Lynsey Barber

Journalist

United Kingdom

I’m a journalist focusing on personal finance, business and technology.

I started my career writing for trade publications covering the media and advertising industries after graduating from Goldsmiths as a mature student just after the global financial crisis in 2008.

Since then I’ve covered broad business news, ranging from economics, property and retail, to politics, policy and tech while at London’s leading daily business newspaper City A.M.

As part of the online team, I helped drive record traffic, covering breaking news alongside follow-up insight and analysis to maximise engagement.

This included stories ranging from company profit updates like Tesco’s accounting scandal to politics - including Brexit and too many general elections to count - as well as events, such as Apple’s iPhone launches, and sadly, terrorist attacks.

Becoming technology editor for both print and online, I was lucky enough to cover the tech startup ecosystem springing up in London, including the wave of fintech and rise of challenger banks as Silicon Roundabout and The City collided.

I won Tech Journalist of the Year at the UK Tech Awards 2016, in recognition of incisive, accurate, readable commentary and in-depth knowledge of UK tech companies, public and private. Previous winners include writers for the Financial Times, The Times and Business Insider.

I spent time freelancing after a stint setting up the content function of a financial wellbeing startup, where our communications on pension contributions for a global technology client were awarded by the Association for Business Psychology.

I have also worked with clients in the technology space to produce content ranging from op-eds and blog posts to awards entries, including for startups and venture capital firms.

Most recently I've written for The Sun online covering personal finance and consumer issues, helping millions of readers keep up with how the cost of living crisis is affecting their finances, and understand their money and their rights.

As consumer news editor, I now help lead a team of reporters covering these topics for The Sun Money section, from pensions and taxes to benefits and bills.

You can see some highlights of my work below.

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Portfolio

Business - M&A, investments and deals

Cityam
07/28/2016
French bank BPCE acquires hot fintech challenger Fidor

France's fourth largest bank has gobbled up a fintech startup that specialises in digital banking. BPCE has acquired German challenger Fidor to push forward its digital strategy across Europe. Fidor, named one of Europe's hottest fintech companies, currently operates in several countries including the UK.

Blockchain and digital currency

Cityam
08/01/2016
The UK now has its first official blockchain provider for public services

Every single public sector organisation across the UK will be able to use blockchain technology for the first time after the government rubber-stamped fintech startup Credits as one of its approved suppliers in a major step forward for the potentially revolutionary technology.

Cityam
09/07/2016
The Co-op is exploring blockchain technology

The Co-Operative Group is exploring how blockchain technology can be used to prove the authenticity of its food in a pilot of a "fairtrade for the digital age" project.

Cityam
08/24/2016
These big banks are working on a digital currency together

Several of the world's biggest banks are working together to create a digital currency to speed up settlements with the ambitious goal of putting the blockchain-based system into practice by 2018. UBS has been working on the Utility Settlement Coin (USC) since last year and is now being joined by Santander, Deutsche Bank, BNY Mellon and the broker Icap on the project.

Uber

Cityam
08/15/2016
London cabbies welcome a review of new Uber rules

London's black cab drivers expect the Mayor of London to look again at the way the industry is regulated in the capital after arch-rival Uber called on the Mayor of London to do just that.

Cityam
09/01/2016
Uber wins judicial review of English tests for drivers and other new rules

Uber has succeeded in the first stage of its legal challenge against new rules on English language tests for drivers in London after the high court today approved a judicial review. The billion dollar startup argues the English exam, which it claims is tougher than the test for British citizenship, is discriminatory and contravenes the Equality Act.

CityAM
09/18/2017
The cost of Uber's licence to operate in London has quietly been increased by Transport for...

Uber's cost of operating in London is set to rise even further after the transport regulator pushed forward with new plans that are set to add nearly £1m to its bill. Transport for London is now planning to charge a maximum fee of £2.9m for the largest mincab firms to operate in the capital, it can be revealed, amending its original plans to increase it to £166,000.

Cityam
08/08/2016
Uber just renewed its feud with London's regulators

Uber is turning to its customers to help it fight "bureaucratic" new rules imposed by Transport for London, including an English exam "harder than the test for British citizenship", renewing its feud with regulators in the capital.

