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Financial Services UK
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August 09, 2024
The Top Commercial Dispute Trials & Rulings Of 2024 So Far
So far in 2024 disputes lawyers have been treated to the first trial in the U.K. of an opt-out collective action, the Pope's chief of staff giving evidence, and Mozambique being awarded more than $825 million for the tuna bond scandal.
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August 09, 2024
FCA Warned Over Risks From Value-For-Money Pension Rules
The Financial Conoduct Authority's new "traffic light" system for assessing the value-for-money offered by a pension scheme could create unintended consequences, experts warned Friday.
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August 09, 2024
Hargreaves Lansdown Agrees To £5.4B CVC Takeover Offer
Hargreaves Lansdown PLC said Friday that its board has agreed to a £5.4 billion ($6.9 billion) take-private offer from a consortium of private equity companies, including CVC and the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi.
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August 08, 2024
SEC Wins Jurisdiction Over German As Sanction For Default
A German national who the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission says has ignored discovery requests in its attempt to recover proceeds from a $150 million international pump and dump scheme involving his son is subject to personal jurisdiction in the U.S., a Boston federal judge ordered as a sanction.
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August 08, 2024
Derivatives Co. Fails To Refreeze Assets In Global Fraud Case
Multibank has failed to revive a freezing order against two investment companies and an executive it alleges were involved in an unlawful conspiracy, after an appeals court upheld a ruling that the international derivatives provider had made serious disclosure failings.
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August 15, 2024
Sidley, Milbank Tap Latham For Finance Hires In London
Sidley Austin LLP is set to recruit five finance partners from Latham & Watkins LLP in London, adding to the U.S. outfit's woes after Milbank LLP said that it has snapped up its own six-lawyer team in the English capital.
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August 08, 2024
EU Watchdog Finds Poor Practices In Nonbank Lenders
The European Union's banking watchdog has found that nonbank lenders are often failing to verify the accuracy of information they gather on borrowers, helping to put them in too much debt.
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August 08, 2024
Finance Co. Botched Risk Outline In Fire Claim, Insurer Says
A subsidiary of U K Insurance Ltd. has denied having to pay out on a policy with Parker Asset Management Ltd. over a fire that destroyed a property costing around £4.2 million ($5.3 million), saying the company did not fairly present its insurance risk.
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August 08, 2024
UK Gov't Refunds £57M In Pension Freedoms Overtaxation
The government has been forced to repay £59.6 million ($75.5 million) in the three months between April and June to people who overpaid tax after they tapped into their pensions for the first time, according to HM Revenue and Customs.
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August 08, 2024
The Top Corporate Crime Cases Of 2024 So Far
The partial acquittal of two retired British executives on bribery charges as part of a major Serious Fraud Office investigation, the first bribery conviction of a foreign official and Julian Assange's shock plea deal are just a few of the blockbuster cases so far in 2024.
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August 08, 2024
FCA Proposes Framework For Long-Term Pensions Value
The finance watchdog has said it is planning a new "traffic light" guide for retirement investment plans as it seeks to improve long-term value in workplace pensions, shifting the emphasis for providers from a simple consideration of costs.
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August 08, 2024
Bank Of Cyprus To Quit LSE, Weighs Athens Move
Bank of Cyprus said Thursday that it plans to ditch its place on the London Stock Exchange in favor of a proposed listing on the Athens bourse, to boost its profile among investors in the region and enhance the liquidity of its shares.
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August 07, 2024
Asset Freeze Continuing In OneCoin Investor Claim
A London judge allowed a freezing order to continue Wednesday against eight people and four companies alleged to have been involved in the $4 billion OneCoin cryptocurrency scam, in an early stage of a group action claim brought by the scheme's investors.
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August 07, 2024
Adviser Tells Investor To Pay Up After €150M Investment
A real asset adviser has accused an investor of failing to pay for its services securing a €150 million ($164 million) investment.
