Can Richard Branson crack the UK banking monopoly?
As Richard Branson announces a tie-up with a well-known American billionaire, Wilbur Ross, the big question now is whether he has the power and the strategy to break the stranglehold which the major banks have held in the UK for some time. The UK government must be praying for Richard Branson to be successful in his rumoured bid for the Royal Bank of Scotland branch network which would allow him to directly attack the leading figures of the UK banking sector.
However, while Richard Branson has been very popular and very successful in many things which he has done in the past there is no doubt that not all of his projects have been rip roaring successes. He has made mistakes, he has made enemies although ultimately he lives to fight another day and has built an empire which is worth billions of pounds. It is the very fact that he has gone against traditional investment strategies and investment criteria in the past which has alienated him from many in the media but ultimately Richard Branson is his own man and he will do exactly what is best for him and his empire. The likes of Barclays Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank and HSBC will no doubt be looking over their shoulders in the future.
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