Personal finance and consumer features

The Sun
05/06/2022
Warning over 'same day' sky-high loan ads of up to 1,721% flooding Facebook

HARD-UP Brits are being targeted with misleading adverts for loans with sky-high interest rates on social media. An investigation by The Sun found sponsored posts on Facebook promoting loans with eye-watering rates as high as 1,721%. Several promised cash within minutes or on the same day and some did not display the potential sky-high rates until reading the small print.

The Sun
04/28/2022
Thousands could qualify for little-known scheme to write off water bill debts

THOUSANDS of billpayers could get help paying off water debts through a little-known scheme - and even get the balance written off. The household bill is the second most common arrears for people in debt, behind only Council Tax. And the average water bill debt adds up to £988, according to debt charity Stepchange.

The Sun
03/25/2022
How to get up to £32k free cash for rent if you're on Universal Credit

STRUGGLING Universal Credit claimants can get help with rent costs that could be worth thousands of pounds. An investigation by The Sun found that councils have given payments worth as much as £32,000 over the past year to the most hard-up tenants trying to keep a roof over their heads.

The Sun
04/22/2021
How to get £100s from recycling at shops like Boots and H&M

RECYCLING is good for the environment but it can also be good for your wallet too. More and more high street shops are offering incentives to shoppers who bring back old clothes and plastic packaging for recycling. These savings come in the form of money off your shopping, vouchers, loyalty points and even freebies too.

The Sun
04/18/2022
The cheapest homes where energy bills can cost up to 52% LESS

BUYING a home can come with a lot of extra costs - and you may not know that energy efficiency bands could be a red flag for bigger bills. Properties come with ratings that tell you how good - or bad - the potential home is when it comes to energy efficiency.

Case studies

The Sun
03/17/2022
I've made £4k just by doing online surveys in my spare time - how you can too

A CASH queen has shared how she's made thousands of pounds just by doing online surveys in her spare time. Anna Lykova told The Sun how she has made nearly £4,000 from filling in questionnaires on websites every day. She told The Sun: "I spend four to five hours a day doing them, sometimes seven on a slow day.

The Sun
07/30/2021
I lost £2,000 of my lockdown savings investing in Dogecoin

AFTER seeing a mate make a decent return on investing in cryptocurrency, Frank Bird decided to try his luck too. Sitting on £2,000 saved during the coronavirus lockdown, the 27-year-old bought Dogecoin when it was rocketing in price earlier this year.

The Sun
12/02/2021
I never pay for Christmas as I've made £20,000 using cashback - here's how

SAVVY shopper Lee Chambers has been using cashback websites for more than a decade - and uses his profits to have Christmas for "free". The 36-year-old has earned a whopping £20,000. He told The Sun: "I've been buying Christmas presents each year by withdrawing the cash I've earned every year in October.

The Sun
11/05/2021
I'd rather webcam model than face the choice of heating or eating this winter

A DESPERATE young mum has considered doing online webcam modelling so she can afford bills and feed her family this winter. Jada Brittain, 18, told The Sun: "I know that you can make a lot of money doing it. I'd rather lose my dignity online than not be able to pay my bills or my child go without."

Expert in-depth interviews

The Sun
03/16/2022
I'm a debt expert - all the energy bill help you can get including cash grants

MILLIONS of Brits face paying more for energy within weeks leaving many worried about bills. Struggling households will pay on average nearly £700 more a year when the price cap goes up from April 1. The majority of billpayers are now on a price-capped standard variable tariff for gas and electricity.

The Sun
02/23/2022
I'm a benefits expert - here's how Universal Credit's new rules affect you

BENEFIT rules have recently changed and you could be asked to apply for a job that's different to your previous experience. If you don't then your Universal Credit payments could be reduced or even stopped altogether. We spoke to benefits expert Lee Healey, who told us what the change means for you - and how you can avoid sanctions under the new rules.

