Financial Services UK

  • March 04, 2025

    Cinema Chain Says Landlord Overcharged For Premiums

    Cinema companies who leased part of the landmark Trocadero building in London's well-known Piccadilly Circus accused their landlord of breaching the rental agreement by overcharging them for insurance premiums at the start of a London trial Tuesday.

  • March 04, 2025

    Trader Denies Unlawful 'Team Move' That Energy Co. Alleged

    A trader has hit back against an "oppressive" £2 million ($2.5 million) claim by his former employer, denying that he was part of an unlawful "team move" alongside former colleagues in the energy investing company.

  • March 04, 2025

    Pension Schemes Post Record-Breaking Consolidation

    Britain's retirement savings watchdog said Tuesday the number of defined contribution pension schemes decreased 15% in 2024 to 920 — dropping to fewer than 1,000 plans for the first time.

  • March 04, 2025

    Barclays Official Kept In Dark About Staley's Email To Epstein

    Former Barclays boss Jes Staley told Jeffrey Epstein about forthcoming press coverage detailing their relationship without the bank's knowledge, its former head of communications testified at a trial on Tuesday.

  • March 04, 2025

    BNY Tries To Escape £93M Nationwide, A&O Negligence Case

    Bank of New York Mellon on Tuesday asked a London court to dismiss Allen Overy Shearman Sterling's claims that the bank negligently caused Nationwide Building Society to face a £93 million ($118 million) tax bill by mishandling the issuance of notes.

  • March 04, 2025

    UK Financial Ombudsman Reports Jump In Complaints

    Complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service spiked almost 42% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same period the previous year, with grievances about bank cards, insurance and automobile hires the most common, a survey published Tuesday said.

  • March 04, 2025

    New Pension Standards Need Improvement, Trade Body Says

    The Financial Reporting Council's proposed changes to the actuarial rules used in the retirement savings sector are welcome but introduce additional requirements that should be avoided, a pensions trade body said Tuesday.

  • March 04, 2025

    FCA Bans Ex-Credit Suisse Execs Linked To 'Tuna Bond' Case

    The City watchdog said Tuesday that it has banned two former Credit Suisse executives from U.K. financial services for lack of integrity after they were convicted in the U.S. for arranging corrupt loans to Mozambique.

  • March 04, 2025

    Verdane Ends £315M Offer Talks For Team Internet

    Swedish investment manager Verdane on Tuesday said it has backed out of talks to make a £315 million ($401 million) offer for British software company Team Internet Group PLC.

  • March 04, 2025

    Socialite Acquitted Over £200M Money Laundering Plot

    Socialite James Stunt was acquitted on Tuesday over his alleged involvement in an operation to launder £200 million ($254 million) of criminal money into gold. Four other men were convicted. 

  • March 03, 2025

    Investor To Pay £2M For 'Unashamed' Software Copying

    An investment firm must pay over £2.1 million ($2.7 million) in damages for "unashamedly misappropriating" a software developer's application designed to help the elderly care industry, a London court ruled Monday.

  • March 03, 2025

    UK Pensions Watchdog Calls For Improved Scheme Data

    The Pensions Regulator said Monday it has launched a strategy to help the retirement savings industry digitalize more data to help inform savers and product designers.

  • March 03, 2025

    Brookfield Launches In UK To Tap Pension Buyout Demand

    North American investment giant Brookfield Corp. said Monday it is poised to enter the U.K. pension transfer market, amid an increasing number of retirement savings plans offloading their liabilities to insurers.

  • March 03, 2025

    Ex-Barclays Trader Loses Fight To Redo Sexism Payout Fight

    A tribunal has tossed a bid by a former Barclays analyst for a review of her £50,000 ($63,500) payout for sex discrimination and a failure to accommodate her disabilities, ruling that it did not botch its original decision.

  • March 03, 2025

    Moving Shares Amid Fraud Claim Was Valid, Ex-Director Says

    A former director of a food products supplier has denied giving shares in a construction company to his wife and associates in the face of allegations of fraud and misrepresentation, saying that it was a "reasonable and commercial" reallocation of assets.

  • March 03, 2025

    AXA Launches €1.2B Share Buyback After Profit Gain

    AXA SA on Monday kick-started a program to repurchase up to €1.2 billion ($1.25 billion) worth of its own shares, after the French insurance giant unveiled a "very strong performance" for its 2024 financial year.

  • March 03, 2025

    Pension Insurer Utmost Appoints Schroders For £400M Book

    Utmost Life and Pensions has appointed Schroders to act as asset manager for its retirement portfolio, after the insurer entered the bulk purchase annuity market last year.

  • March 03, 2025

    Investec Bank Demands Pair Of Businessmen Pay £22M Debt

    Anglo-South African lender Investec Bank PLC has sued two "high net worth" individuals in London, claiming they failed to pay almost £22 million ($28 million) under loan agreements.

  • March 03, 2025

    Ex-Barclays CEO Banned For Lies, Not Epstein Ties, FCA Says

    The finance watchdog said at the start of a trial in London on Monday that it was concerned about James "Jes" Staley's personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein but that it banned the former Barclays boss for lying — not for his choice of friends.

  • February 28, 2025

    Illegal Crypto ATM Operator Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison

    A London judge sentenced a businessman to four years' imprisonment on Friday for illegally operating a network of crypto ATMs and producing fake documents to hide his involvement, saying his actions were "deliberate, carefully planned and thoroughly dishonest."

