BREXIT

Banks hedge bets on Brexit but hope for the best

In the first of a series on what a deal or no-deal would mean for the British economy, Katherine Griffiths looks at financial trade

The banking sector emphatically wants a trade deal, while small-business support for Brexit has extended to backing a no-deal
The banking sector emphatically wants a trade deal, while small-business support for Brexit has extended to backing a no-deal
The Times

Deal
People in the financial services industry believe they effectively went through a hard Brexit four years ago. As talks have dragged on over a free-trade deal, banking, insurance and asset management have not formed a big part of the discussion.

Even if a deal for manufacturers is hammered out before December 31, the financial sector has already made arrangements for the future when access to the EU will be much more limited.

David Oldfield, head of commercial banking at Lloyds, told MPs this week that the bank has combed through its activities “product by product, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, customer by customer. It has been a very detailed piece of work.” Lloyds has 13,000 expat customers with current accounts and credit cards that it will