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Financial Services UK
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July 05, 2024
Nordea Laundered $4B For Russians, Denmark Police Say
Police in Denmark charged Nordic bank Nordea on Friday with allegedly laundering $3.8 billion for Russian customers, in what could be the biggest violation of the country's safeguards against dirty money.
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July 05, 2024
Starmer Picks Reeves For Treasury To Steer Growth Aims
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has handed the reins of the U.K.'s fiscal and economic policy to Rachel Reeves, formally naming her as the next chancellor of the exchequer in the first of a round of cabinet appointments on Friday.
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July 05, 2024
Starmer Starts Work As Cabinet Appointments Expected
Keir Starmer, the newly elected prime minister, promised change that focuses on the economy and wealth creation as he prepared on Friday to begin appointing cabinet ministers to form the Labour Party's first government since 2010.
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July 05, 2024
Investment Cos. Ask New Gov't To Remove Disclosure Rules
A trade body urged the incoming Labour government on Friday to remove unfair cost disclosure rules for investment companies that put the sector at a competitive disadvantage.
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July 05, 2024
Mastercard Fails In Jurisdiction Bid To Cut Swipe Fees Claim
Mastercard failed Friday to knock out claims worth more than £200 million ($255 million) from a mammoth swipe fees class action after the appeals court in London said the law governing the dispute should be that of England and Wales or Scotland.
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July 05, 2024
Aegon Calls On Labour Gov't To Set Up Pensions Commission
Pensions provider Aegon Ltd. called on the new Labour government on Friday to establish an independent pensions and savings commission within its first 100 days in office after it won an overwhelming victory in the general election.
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July 04, 2024
Labour Gov't To Prioritize Competitive Financial Regulation
The Labour government is expected to step up regulatory change to make the country's financial services more innovative and globally competitive, with centralized oversight of the watchdogs to ensure they help consumers and facilitate economic growth.
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July 04, 2024
Labour's Big UK Election Win Clears Way For Tax Reform
Labour's victory in the U.K. general election clears the way for plans to raise taxes on the rich to close a widening spending gap, but it could also mean wider fiscal reform in the new government's first budget later this year.
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July 04, 2024
Labour Sweeps Tories From Power In UK Election Rout
Keir Starmer was poised to become Britain's next prime minister on Friday after his Labour Party ousted Rishi Sunak's Conservatives in a landslide general election victory, ending 14 years of Tory government with a pledge of "national renewal."
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July 04, 2024
HSBC Wins Appeal Over Brexit Move Of EU Body To Ireland
High street lender HSBC had no option but to move the U.K. arm of its European works council to Ireland after Brexit despite protests from the representative body for European staff, an appellate tribunal ruled Thursday.
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July 04, 2024
WSJ Publisher Dow Jones Must Face Bankers' GDPR Claims
The Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones has failed to strike out data protection allegations brought against it by two investment bankers as a London court found the claims were not a tactic to avoid the difficulties of bringing a defamation claim.
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July 04, 2024
Pope Aide Says Vatican 'Trapped' By UK Property Deal
A close aide to the pope testified Thursday that he authorized payments of Є15 million ($16.2 million) to an Italian broker to regain full ownership for the Vatican of a London building at the heart a now-notorious property deal.
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July 04, 2024
Lender Hits Elite Law For £1.9M Over Alleged Loan Breach
A lender has sued Elite Law Solicitors after it allegedly failed to spot that its client was a fraud and did not secure necessary protections over a £1.9 million ($2.4 million) property loan, telling a court that this has left it unable to recover its cash.
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July 04, 2024
Emirati Scrap Metal Sellers Lied To Secure $45M Loan
A Dubai shipping broker and his son made false and fraudulent representations when they secured a $45 million loan arrangement from a Norwegian security agent and other lenders, a London court has ruled.
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July 04, 2024
Insurers Disadvantaged By EU Sustainability Reporting Rules
European insurers have warned that bloc-wide rules on sustainability reporting for the sector are incomplete and inconsistent, meaning they are not reliable for investors.
