A DEFINITE BANKER

IT’S easy to be cynical about small banks – some think they will never poach enough customers from bigger players to make serious money.

But smaller lenders seeking to shake up the industry often have technology on their side. My selection this year is

METRO BANK, because unlike many other socalled challenger banks it is investing in bricks-andmortar branches.

Metro now has 50 outlets, which are mostly in and around london. The bank’s boss, Craig Donaldson, has pledged to march steadily north until he hits his home city of Sunderland.

Shares are up 19pc this year but I think this boots on the ground proposal is a winning strategy and there’s still a way to go, particularly if the Government encourages even more competition. The shares are 3584p.