Financial Services UK

  • March 18, 2025

    Treasury Meets Fintech Bosses On Growth, Scrapping Rules

    Chancellor Rachel Reeves met bosses of financial technology companies on Tuesday to discuss growth opportunities and new legislation to scrap unnecessary rules and boost capital markets, according to HM Treasury.

  • March 17, 2025

    Companies House Opens Up For Corporate Service Providers

    Britain's executive government agency for maintaining the register of companies said Tuesday that it would now allow third-party accountants, legal professionals and company formation agents to register as authorized corporate service providers on its website.

  • March 17, 2025

    Employers Not Off The Hook After DEI Rollback, Lawyers Warn

    The Financial Conduct Authority's decision to drop its workforce DEI initiatives does not mean employers are off the hook as the government pushes ahead with workers' rights legislation, but attorneys say the rollback might convince other organizations to pause or reconsider their diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

  • March 17, 2025

    Kuwait Pension Fund Says Director Ran $1B Bribery Scheme

    The former director of Kuwait's pensions authority orchestrated a two-decade-long "unlawful scheme of corrupt payments" in excess of $1 billion, lawyers for the authority said at the opening of a bribery trial in London on Monday.

  • March 17, 2025

    6 Bombshell Moments From Staley's Bid To Clear His Name

    Jes Staley has suffered a bruising week as he testified about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, culminating in an admission by the former banker that he had sex with a member of the disgraced financier's staff.

  • March 17, 2025

    Government Wants Pension Watchdog To Cut Red Tape

    The government said Monday it wants the U.K.'s pension watchdog to cut red tape, in a bid to strip back regulatory burdens it sees as inhibiting growth.

  • March 17, 2025

    UK To Launch Measures To Speed Up Firms' Approval Process

    The U.K. government will introduce measures for the Financial Conduct Authority to speed up support for early-stage businesses as part of a broader set of reforms to reduce regulatory impediments to economic growth.

  • March 17, 2025

    FCA Fines, Bans Odey For Obstructing Misconduct Probe

    The Financial Conduct Authority banned Crispin Odey on Monday and fined the hedge fund boss £1.8 million ($2.3 million) after concluding that he had attempted to thwart an internal probe into sexual misconduct allegations.

  • March 14, 2025

    Investor Sues VC Fund For £2M Bond Mismanagement

    A U.K. resident has sued an investment company for £2 million ($2.6 million) in a London court for allegedly failing to return his investment, but the company has denied allegations of wrongdoing, saying the investment may have been lost in a fraud.

  • March 14, 2025

    Entrepreneur Loses Appeal Over £14M Barclays Asset Freeze

    A businessman has lost his bid to overturn a ruling that he breached a £13.7 million ($17.5 million) freezing order in a fraud case, with an appeals court ruling Friday that a judge's findings were not wrong.

  • March 14, 2025

    FCA Floats Raising Contactless Payment Limit For UK Growth

    The Financial Conduct Authority proposed Friday removing or raising the limits on contactless payments to help U.K. growth, relying on the Consumer Duty to guide firms on the best approach.

  • March 14, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen J.P. Morgan face action by the founder of Viva Wallet in an ongoing feud over the company's takeover, retailer Next Group contest a claim by the home ware brand owned by private members' club Soho House, and the venue of the Wimbledon Championships sue a local group opposed to its plans to build new tennis courts on protected land in Wimbledon Park.

  • March 14, 2025

    Alleged Putin Ally Faces Landmark Sanctions Evasion Trial

    A former Russian politician and his wife were due to stand trial on Monday in the first prosecution brought in the U.K. for criminal sanctions evasion over allegations that they circumvented the restrictions by opening a bank account and obtaining car insurance.

  • March 14, 2025

    Greek Firms Steer Bank's €600M Insurer Stake Buy From CVC

    Piraeus Financial Holdings SA has signed a deal for its subsidiary to acquire 90% of Ethniki, a Greek insurer, from a fund controlled by CVC Capital Partners for €600 million ($654 million) in a move by the bank to diversify its business.

