The next couple of years promise to be interesting in the banking world, as a number of new start-ups are set to open branches on Britain's high streets. Metro Bank, which opened its first branch in Holborn, central London, last week, is just the first.

We take a look at the new ventures and what they will offer customers.

For the first time in over 150 years we're getting new high street banks. Metro Bank is expected to open its doors to customers early this summer and Tesco Bank and Virgin Money look set to follow suit soon.

Under the slogan 'Love Your Bank' Metro will try to lure people away from the traditional banks. The question is will consumers welcome the new kids on the block or dismiss them as a chip off the old block?

The reaction to Kraft's imminent takeover of Cadbury continues to rumble along with the latest news being an announcement from US chocolate maker Hershey that they won't be making a rival bid to the £11.9 billion offer already on the table.

Considering that Hershey were only ever a side-bet on having any involvement, it's strange they even felt it necessary to say anything at all. But it does give you an idea on the backroom machinations that are still going like the clappers in a bid to scupper Kraft's deal.

Everyone has had a say on this most controversial of hostile takeovers, from the Government trying to get Kraft to guarantee jobs to the Dairylea-makers key shareholder Warren Buffet expressing his reservations about the whole deal.

Though it's really down to the shareholders and that offer of 840p a share is mighty tempting.

Virgin Money finally moved into retail banking last week, by snapping up a small private bank.

Sir Richard Branson has made no secret of his desire to take on the UK's big high street banks.

Branson's finance arm, Virgin Money, applied for a banking licence last October, in a move that was expected to herald another takeover bid for the nationalised Northern Rock.

The chocolate war took a dramatic turn in Cadbury's favour this week as key Kraft shareholder and über-billionaire Warren Buffet suggested a hostile takeover was not in the US company's interests.

And that meant they had blinked first in this stand-off with the stubborn Brits, who have snorted with derision at the £10.2 billion on offer for their business, dismissing Kraft as a "low-growth conglomerate" while being very uppish about their own business prospects.

With Nestlé passing on any interest at all in the whole thing, that leaves just Hershey, from the States, and maybe Ferrero from Italy as any sort of players.

I don't get the whole banks thing really.

Firstly, the Government openly encourages the mergers and acquisitions that have been a feature of our financial scene over the last few years so that we've ended up with just a handful of foreign and British-owned mega-banks that have drastically cut back on the competition and products available to consumers.

Then the Government decides to break up our banks to create more competition and newer smaller banks run by companies like Tesco and Virgin.

Is there no scary business world Richard Branson will leave unexplored?

The bearded one's latest announcement has been welcomed as an injection of competition as Virgin Money declares it wants to become a bank. It's not such a big step to become fully-fledged bank as the finance arm of Virgin already offers credit cards, savings and investments.

Though the whole process could take up to six months, we could be seeing Virgin current and mortgage accounts on the market some time next year.

If the bank can draw on just a little of the attitude from Branson's other interests – despite the fact they are just big companies like any other – then he might not find customers too hard to attract.

After all, it's gotta be easier than floating a hot air balloon around the world.

Shock at the Rock

Meanwhile, the bank whose collapse signalled the start of the credit meltdown in Britain has cut its mortgage rates for the third time in three weeks, taking it to the top of the best buys league.

New York, New York. Gone are the days when the strong pound meant it was cheaper and a lot more fun to jet off to the Big Apple to do your Christmas shopping, and stuff your suitcase full of designer jeans, perfumes and electrical gadgets, than trawl the dreary high street at home.

New York is now the most expensive city in the world for British tourists, after topping a league table of costs for a two-day break, according to figures from Virgin Money.

Its 'Weekend Break Survey' found Bangkok is the cheapest city to visit at £141.25 for a weekend break excluding flights; three and a half times cheaper than NYC. Now while Bangkok is great for shopping too, it's bit of trek to Thailand, so where can we go now?

It's official. We are all utterly useless. Thrift was all very well and good when we were soldiering on through the drizzle. But now we're into relaxed summer, we just want to chill out in our new summer clothes and spend.

Virgin Money has found spending on its credit cards has risen 20%, so what are we playing at?