London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

UK central bank: financial sector ready for no-deal Brexit

UK central bank: financial sector ready for no-deal Brexit

The U.K. financial system is prepared to cope with a no-deal Brexit, though uncertainties about the country's withdrawal from the European Union are weighing hard on the wider economy, the Bank of England said Wednesday.

The bank's Financial Policy Committee, which assesses financial risks, said legislation, temporary permissions and other preparations by British authorities have been made to "ensure that households and businesses will be able to use existing and new services from EU financial institutions." The wider economy, however, is feeling the strain.

"Entrenched Brexit uncertainties, particularly in an environment of weaker global growth, continue to weigh on economic activity in the U.K.," it said. "Brexit uncertainty is weighing on business investment, the prices of U.K. assets and flows of foreign capital into the U.K."

It highlighted commercial property as one sector that's struggling as global investors become more cautious.

Britain is due to leave the EU on Oct. 31 and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted the country will do so with or without a withdrawal agreement. With little sign of progress in the Brexit negotiations, there are fears that the country could end up leaving in a disorderly manner — a scenario that most economists think will cause damage to the British economy as tariffs and other impediments to trade with the EU are put up.

"Although actions by businesses and authorities have resulted in some improvement in the preparedness of the U.K. economy for a no-deal Brexit, material risks of economic disruption remain," the committee said.

Johnson has consistently said that Britain will leave on the scheduled Brexit date even though Parliament has backed a bill that compels him to seek an extension to the deadline if no deal is reached at next week's EU leaders' summit in Brussels.

Whatever happens at the end of the month, the bank's Financial Policy Committee said the "core of the U.K. financial system including banks, broker dealers and insurance companies is resilient to and prepared for the wide range of risks it could face, including a worst-case disorderly Brexit."

It said that even in the event of a deep recession that sees firms unable to repay loans or households falling behind on their mortgages, Britain's major banks have the capacity to absorb ensuing losses "and still have significantly more capital than in 2007."

As a result, the committee said it was maintaining its so-called countercyclical capital buffer rate -a kind of rainy day fund -at 1%.

It noted that financial stability is not the same as market stability and that significant volatility in some markets is to be expected in a disorderly Brexit. Demand for U.K. assets, including the pound, could be expected to "fall sharply."

The committee also warned Facebook that the cryptocurrency it plans to set up, Libra, will have to clear a series of hurdles if it's to be licensed in Britain.

Though it said Libra has "the potential to become a systemically important payment system," it stressed that "such a system would need to meet the highest standards of resilience and be subject to appropriate supervisory oversight, consistent with the principles set out above."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×