It has been a stellar week for UK banks. Fuelled by high interest rates and market turbulence rippling out from the US war on Iran, major lenders have revealed soaring half-year profits that allowed bosses to boost bonus pots and give billions of pounds to shareholders.
Collectively, the UKโs four largest lenders โ HSBC, NatWest, Barclays and Lloyds โ reported ยฃ29.2bn in profits over the first six months of the year, with almost half, ยฃ13.7bn, pledged to investors through dividends and share buybacks.
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