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Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

SFO Looks Toward Technology, AI Overhaul After Ephgrave

The goal of the Serious Fraud Office to accelerate its investigations through intelligence-gathering and technology signals that the white-collar agency's new interim director will persist with plans put in place by predecessor Nick Ephgrave after his surprise exit earlier in April.

Exterior of the home of the High Court and appeals court in London at twilight.

Glencore Ruling Broadens Scope For Challenge Over Privilege

A recent court ruling that expands legal advice privilege to cover some internal corporate communications gives companies greater scope for withholding sensitive material but is likely to prompt challenges over whether those documents meet the test for protection, lawyers say.

Builders Brace To Fight Tax Fraud 'Should Have Known' Test

Britain's tax agency has begun to wield strengthened enforcement powers to combat tax fraud in the construction industry after reforms that lawyers warn could trigger disputes as businesses challenge whether they meet the regime's contentious "should have known" test.

Union flag flies high over Parliament Square in 2023.

Fair Work Agency Chief On Launch: 'We're Here To Listen'

The new Fair Work Agency is "here to listen" to employers as well as workers, its chief executive said ahead of its official launch on April 7.

April 22, 2026
Real Estate Co. Fights Exit Tax On £142M Over Legal Certainty

A tribunal breached the principle of legal certainty in European Union law by ruling in favor of Britain's tax authority in a dispute over an exit tax on capital gains of £142 million ($192 million), a real estate investment company told a London court Wednesday.
April 22, 2026
Class Rep Seeks To Revive £2.7B FX Claim As Opt-In Action

A competition law consultant is fighting to relaunch a £2.7 billion ($3.65 billion) class action against major banks over alleged foreign exchange-rigging as an opt-in claim after a tribunal rejected it as an opt-out case.
April 22, 2026
LC&F Solicitor Banned For Backdating Docs To Mislead FCA

A solicitor found to have abetted a Ponzi scheme that siphoned off millions of pounds from British investors was banned from practicing on Wednesday after a disciplinary tribunal found that he had backdated documents to mislead auditors and regulators.
April 22, 2026
FCA Leads 1st Raids On Illegal Crypto-Traders

The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that it has led its first operation with other enforcement agencies to disrupt illegal peer-to-peer crypto-trading in locations across London.
April 22, 2026
Regulators Cut Burden On Senior Managers In Rule Changes

The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulatory Authority set out on Wednesday finalized reforms to the Senior Managers and Certification Regime that will reduce costs and increase flexibility for businesses.
April 22, 2026
FCA Faces Challenge Over Motor Finance Redress Formula

A consumer organization said Wednesday that it will bring a legal challenge to review how the Financial Conduct Authority's £7.5 billion ($10 billion) motor finance redress system is calculated, the first time such a program has been tested.
April 22, 2026
SFO Arrests 4 In Fraud Probe Into £4B Gov't Energy Scheme

The Serious Fraud Office said it arrested four people on Wednesday in an investigation into a £4 billion ($5.4 billion) government-backed scheme designed to cut fuel poverty and slash carbon emissions.
April 21, 2026
EU Adopts Anti-Corruption Law With 5% Turnover Fines

The European Union gave the final go-ahead Tuesday to a new directive on combating corruption, with fines of up to 5% of world turnover or €40 million ($47 million), adding a potential aggravating factor if offenders are banks or law firms.
April 21, 2026
SRA Fights Axiom Ince's £65M Fraud Oversight Claim

The Solicitors Regulation Authority hit back at claims from the now-defunct Axiom Ince that it was negligent in failing to spot the firm's leaders' alleged misappropriation of £65 million ($87.7 million) in client money early on.
April 21, 2026
SFO Commits To 'Business As Usual' Amid Director Change

The top lawyer at the Serious Fraud Office signaled on Tuesday that it will be "business as usual" for enforcement despite the recent change in leadership at the white-collar agency — but disclosure remains its biggest challenge and must be improved.
April 21, 2026
Payroll VAT Fraudsters Jailed For 22 Years

Four directors of a payroll company were sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for a two-year £8.8 million ($11.9 million) value-added tax fraud scheme, HM Revenue and Customs said Tuesday.
April 21, 2026
Ex-Oil Execs Say 'Dishonest' Asset Freeze Cost Them $1B

