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Financial Services UK
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August 02, 2024
BNP Paribas To Buy Axa's Investment Manager For €5.1B
BNP Paribas SA has said it will buy an investment management subsidiary from French insurer Axa SA for €5.1 billion ($5.5 billion) to create a combined platform with €1.5 trillion of assets under management.
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August 01, 2024
World's First AI Act Takes Effect In EU
The world's first comprehensive regulation of the tools known as artificial intelligence came into force Thursday, introducing restrictions on the development and use of the technology across all member states.
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August 01, 2024
Barclays Wins £13.7M Freezing Order Action Against Directors
Barclays Bank PLC has proven that two businessmen breached freezing orders on £13.7 million ($17.5 million) of assets, after a London court on Thursday ruled it was beyond reasonable doubt the men allowed the assets to move offshore.
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August 01, 2024
Investor Wins $180M Claim Over Plane Leases Against VietJet
A global private investment company's unit has won its $180 million claim against a Vietnamese budget airline it alleged was a "delinquent debtor," after a London judge said that the air carrier had waged a campaign to stop the planes being returned to their owner.
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August 01, 2024
City Firms To Invest Up To £20B Of Pension Funds In UK Biz
Phoenix Group and Schroders have announced plans to invest as much as £20 billion ($25.7 billion) of pension money into private markets over the next decade in line with wider industry commitments to direct retirement savings capital toward the British economy.
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August 01, 2024
EU Watchdog Warns Of Risk From Global Crypto-Asset Firms
Europe's financial markets watchdog has warned national regulators to address the risk that global crypto groups may seek authorization in the European Union to obtain clients unlawfully and expose them to non-EU-regulated services.
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August 01, 2024
Tragedy And A Hustle: 5 Takeaways From The 'Tuna Bonds' Ruling
A London judge took the opportunity as he delivered a ruling that Mozambique was defrauded in a controversial maritime project to raise questions about the role played by international banks and the lack of financial standards in the multibillion-dollar "tuna bonds" scandal.
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August 01, 2024
UK Capital Gains Tax Liabilities Decline, HMRC Says
Capital gains tax liability in the U.K. declined in the 2022-2023 tax year, HM Revenue & Customs said in a news release Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
Watchdog Names Banks Reimbursing Few APP frauds
The Payment Systems Regulator found Thursday that banking groups varied widely in how far they reimbursed victims of authorized push payment fraud, with AIB Group, Danske Bank and Monzo making the lowest payouts in its 2023 performance report.
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August 01, 2024
Italy's Banca Generali Beats Credit Note Issuer's Appeal
A London appeals court has ruled an Italian bank can remove and replace a special purpose vehicle's financial agents working on a series of securities transactions that went south, without needing the SPV's consent.
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August 01, 2024
Early Pension Dips Raise Long-Term Concerns, Insurer Says
Pensions insurer Just Group has said official government statistics showing that seven in 10 people taking flexible payments from their pensions are younger than 65, raising questions about the sustainability of retirement savings in later life.
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August 01, 2024
Tchenguiz Can't Dodge £8M IG Index Spread Betting Debt
Real estate investor Robert Tchenguiz has to repay an investment platform a spread-betting debt of £8 million ($10.2 million) after a court ruled Thursday that the company had correctly characterized him as a professional investor.
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August 01, 2024
Accounting Standards Setter Eyes Better Climate Reporting
A global accounting standards setter has proposed "new illustrative examples" to improve how companies report climate change-related uncertainty and other factors in their financial statements.
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August 01, 2024
Barclays Plans £750M Buyback As Profits Beat Estimates
Barclays PLC said Thursday that it will reward shareholders with a shares buyback of up to £750 million ($957 million) as it announced results for the first six months of 2024 that beat the expectations of analysts.
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July 31, 2024
HSBC Says HUD Has Closed Fair Lending Probe
HSBC's U.S. banking arm said it is no longer facing a multicity fair lending investigation from federal housing authorities after an outside complaint that prompted the probe was withdrawn.