  • March 14, 2025

    ECB Greenlights UniCredit To Take 29.9% In Commerzbank

    Italian bank UniCredit said Friday that the European Central Bank has given it regulatory permission to buy just under 30% of Commerzbank, a German rival.

  • March 13, 2025

    Phoenix Group Sued By Ex-CEO Over Short Pay

    Phoenix Group Holdings PLC has been sued by the former chief executive officer of its subsidiary SunLife Ltd., who alleges that the insurer "arbitrarily reduced" his upper management compensation by almost £9 million ($11.6 million).

  • March 13, 2025

    Staley Denies Using Daughter As Intermediary With Epstein

    Jes Staley denied using his daughter as an intermediary to communicate with Jeffrey Epstein after he said he cut off the disgraced financier, as he gave evidence to a tribunal Thursday.

  • March 13, 2025

    Prosecutors Charge NCA Officer Over Stolen Bitcoin

    The U.K. prosecution agency said on Thursday it had charged a National Crime Agency officer with 15 separate criminal offenses related to the theft of 50 bitcoin, worth nearly £60,000 ($77,623) in 2017.

  • March 13, 2025

    MPs To Debate Women State Pension Redress Petition

    Lawmakers will debate a petition calling for compensation for women affected by the historical failure to inform them that their pension age had changed, amid growing criticism of the government's decision not to launch a redress program.

  • March 13, 2025

    Watchdog Launches Probe Into EY Audit Of High-Profile Biz

    The U.K. accounting watchdog said Thursday that it has kicked off an enforcement investigation into audits conducted by Ernst & Young LLP for a high-profile business.

  • March 13, 2025

    Barclays Accuses Former Exec Of Breaching Retirement Deal

    Barclays told a London court that a former head of credit trading is not entitled to cash bonuses and share payouts after he violated the terms of his retirement agreement by working for a rival hedge fund in New York.

  • March 13, 2025

    Gov't Urged To Reform Rules To Unlock Pension Surpluses

    The government should legislate to allow more flexible use of surpluses in defined benefit pension plans, a financial services consultancy has said, arguing that regulatory reform could generate £400 billion ($518 billion) in additional capital.

  • March 13, 2025

    FCA Charges 5th Person In £3.9M Water Investment Fraud

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday that it has charged a fifth individual over a suspected £3.9 million ($5 million) water investment scam.

  • March 12, 2025

    Gov't Confirms Date For Local Gov't Pension 'Megafunds'

    The U.K. government has confirmed it plans to stick to the deadline of March next year for all assets in the highly fragmented Local Government Pension Scheme to be pooled into larger, regulated funds.

  • March 12, 2025

    Regulatory Rollback Gathers Pace As Programs Axed

    The City watchdog has dropped three of its top regulatory initiatives, responding on Wednesday to industry criticism and government pressure to boost competitiveness and economic growth.

Expert Analysis

  • Mitigating Incarceration's Impacts On Foreign Nationals

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    Sentencing arguments that highlighted the disparate impact incarceration would have on a British national recently sentenced for insider training by a New York district court, when compared to similarly situated U.S. citizens, provide an example of the advocacy needed to avoid or mitigate problems unique to noncitizen defendants, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: The Benefits Of Non-EU Venues

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    In Spain v. Triodos, a Swedish appeal court recently annulled an intra-EU investment treaty award, reinforcing a growing trend in the bloc against enforcing such awards, and highlighting the advantages of initiating enforcement proceedings in common law jurisdictions, such as the U.K., says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.

