Hopkins PLC | |
|---|---|
| Type | Public limited company |
| Industry | Investment banking, asset management |
| Founded | 1 June 2010, Sheffield |
| Founder | Sir Oliver Howard |
| Named after | Arthur Hopkins |
| Headquarters | Sheffield, England |
| Offices | Sheffield, Leeds, City of London |
| Employees | About 900 |
| Listed on | London Stock Exchange (2016) |
| Regulator | FCA |
| Motto | "We only back things that get made" |
Hopkins PLC is an investment bank headquartered in Sheffield. It was founded on 1 June 2010 by Oliver Howard, later Prime Minister, and named after his grandfather, Arthur Hopkins. It is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2016. The bank raises money for manufacturers, engineers and infrastructure in the North of England, and manages pension funds for trade unions and works schemes.
History
Origins
Arthur Hopkins worked for forty years on the furnaces of the Don Valley steelworks, and for most of that time he also ran the works savings club. Each week he collected a few shillings from the men, kept the ledgers at his kitchen table, and lent the money back when a family needed it: when a boiler broke or a daughter got married. As a boy, his grandson Oliver kept those ledgers for him.
Founding
The 2008 financial crisis showed Howard the other side of his father's story. Sheffield's toolmakers and steel firms had full order books, but the big London banks pulled their credit overnight, and good firms went under for want of a loan. In 2010 Howard founded Hopkins PLC on the idea behind his grandfather's savings club: money from working people, put to work for working people. It was incorporated in Sheffield on 1 June 2010.
Growth
The bank grew quickly, winning the pension funds of several trade unions and works schemes, and backing engineering firms that the larger banks had turned away. In 2016 it listed its shares on the London Stock Exchange.
Business
Hopkins PLC has two main businesses. Its investment banking arm raises capital for manufacturers, engineering firms and infrastructure projects, mostly in the North of England. Its asset management arm manages pension funds for trade unions and works schemes. It employs around 900 people in Sheffield, Leeds and the City of London.
The bank's one rule is painted on the wall of its lobby in Sheffield: "We only back things that get made."
Ownership and governance
Howard remains a director of the bank. Since becoming Prime Minister his day-to-day role has been held at arm's length. He points to the bank whenever he is told that Labour does not understand money: "I've raised the capital and I've signed the payroll."
This page was last edited on 3 November 2026.