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July 31, 2024
FCA Can't Avoid Paying Julius Baer Bankers' Legal Costs
Britain's financial watchdog lost its appeal to avoid paying part of the legal costs for two former employees of Swiss bank Julius Baer accused of acting recklessly and lacking integrity with specific foreign exchange transactions.
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July 31, 2024
Indian Businessman Loses Extradition Over $32M Loan Fraud
An Indian businessman accused of defrauding 28.6 million Swiss francs ($32.5 million) from companies in an advance fee fraud scheme lost his chance to challenge the decision to extradite him from the U.K. on Wednesday after a London judge ruled that he could not mount a double jeopardy defense.
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July 31, 2024
Dutch Regulators OK Freshfields-Guided Asset Exchange
A Dutch digital asset exchange is touting itself as the first widely accessible and regulated crypto derivatives exchange in Europe after receiving a license from the government of the Netherlands, aided by the guidance of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, the firm has announced.
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July 31, 2024
Retired Couple Can't Duck Ex-Solicitor's Forex Deceit Win
A London appellate court ruled Wednesday that a financial advisor and his wife cannot escape liability to compensate a former lawyer over £500,000 ($642,135), after the appellate judge found they were partners in a now-defunct foreign exchange trading scheme.
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July 31, 2024
DMH Stallard Adds Tax Atty To London Practice
DMH Stallard LLP hired a tax attorney for its London office who spent more than a decade at HM Revenue & Customs working on compliance and policy, according to a news release.
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July 31, 2024
SocGen To Invest €250M In Energy Transition Biz
French-based multinational financial services company Societe Generale said Wednesday that it has agreed to invest €250 million ($271 million) to acquire 75% of alternative asset management company Reed Management SAS as part of its strategy to invest in emerging energy transition companies.
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July 31, 2024
SFO Eyes Potential £237M Legal Bill For ENRC Misconduct
The Serious Fraud Office has registered a potential £237.7 million ($305 million) payment to ENRC for damages over findings that its officers encouraged a former partner at Dechert LLP to divulge confidential information about alleged corruption at the Kazakh miner.
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July 31, 2024
Budget Cuts 'Jeopardize' Pension Portals, Aegon Warns
The Labour government's decision to cut £50 million ($64 million) from its communication and marketing budget for the next two years could jeopardize the successful rollout of the long-delayed pensions portal program, provider Aegon has warned.
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July 31, 2024
Holding Co. Can't Dodge Liability In IP Misrepresentation Feud
A London court has rejected a holding company's bid for a declaration that a cashpoint software business it sold in 2020 owns a disputed set of intellectual property, dashing the company's hopes of shielding itself from potential liability for other shareholders' alleged misrepresentations during the sale.
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July 31, 2024
Gov't Plans Backstop Legislation To Tackle Audit Backlog
The new Labour government said Wednesday it is preparing legislation to introduce a statutory backstop as the U.K. faces a growing backlog of audits of local authorities.
Expert Analysis
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Major EU AI Banking Ruling Will Reverberate Across Sectors
Following the European Court of Justice's recent OQ v. Land Hessen decision that banks' use of AI-driven credit scores to make consumer decisions did not comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, regulators indicated that the ruling would apply broadly, leaving numerous industries that employ AI-powered decisions open to scrutiny, say lawyers at Alston & Bird.
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Key Points From Ireland's New Accountability Framework
The recently introduced Individual Accountability Framework is a positive step for the financial services industry in Ireland, and in contributing to cultural and practical change will encourage positive behavior and good governance for the benefit of the industry and investors, say Aongus McCarthy and Niall Esler at Walkers Global.
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Technology And AI: 2024's Legal And Regulatory Landscape
Alexander Amato-Cravero at Herbert Smith discusses what businesses and their lawyers can expect in the year ahead in terms of regulation, policies and associated risks related to advancing technologies and artificial intelligence, including the need for increased internal governance and workforce engagement.
