Lloyds Banking Group will cut another £2bn of costs as part of a four-year plan under which its chief executive will use new tech and AI to drive growth. “So, when we look to this next stage, those kind of levers will continue in front of us,” he told journalists on Thursday. Lloyds has the heft in its home market, but a move to a bigger global player is a significant undertaking.” It came as the bank reported better-than-expected second-quarter profits, which rose to £2.3bn between April and June, a 14% jump from the same period last year. It meant bosses could increase payouts for shareholders, with a 1.58p a share dividend and the first ever share buyback announced at half-year, worth £1bn.