Bloomberg Financial firms may be fined and stripped of their regulatory authorisation unless they put their customers’ needs first under far-reaching reforms from the UK City regulator. Banks, insurers and other companies will have to ensure their services are actually good for their clients and that this approach is taken at all levels of the business, Ian Searle, head …

  Bloomberg A strong quarter from Standard Chartered Plc’s traders provided a boost to the emerging market-focused bank despite fears that a slowing global economy could squeeze its lending business. The London-based bank reported underlying pretax profit rises 7% to $1.32 billion in the second quarter, as its traders benefitted from volatility in global markets along with many of its …

  Bloomberg Barclays Plc’s profit fell more than expected in the second quarter after it booked charges and penalties in the US, marring a strong period for the bank’s bond traders. The British lender said a market plunge would increase the cost of buying back US investment products it mistakenly oversold. Barclays also expects to pay $200 million in penalties …