  • How Proposed Platforms For Unlisted Co. Trading May Work

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    The U.K. government is continuing development of its proposed private intermittent securities and capital exchange system to facilitate secondary share trading in private companies through a regulatory sandbox while ironing out details, representing an innovative step for unlisted company liquidity, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Experian Ruling Helps Cos. Navigate GDPR Transparency

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    In Information Commissioner v. Experian, the Upper Tribunal recently reaffirmed the lawfulness of the company's marketing practices, providing guidance that will assist organizations in complying with the GDPR’s transparency obligations, say lawyers at Jenner & Block.

  • Clarity Is Central Theme In FCA's Greenwashing Guidance

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    Recent Financial Conduct Authority guidance for complying with the U.K. regulator's anti-greenwashing rule sends an overarching message that sustainability claims must be clear, accurate and capable of being substantiated, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • How New FCA Rules Strengthen Borrower Protections

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published final rules, aimed at strengthening protections for borrowers in financial difficulty by regularizing good practices across the industry, put its previous guidance on a permanent footing and send a clear message to firms that this issue remains a regulatory priority, say James Black, Julie Patient and Mark Aengenheister at Hogan Lovells.

  • Opinion

    New Property Category Not Needed To Regulate Digital Assets

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    The U.K. Law Commission's exploration of whether to create a third category of property for digital assets is derived from a misreading of historical case law, and would not be helpful in resolving any questions surrounding digital assets, says Duncan Sheehan at the University of Leeds.

  • FTSE Draft Rules Show Impact Of FCA Listing Reforms

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    FTSE Russell’s recently published provisional rule changes represent a much-awaited indication of its response to the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed listing reforms, providing a level of certainty that will assist issuers and advisers in preparing for the implementation of the regime, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • FCA Strikes A Balance With 'Finfluencer' Guidance

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    With financial firms leveraging social media to engage with a broader audience, the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent "finfluencer" guidance signals a recognition of the imperative to adapt regulatory frameworks while maintaining a firm commitment to consumer protection, say David Allinson and Damien O'Malley at RPC.

  • Dissecting Recent Developments Against The Misuse Of NDAs

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    The U.K. government's recent plans to nullify nondisclosure agreements that prevent victims from reporting crimes should remind lawyers to proactively consider the necessity of such agreements, especially in light of the Solicitors Regulation Authority's warning notice on drafting improper NDAs, say Clare Davis and Macaela Joyes at RPC.

  • What To Know About The Russia-Stranded Plane Ruling

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    The High Court's recent decision in Zephyrus Capital Aviation v. Fidelis Underwriting, rejecting reinsurers' U.K. jurisdiction challenges in claims over stranded planes in Russia, has broad implications for cross-border litigation involving exclusive jurisdiction clauses, says Samantha Zaozirny at Browne Jacobson.

  • 3 Notable Pensions Reforms In Spring Budget

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    The U.K. government’s spring budget introduced reforms to improve pension outcomes through the value for money framework and the lifetime provider model, as well as to encourage investments in Britain — three interlinked areas that could pressure trustees and providers to rethink how they approach investments, say Liz Ramsaran and Marcus Fink at DWF.

  • Assessing The FCA Data Study's Response To User Concerns

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published report on the supply of wholesale financial data differs from others in its exceptional breadth and analysis of an enormous volume of information, but in its reluctance to address market power or pricing directly, the regulator’s approach is still cautious, say Emma Radcliffe and Greg Dowell at Macfarlanes.

  • Focus On Private Funds Will Boost Ireland's Global Standing

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    As the market increasingly pivots to private funds, Ireland's recent introduction of particular products — such as an updated, flexible European long-term investment fund — provides more structuring opportunities and paves the way for a brighter outlook in the country, say lawyers at Dechert.

  • Cum-Ex Prosecutions Storm Shows No Sign Of Abating

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    The ongoing trial of Sanjay Shah in Denmark is a clear indicator that efforts remain focused on holding to account the alleged architects and beneficiaries of cum-ex trading, and with these prosecutions making their way across Europe, it is a more turbulent time now than ever, says Niall Hearty at Rahman Ravelli.

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