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July 04, 2024
Briton Wins Bid To Challenge $99M Wine Fraud Extradition
A British businessman accused of defrauding investors out of $99 million by persuading them to make interest-bearing loans using valuable wine collections as collateral won a chance on Thursday to challenge his extradition to the U.S.
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July 04, 2024
Pension Deals Market 'Driven By Transactions Under £100M'
The record number of pension deals in the U.K. last year was driven primarily by smaller transactions of less than £100 million ($127.6 million), a consultancy has said.
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July 04, 2024
London IPO Market Gaining Momentum, EY Study Finds
The London Stock Exchange attracted eight companies to take a listing in the first sixth months of 2024, raising a total of £513.8 million ($655.3 million), EY has said, signaling that the IPO market is gaining some momentum after a challenging couple of years.
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July 04, 2024
Barclays Sells €4.7B German Consumer Biz To Austrian Bank
Barclays PLC said Thursday that it will sell its €4.7 billion ($5.1 billion) German consumer finance business to Austrian lender BAWAG as the British bank moves to simplify its operations.
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July 03, 2024
Ukraine Bank Slams Stay Request In $1.1B Suit Against Russia
A Ukrainian bank is challenging the Russian Federation's bid to stay litigation to enforce a $1.1 billion arbitral award against the Kremlin pending efforts to annul the award in France, saying Russia's argument involves a string of contingencies that a D.C. federal judge should not entertain.
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July 03, 2024
M&G Lands £309M Pension Deal For Machinery Co.
A subsidiary of finance and insurance company M&G PLC has taken on £309 million ($394.3 million) worth of pension liabilities from a scheme sponsored by machinery manufacturer NSK, in a deal guided by Shoosmiths, CMS and Hogan Lovells.
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July 03, 2024
PIC Seals £1.2B 2nd TotalEnergies UK Pension Plan Buy-in
Pension Insurance Corporation PLC on Wednesday concluded a £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) second buy-in with the trustee of TotalEnergies UK Pension Plan, a deal considered the largest completed pension scheme buy-in thus far this year, according to an announcement by PIC.
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July 03, 2024
Credit Suisse Units Fined $19.5M For South Korea Breaches
South Korea's financial services watchdog said Wednesday it has fined two subsidiaries of the Credit Suisse group, which was absorbed by UBS in 2023, a record total of 27.17 billion South Korean won ($19.5 million) for breaching short selling rules.
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July 03, 2024
WTW Launches Insurance Policy For Asset Managers
WTW has launched a new policy designed to provide a single comprehensive cover for asset managers rather than traditional insurance options that often require multiple policies.
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July 03, 2024
Financial Intel Biz Buys Abrdn's Compliance Unit For £14.6M
Financial data intelligence provider Fintel said Wednesday that it has acquired Threesixty Services, a business support company, from British investment giant Abrdn for £14.6 million ($18.5 million) to boost its portfolio.
Expert Analysis
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What Venezuelan Gold Fight Means For UK One Voice Doctrine
The Court of Appeal's judgment in Deutsche Bank v. Central Bank of Venezuela clarifies the application of the "one voice" doctrine to foreign court judgments, highlighting that the reasoning depends on the recognition or nonrecognition of a head of state or government that is contrary to the U.K. government's position, say lawyers at Latham.
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Report On UK Investment Act Offers Welcome Insights
The U.K. government's recent report on the National Security and Investment Act's first full year of operation is to be applauded for disclosing more information on the act's notification system than was required, enabling a better understanding of what has taken place and what the next year may hold, say Andrea Hamilton and Ajal Notowicz at Milbank.
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Preparing For M&A Under The Foreign Subsidies Regulation
The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation introduces requirements that companies operating in the region must consider in M&A transactions, and any foreign financial contributions received by a target should be checked during the due diligence stage, with specific provisions for commission approval if a notification requirement is triggered, say Hendrik Viaene and Stéphane Dionnet at McDermott.