The Sun
12/01/2021
I'm a Universal Credit work coach - here's how benefit changes affect YOU

A UNIVERSAL Credit work coach has explained how nearly two million Brits will see their payments change from today. And it could mean you're better off by as much as £1,000 a year. Chris Buckley, 53, who works for the Jobcentre Plus in Swansea high street told The Sun: "For Universal Credit claimants earning money, their payments can be reduced."

Business and tech - exclusive news, Q&As, explainers and more

Cityam
05/26/2016
Ex-Barclays boss Rich Ricci: Fintech will eat banks' lunch

Rich Ricci, the former head of Barclays investment banking and right-hand man of Bob Diamond, has warned that fintech startups will snatch market share from established financial institutions and change the landscape of banking. Efforts of big banks to innovate will continue to be thwarted by their archaic technology as they face increasing competition from more nimble startups, said Ricci, writing exclusively for City A.M..

Cityam
04/04/2016
Who leaked the Panama papers?

How do you leak 2.6 terabytes of data? That's 11.5m records, 4.8m emails and 2.1m PDFs - 40 years worth of data, about 214,000 offshore entities and numerous famous names and faces and how they secretly arranged their taxes. The Panama papers leak is the biggest in history - but how did it ever get leaked and who was behind it?

Cityam
12/23/2015
Quiz: Spot the famous locations as seen by a driverless car

Driverless car technology relies on computers being able to see things. That's pretty hard to do, but now there's a new technology that uses deep machine learning to help them, and shows us just what a driverless car really might see while winding down the roads.

Cityam
12/03/2015
How destroying the Death Star created a financial crisis

Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and the rest of the Rebel Alliance may have triumphed in defeating the Galactic Empire's overlord Lord Palpatine, but with freedom would have come financial collapse. As government infrastructure projects go, Death Stars are rather pricey.

Cityam
08/09/2016
Banking bazooka? CMA report great for fintech, costly for banks

The competition watchdog has today handed fintech startups a bazooka for their mission of disrupting banks, with new rules for making data more open to improve customer choice. The so-called big four - HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland - and other smaller high street banks will have to work together to create standards for sharing data, on everything from the pricing of products to individuals' transactions.

Tech and politics

Cityam
09/25/2016
EU funds for 600 startups have been unfrozen after Brexit pause

Millions of pounds in funding for startups from the European Union that were put on hold after the vote to leave Europe have been unfrozen. Cash from the EU Regional Development Fund was paused by the Treasury almost immediately following the vote for Brexit putting at risk a shot in the arm for the country's tech startups worth nearly £4m.

Cityam
09/30/2016
LinkedIn warns of Brexit talent block

LinkedIn has warned that Brexit could stop UK business from accessing the best and the brightest talent from Europe, with professional services, technology and finance likely to be the hardest hit.

Cityam
10/21/2016
Red tape could stop London startups' Brexit exodus

It was just two weeks after the Brexit vote that the city of Berlin sent a billboard van around Shoreditch beckoning London tech firms to move to the German capital. However, firms that took up the offer have found the German city to be lacking London's supportive, tech-friendly environment.

Cityam
10/05/2016
UK tech is outraged about Rudd's immigration crackdown

The UK's reputation as one of the leading digital economies in the world and a global tech hub could be at risk from fresh government plans to crackdown on foreign workers. The new home secretary Amber Rudd yesterday revealed plans to reduce immigration, including proposals to "tighten" the test for companies recruiting from abroad to encourage hiring of UK workers.

Cityam
08/30/2016
Brexit Britain could be new sweetheart after EU-US relations soured by Apple tax ruling

Souring relations between the US and Europe in the wake of the EU competition watchdog ordering Apple to pay a record multi-billion pound tax bill could hand the UK a post-Brexit boost. Britain could be the big winner from the tax feud between Europe and the US after the EU competition commission ruled Apple should pay a record €13bn in back taxes.

Cityam
07/12/2016
Here's how the UK tech industry feels about Theresa May as PM

The UK's tech industry has welcomed the eventual arrival of a new Prime Minister in Theresa May, who effectively became David Cameron's successor and the woman to lead Britain out of Europe after her only other rival dropped out of the running in the leadership race.

London