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US And UK Law Firms Continue Trend Of EU Expansion
A broad spectrum of U.S. and U.K. law firms are now seeking fresh opportunities in Europe's fastest growing and constantly evolving sectors by opening offices in strategic locations across the continent, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.
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A Look At 2023's Landmark Insolvency Developments
The insolvency landscape in 2023 witnessed pivotal court decisions that will continue to shape the industry in 2024, with a focus on refining director and administrator duties and obligations, and addressing emerging challenges, says Kerri Wilson at Ontier.
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Pension Industry Should Monitor Evolving ESG Issues In 2024
ESG thinking in the pensions industry has substantially evolved from focusing on climate change and net-zero to including nature and social considerations, and formalizing governance processes — illustrating that, in 2024, continually monitoring ESG issues sits squarely within trustee fiduciary duties, says Liz Ramsaran at DWF.
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What 2024 Has In Store For White Collar Crime Enforcement
Changes in Serious Fraud Office leadership and corporate crime laws in the U.K. signal a chance to kickstart enforcement in 2024, and companies need to stay alive to risks within their business, preparing in particular for the new offense of failure to prevent fraud, say lawyers at Latham.
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Emerging Trends From A Busy Climate Litigation Year
Although many environmental cases brought in the U.K. were unsuccessful in 2023, they arguably clarified several relevant issues, such as climate rights, director and trustee obligations, and the extent to which claimants can hold the government accountable, illustrating what 2024 may have in store for climate litigation, say Simon Bishop and Patrick Kenny at Hausfeld.
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Regulating Digital Platforms: What's Changing In EU And UK
Lawyers at Mayer Brown assess the status of recently enacted EU and U.K. antitrust regulation governing gatekeeper platforms, noting that the effects are already being felt, and that companies will need to avoid anti-competitive self-preferencing and ensure a higher degree of interoperability than has been required to date.
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How Boards Can Mitigate Privacy, Cybersecurity And AI Risks
In 2023, data privacy, cybersecurity and AI persist as prominent C-suite concerns as regulators stepped up enforcement, and organizations must develop a plan for handling these risks, in particular those with a global footprint, say lawyers at Latham.
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The Outlook For UK Restructuring Plans At Home And Abroad
The U.K. continues to be a center for large-cap, cross-border restructurings, though its competitive edge over the EU in this regard may narrow, while small and medium-sized enterprises are already likely to avoid costly formal processes by reaching out to their secured lenders for restructuring solutions, say Paul Keddie and Timothy Bromley-White at Macfarlanes.
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Foreign Assets Ruling Suggests New Tax Avoidance Approach
The U.K. Supreme Court's recent ruling in His Majesty's Revenue & Customs v. Fisher, which found that the scope of the transfer of foreign assets is narrow, highlights that the days of rampant tax avoidance have been left behind, and that the need for wide-ranging and uncertain tax legislation is lessening, says James Austen at Collyer Bristow.
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Lessons To Be Learned From 2023's Bank Failures
This year’s banking collapses, coupled with interest rate rises, inflation and geopolitical instability have highlighted the need for more robust governance, and banks and regulators have learned that they must adequately monitor and control liquidity risk to protect against another financial crisis, say Juliette Mills and Alix Prentice at Cadwalader.
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An Overview Of European Private Investments in Public Equity
Although still fairly rare, private investments in public equity may continue to be an attractive option for some European issuers seeking to secure equity financing, and advisers planning such an investment should consider the various local options, requirements and norms, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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Cos. Must Monitor Sanctions Regime As Law Remains Unclear
While recent U.K. government guidance and an English High Court's decision in Litasco v. Der Mond Oil, finding that a company is sanctioned when a designated individual is exercising control over it, both address sanctions control issues, disarray in the law remains, highlighting that practitioners should keep reviewing their exposure to the sanctions regime, say lawyers at K&L Gates.