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Important Generative AI Considerations In M&A
The recent surge of interest in generative artificial intelligence and its use of machine learning algorithms means there are novel concerns as well as inherent risks for those engaging in M&A activity, and acquirers should pay careful attention to a target’s scope of ownership and licensing rights, say attorneys at Davis Polk.
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Pension Trustee Case Could Lead To Fossil Fuels Divestment
While the recent Court of Appeal case McGaughey v. Universities Superannuation Scheme attempts to link fossil fuel investment by trustees to significant risk of financial detriment, it is concerning that two out of 470,000 scheme members could be permitted to bring a claim without ensuring that other members are represented, says Anna Metadjer at Kingsley Napley.
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Outbound Screening May Be Next EU Investment Control Step
Following the European Commission’s recent commitment to reduce dependence on third countries by developing an outbound investment review mechanism, it will be interesting to see whether member states will take a united stand or whether national security interests will trump such an approach, say Christoph Barth and Neil Hoolihan at Linklaters.
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Barclays Ruling Narrows Banks' Fraud Recovery Duty
The U.K. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Philipp v. Barclays decided against the so-called Quincecare duty's application in authorized push payment fraud, shining light on how banks should balance their responsibility to follow customers' instructions against making reasonable inquiries, say lawyers at Ontier.
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Green Loans May Be Hungary's Path To Sustainable Financing
Fueled by a rising trend in the use of green loans, Hungary is making impressive progress in its journey toward achieving a net-zero future, although the development of social and sustainability-linked loans is still a work in progress, say Gergely Szalóki and Bálint Bodó at Schönherr.
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How The Law Must Change To Accommodate Digital Assets
The Law Commission's recent report shows that the common law of England and Wales is well suited to adapt to digital assets, and with targeted statutory reform to unlock the possibility of recognizing property in intangible things, the U.K. can become an ideal hub for parties to transact with emerging technology, says Sarah Green at the commission.
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Tackling Global Inflation Is A Challenge For Antitrust Agencies
Recent events have put pressure on antitrust agencies to address the global cost-of-living crisis, but the relationship between competition and inflation is complex, and with competition agencies’ reluctance to act as price regulators, enforcement is unlikely to have a meaningful impact, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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Key Findings From EBA's Money Laundering Report
The European Banking Authority's recent report on money laundering and terrorist financing risks, highlighting that payment institutions may be ineffectively assessing or managing those risks, makes clear that addressing its findings will be essential to protecting the European Union from financial crime, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
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Cos. Using AI Should Note Regulators' Privacy Concerns
The past year’s unprecedented explosion in the use of artificial intelligence tools has sparked fears over the way personal data may be collected and treated, and organizations adopting AI will need to ensure that they have a lawful basis to use data collected in this way, says Paula Williamson at Excello Law.
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Comparing EU And UK Proposals To Regulate ESG Ratings
Ferdisha Snagg and Andreas Wildner at Cleary examine the key aspects of the EU proposal for regulating environmental, social and governance rating activities and draw comparisons to the U.K. proposal regarding scope, substantive provider obligations on regulated providers and the likely timeline for adoption and implementation.
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Digital Assets Consultation Offers First Step In Regulation
The recently published International Organization of Securities Commissions consultation intending to establish coordinated international regulation of cryptocurrency and digital assets, will benefit and protect retail investors against financial crime risk, also allowing legitimate market entrants to distinguish themselves from less scrupulous participants, says Fred Saugman at WilmerHale.
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EU And UK Crypto-Asset Consumer Rights Look Set To Differ
The U.K. government's recent consultation paper lacks an extended cooling off period to cancel crypto-asset purchases, which notably deviates from the European Union Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, but depending on feedback, the U.K. may eventually adopt similar consumer protection measures, say Felicity Forward and Matt Green at Shoosmiths.