I had the pleasure of hosting banking analyst John Cronin for a deep dive into the UK banking sector last week. Our conversation covers a range of topics, focusing on the state of UK banking and three publicly listed banks.
John is the founder of SeaPoint Insights, an independent research and insights firm, and the author of Financials Unshackled, a free-to-read Substack newsletter covering UK, Irish, and select European and global banking sector and company developments. Previously, he was a top-ranked institutional equity and fixed income analyst at Goodbody, specializing in UK/Irish banks (and real estate).
Here’s what you’ll get from our conversation:
UK banking overview and market dynamics
Discussion of OSB Group (UK: OSB)
Discussion of Barclays (UK: BARC)
Discussion of Metro Bank (UK: MTRO)
Prospects for UK banking consolidation
Editor’s note: For another in-depth perspective on OSB Group, see Daniel Gladiš’s presentation at Best Ideas 2025.
Let’s dive into the conversation with John.
