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Financial Services UK
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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March 12, 2025
Gold Mining Co. Must Pay Adviser $2M For Merger Work
A London court on Wednesday awarded an investment bank $2 million for work it did for a gold mining giant as part of a merger that created what was then the largest mining company in the world.
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March 19, 2025
Pierson Ferdinand Hires Former Magistrate From Walkers
Pierson Ferdinand LLP has recruited Daniel Hayward-Hughes, a former magistrate and associate with Walkers, as a junior partner in its international disputes practice as the firm continues to grow its London office a year after its launch.
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March 12, 2025
HMRC To Reward Whistleblowers Who Expose Tax Fraud
Insiders who tip off investigators to serious tax avoidance by large companies and rich elites will be paid a cut of any money the U.K. tax enforcer claws back under a new policy proposed by the government.
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March 12, 2025
FCA Drops Plan To 'Name And Shame' Firms It Investigates
The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that it has scrapped its proposals to publicly identify companies at an early stage in enforcement investigations as the watchdog responds to widespread resistance from the sector.
Expert Analysis
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Mitigating Incarceration's Impacts On Foreign Nationals
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.
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Decoding Arbitral Disputes: The Benefits Of Non-EU Venues
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.
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How Proposed Platforms For Unlisted Co. Trading May Work
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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Experian Ruling Helps Cos. Navigate GDPR Transparency
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.
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Clarity Is Central Theme In FCA's Greenwashing Guidance
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.
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How New FCA Rules Strengthen Borrower Protections
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.
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Opinion
New Property Category Not Needed To Regulate Digital Assets
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.
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FTSE Draft Rules Show Impact Of FCA Listing Reforms
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.
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FCA Strikes A Balance With 'Finfluencer' Guidance
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.
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Dissecting Recent Developments Against The Misuse Of NDAs
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.
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What To Know About The Russia-Stranded Plane Ruling
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.
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3 Notable Pensions Reforms In Spring Budget
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.
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Assessing The FCA Data Study's Response To User Concerns
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.
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Focus On Private Funds Will Boost Ireland's Global Standing
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.
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Cum-Ex Prosecutions Storm Shows No Sign Of Abating
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.