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August 07, 2024
Thurrock Sues Advisers Over Bond Investment Guidance
A cash-strapped English local authority has sued Laven Advisors LLP for more than £20 million ($25.4 million), arguing that fraudulent statements by a representative of the regulatory host caused it to invest in high-risk bonds.
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August 07, 2024
Ex-Citibank Worker's Wages Claim Struck Out
An employment tribunal has refused to hear a former Citibank worker's claim that the lender unlawfully paid him nothing for his work, finding there is no evidence he did anything worth paying for after he knew his contract was terminated.
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August 07, 2024
Crypto-Asset Firms Must Improve On Compliance, FCA Says
The financial watchdog said Wednesday it has found that more work "needs to be done" to improve compliance with new marketing rules in many cases at crypto-asset companies
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August 07, 2024
Investment Co. Sues Rival Biz For Passing Off Qube TM
Qube Research & Technologies has sued a rival investment manager over the use of the word "Qube" in its branding, accusing it of trying to mislead consumers into believing that there is a connection between the companies.
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August 07, 2024
FCA Expands Leeds Office With 100 More Employees
Britain's financial watchdog announced plans on Wednesday to expand its presence in Leeds by adding 100 new employees to its workforce in the northern English city, reflecting the emergence of the region as a second financial center.
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August 07, 2024
Insurer Loses Appeal Over Romanian License Withdrawal
Euroins Insurance Group AD has lost its bid to challenge a refusal by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority to investigate why the Romanian Financial Supervisory Authority withdrew the operating license of a subsidiary, the EU-wide regulator said Wednesday.
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August 07, 2024
Gov't Urges Pension Plans To Feed Infrastructure Spending
The government said Wednesday that it wants the U.K. to adopt a Canadian-style model for pensions, with a handful of megafunds investing in vital infrastructure projects to "fire up" the economy.
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August 07, 2024
EY Sanctioned For Breaching Fee Cap Over Russian Client
The accounting watchdog said Wednesday that it has ordered Ernst & Young LLP to pay just over £251,000 ($319,000) for breaching a fee cap on work it carried out for Evraz, a steel and mining group based in Russia.
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August 07, 2024
Asset Manager To Pay Investors €250M After FCA Probe
The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that asset manager H20 AM LLP will pay €250 million ($272 million) to investors unable to gain access to funds since 2020 after the regulator found serious breaches of rules, including a failure to manage conflicts of interest and making false statements.
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August 06, 2024
Travel Biz Directors Misused Funds, Leaving £17.6M Shortfall
Directors of a defunct holiday tour operator left the company with a £17.6 million ($22.3 million) shortfall after racking up debts that were used to pay personal bills and transfer money to relatives, a London judge ruled Tuesday
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August 13, 2024
Davis Polk Hires PE Pro From A&O Shearman In London
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP said Tuesday that it has hired a private equity specialist from Allen Overy Shearman Sterling as a partner in its London corporate practice as the U.S. firm looks to seize "ripe" opportunities for growth in the City.
Expert Analysis
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Why EU Ruling On Beneficial Ownership May Affect The UK
Following the EU judgment in Sovim v. Luxembourg that public access to beneficial ownership information conflicts with data protection rights, several British overseas territories and dependencies have recently reversed their commitment to introduce unrestricted access, and challenges to the U.K.’s liberal stance may be on the cards, says Rupert Cullen at Allectus Law.
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Key Changes In FRC Code Aim To Promote Good Governance
The focus of the recently published Financial Reporting Council Corporate Governance Code on risk management and internal controls is to ensure the competitiveness of the U.K. listing regime while not compromising on governance standards, and issuers may wish to consider updating their policies in order to follow best practice, say lawyers at Debevoise.
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Ruling In FCA Case Offers Tips On Flexible Work Requests
In Wilson v. Financial Conduct Authority, the Employment Tribunal recently found that the regulator's rejection of a remote work request was justified, highlighting for employers factors that affect flexible work request outcomes, while emphasizing that individual inquiries should be considered on the specific facts, say Frances Rollin, Ella Tunnell and Kerry Garcia at Stevens & Bolton.