  • February 28, 2025

    Ex-Barclays Boss Staley Fights FCA Ban Over Epstein Ties

    Former Barclays boss Jes Staley will challenge on Monday the Financial Conduct Authority's ban for his lies about his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a high-stakes legal battle that will test the regulator's appetite for taking on the biggest cases. 

  • February 28, 2025

    FCA Charges Pair With Financial Fraud, Money Laundering

    The City watchdog said Friday that it has filed criminal charges against financial advisers Kerry Nelson and Jacqueline Stephens for alleged fraud, forgery and money laundering that lost clients £2 million ($2.5 million).

  • February 28, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen the billionaire Zakay brothers, founders of Topland Group, become embroiled in a legal dispute with each other, Unilever sue three major perfume companies over alleged illegal price-fixing, and the publisher of Vogue magazine file an intellectual property suit against Cornucopia Events. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 28, 2025

    Indian Beats Tax Fraud Extradition On Prison Extortion Fears

    Sanjay Bhandari will not be extradited to India to face charges of tax evasion and money laundering as a London court ruled Friday that he would be at "a real risk" of inhumane treatment in one of the largest prisons in the world.

  • February 28, 2025

    EU Asset Managers See Flaws In ESG Rules Revamping

    A trade body has warned that European proposals to water down ESG reporting rules for companies will leave asset managers waiting too long for data, and that it is unclear how broadly they must apply climate change reduction plans.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For Orgs Using NDAs In Light Of New UK Legislation

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    The recent passage of the Victims and Prisoners Act follows a crackdown on the misuse of nondisclosure agreements, but although NDAs are not prohibited and regulators recognize their legitimate justification, organizations relying on them must be able to clearly explain that justification if challenged, say attorneys at Macfarlanes.

  • What Alternative Fuel Proposals Mean For EU Infrastructure

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    The European Union’s proposed Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility, covering activities in the transport sectors supporting the decarbonization process, sets ambitious standards regarding the deployment of adequate supply infrastructure and offers new funding opportunities for port operators and shipowners, says Christian Bauer at Watson Farley.

  • Continuation Funds: What You Need To Know

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    As the continuation fund market matures, the structure and terms of these transactions have become increasingly complex, presenting challenges that should be carefully navigated by participants to ensure a successful transaction process, say lawyers at Skadden.

  • EU Anti-Greenwashing Guide Analyzed For Fund Managers

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    Anna Maleva-Otto and Matthew Dow at Schulte Roth explain how the European Securities and Markets Authority’s new guidelines on sustainability-related terms in fund names aim to protect European Union investors from unsubstantiated claims, and how they provide quantifiable criteria for determining which terms can be used to promote their funds.

  • FCA 'Finfluencer' Trial Exposes Social Media Promo Risks

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    The upcoming Financial Conduct Authority prosecution of nine individuals for Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 violations is the first time an online influencer will be tried for using social media to promote investments, demonstrating the need to be wary of the specific legal requirements surrounding financial product promotion, says David Claxton at Red Lion.

  • A Look At US-EU Consumer Finance Talks' Slow First Steps

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    The unhurried and informal nature of planned discussions between the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the European commissioner for justice and consumer protection suggests any coordinated regulatory action on issues like AI and "buy now, pay later" services is still a ways off, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • FCA Doubles Down On New Priorities With Target ID Plan

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    Respondents to the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent consultation on its plan to publicly name subjects under investigation are concerned that the regulator’s cost-benefit analysis has not adequately considered the risks, but the FCA is holding firm, and it seems likely the changes will be implemented, says James Tyler at Peters & Peters.

  • Examining Senior Managers' Accountability For AI Use

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    With the Financial Conduct Authority's artificial intelligence update and the Prudential Regulation Authority’s letter to the government offering key guidance on the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, Senior Managers in these organizations need to show they have taken steps to prevent breaching requirements in order not to be held personally accountable, says Jennifer Holyoake at DLA Piper.

  • FCA Brokerage Changes Offer Asset Managers Wider Options

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s fast-tracked plan to lift its controversial ban on joint payments to broker-dealers for third-party services will be welcomed by many asset managers wishing to return to a soft commission structure, say Richard Frase and Simon Wright at Dechert.

  • What Cos. Should Know About The EU Greenwashing Rules

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    The EU's recently proposed Green Claims Directive introduces new rules to improve the transparency and honesty of environmental claims in advertising, which will help ensure that consumers receive accurate and reliable information to make informed purchasing decisions, says Daja Apetz-Dreier at Morgan Lewis.

  • Sanctions Ruling Opens Door For Enforcer To Clear Up Rules

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    In Vneshprombank v. Bedzhamov, the High Court recently argued against a broader interpretation of the test on reasonable suspicion for asset freezes, offering the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation an opportunity to clarify when freezes should be applied and respond to judicial criticism of its guidance on financial sanctions, says Tasha Benkhadra at Corker Binning.

  • 'Debanking' Complaints Highlight Need For Flexibility In AML

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    The House of Commons' Treasury Committee's concerns about bank account closures have highlighted certain counterproductive features of anti-money laundering laws, and the review offers the opportunity for a more flexible approach, says John Binns at BCL Solicitors.

  • 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.

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