Google Cloud outage disrupts UK banking and retail services

Key points

• The outage affected the Europe-west2 region, impacting services for Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, and Revolut.
• Google stated that services are recovering, with most workloads restored, but a 'very small number' of customers still face issues.
• Lloyds Banking Group confirmed that root issues are resolved and expects all services to return to normal soon.
• Other affected services include the budgeting app Emma, the e-bike hire service Forest, and the education platform Atom Learning.
• Users reported difficulties with online payments, banking apps, and point-of-sale systems in pubs and cafes.

Background

This incident follows recent developments in cloud infrastructure, including a major outage affecting Yandex services in Russia in October 2026 and Google's recent expansion of its AI capabilities with the launch of a universal Gemini agent for enterprise workflows. Google has also been investing heavily in energy infrastructure, signing a 20-year nuclear deal with Constellation Energy to support its growing data center needs.

How outlets are covering it

AP News reported the initial impact on UK banks, while BBC News provided detailed updates on the recovery process and user experiences, noting that Google is conducting an internal investigation. CNN focused on the specific impact on Revolut and London-based services. All sources agree that the outage was significant but are highlighting different aspects of the recovery and user impact.

Why it matters

The outage underscores the critical dependence of financial and retail sectors on cloud infrastructure. Disruptions to banking services can have immediate economic consequences, affecting consumer confidence and business operations. The incident also highlights the need for robust contingency plans and redundancy in cloud-based systems to minimize the impact of such outages.

What to watch

Google is expected to publish a detailed analysis of the incident after completing its internal investigation. Affected companies, including Lloyds and Revolut, are monitoring their systems to ensure full recovery. Users are advised to check their accounts and services for any lingering issues.