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Breaking Down The New UK Pension Funding Regs
Recently published U.K. pension regulations, proposing major changes to funding and investing in defined benefit pension schemes, raise implementation considerations for trustees, including the importance of the employer covenant, say Charles Magoffin and Elizabeth Bullock at Freshfields.
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Predicting DeFi Regulations At Home And Abroad In 2024
Though decentralized finance has advocates on both sides of the Atlantic in figures like U.S. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, DeFi in 2024 seems likely to be folded into existing regulatory frameworks in the U.K. and EU, while anti-crypto scrutiny may discourage DeFi’s growth in the U.S., say Daniel Csefalvay and Eric Martin at BCLP.
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Consultation Docs Can Help EU Firms Prep For Crypto Regs
Firms providing crypto services should note two recent papers from the European Securities and Markets Authority defining proposals on reverse solicitation and financial instrument classification that will be critical to clarifying the scope of the regulatory framework under the impending Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
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A Closer Look At Novel Jury Instruction In Forex Rigging Case
After the recent commodities fraud conviction of a U.K.-based hedge fund executive in U.S. v. Phillips, post-trial briefing has focused on whether the New York federal court’s jury instruction incorrectly defined the requisite level of intent, which should inform defense counsel in future open market manipulation cases, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.
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Investors' Call For Voting Changes Faces Practical Challenges
A recent investor coalition call on fund managers to offer pass-through voting on pooled funds highlights a renewed concern for clients’ interests, but legal, regulatory and technological issues need to be overcome to ensure that risks related to the product are effectively mitigated, says Angeli Arora at Allectus.
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Litigation Funding Implications Amid Post-PACCAR Disputes
An English tribunal's recent decision in Neill v. Sony, allowing an appeal on the enforceability of a litigation funding agreement, highlights how the legislative developments on funding limits following the U.K. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Paccar v. Competition Appeal Tribunal may affect practitioners, say Andrew Leitch and Anoma Rekhi at BCLP.
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What Extension Of French FDI Control Means For Investors
The recently published French order on foreign investment control expands the regime's application to more sectors and at a lower threshold of share ownership, illustrating France's determination to maintain sovereignty over its supply chains in sensitive sectors, and adding new considerations for potential investors in these areas, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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What To Expect For Private Capital Investment Funds In 2024
As 2024 gets underway, market sentiment in the private fundraising sphere seems more optimistic, with a greater focus on deal sourcing and operational optimizations, and an increased emphasis on impact and sustainability strategies, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
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Cayman Islands Off AML Risk Lists, Signaling Robust Controls
As a world-leading jurisdiction for securitization special purpose entities, the removal of the Cayman Islands from increased anti-money laundering monitoring lists is a significant milestone that will benefit new and existing financial services customers conducting business in the territory, say lawyers at Walkers Global.
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Cos. Should Plan Now For Extensive EU Data Act Obligations
The recently enacted EU Data Act imposes wide-ranging requirements across industries and enterprises of all sizes, and with less than 20 months until the provisions begin to apply, businesses planning compliance will need to incorporate significant product changes and revision of contract terms, say Nick Banasevic, Robert Spano and Ciara O'Gara at Gibson Dunn.
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How Decision On A Key Definition Affects SMEs
The Financial Conduct Authority's decision not to extend the definition of small and midsized enterprises may benefit banks and finance providers in the current high interest rate environment and where SMEs in certain sectors may be under financial pressure in light of the cost-of-living crisis in order to streamline it, says Rachael Healey at RPC.
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What New Digital Sandbox Regs Hold In Store For UK Markets
The recently enacted Digital Sandbox Regulations will be key to incorporating distributed ledger technology into the activities of a central securities depository, but despite being a potentially transformative innovation, a number of considerations may need to be addressed to accommodate the trading, settlement and maintenance of shares, say Tom Bacon and Andrew Tsang at BCLP.