker's HQ on how the lender is expanding into the US in a characteristically cautious way. While many of its digital peers have admitted to embarrassing compliance failures, system outages and swallowed multimillion pound fines in recent history, OakNorth has been quietly building a reputation as one of Britain’s most disciplined and consistently profitable mid-sized banks. With an average liquidity coverage ratio of nearly 500 per cent — more than four times the regulatory minimum — and not a single public enforcement action, it appears to excel at risk management and maintaining its reputation. Visit the comments (switch to 'most recent views') to read the full piece. Photo" Carmen Reichman.

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