Two former top executives at oil trader Arcadia told a court on Tuesday that a decadelong order freezing their assets in support of a meritless fraud claim prevented them from setting up a business that would have earned them more than $1.1 billion.
April 21, 2026
FCA Picks 8 More Companies To Test AI On Customers

The Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday that it has chosen Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group's Scottish Widows, UBS and five other companies for a second round of live testing of artificial intelligence on real customers.
April 21, 2026
SRA Finds Suspected Fraud In PM Law's £40M Shortfall

The Solicitors Regulation Authority said Tuesday that it has uncovered a "sophisticated suspected fraud" at PM Law Ltd. involving £39.5 million ($53 million) in client funds allegedly removed and misused by the firm.
April 21, 2026
ENRC's $290M Claim Defies Decades Of Precedent, SFO Says

The Serious Fraud Office and Dechert argued at trial on Tuesday that the $290 million claim brought by ENRC over a botched criminal investigation flies in the face of 30 years of legal precedent and simply "doesn't work."
April 21, 2026
The 2026 UK Lawyer Satisfaction Survey: Where Do You Stand?

How is your work-life balance? Are you content with your compensation and opportunities for advancement at work? Take the 2026 Law360 UK Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts.
April 20, 2026
UK Wine Fraudster Gets 10 Years For $97M Ponzi Scheme

A Brooklyn federal judge on Monday sentenced a former executive of a U.K. wine company to 10 years in prison for his role in a $97 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors in loans that were falsely billed as being fully collateralized by high-value wine collections, calling it a "very brazen crime that led to mass amounts of theft."
April 20, 2026
UK Co. Should Have Known About VAT Fraud, Tribunal Says

A computer company should have known it was dealing with value-added tax fraudsters whose business was too good to be true, so HMRC's denial of a nearly £430,000 ($582,000) tax deduction is valid, the First-tier Tribunal said in a decision.
April 20, 2026
SRA Fines 4 Firms Over Anti-Money Laundering Breaches

The English solicitors watchdog has hit a law firm with an almost £14,000 ($19,000) penalty and fined three others £750 in the latest round of sanctions over anti-money laundering compliance failings.
April 20, 2026
Solicitor Barred After Falsifying Time Sheets

An associate who falsified time records and billed clients for work he never completed has been struck off and ordered to pay £10,000 ($13,540), after admitting that he had created misleading billing entries for up to three years.
April 20, 2026
Reform UK Deputy Says His Co. May Have Made Tax Errors

Reform UK deputy Richard Tice said "some errors" are inevitable when running multiple businesses following a report that his investment company failed to pay almost £100,000 ($135,000) in corporate tax, adding that he would pay up if it is found he owes more taxes.
April 20, 2026
Refinitiv Settles Children's World-Check Privacy Claim

A court approved a settlement Monday between Refinitiv and two grandchildren of Serbian politicians over a claim that they were unlawfully identified as relatives of politically exposed people, before what would have been the first trial to consider data protection law and a know-your-client database.
April 20, 2026
Ex-OPEC Head Denies 'Willy-Nilly' Shopping In Corruption Trial

A former Nigerian oil minister standing trial for allegedly accepting bribes from energy executives denied before jurors in London on Monday that she "was cavorting with friends willy-nilly" on shopping trips.
April 20, 2026
EU Banks Urge Lawmakers To Stop Overlap In Regulations

A trade body for European financial institutions called on lawmakers on Monday to finalize the bloc's single market for banking in order to address overlapping regulatory requirements that restrict competitiveness.
April 20, 2026
FCA Sets Out 2026 Program For Helping Innovation And AI

The Financial Conduct Authority set out its innovation priorities for 2026 to 2027 on Monday, promising better guidance for businesses to use its testing routes for developing new models in technologies including artificial intelligence.

Editor's Picks

New 'British FBI' Plan Missing Vital Detail, Lawyers Say

Plans by the government to merge several fraud enforcement agencies give little detail about how the largest policing overhaul in 200 years will operate in practice, although lawyers say the Serious Fraud Office appears to be safe — for now.
Slapped Down: SRA At Crossroads After SLAPP Setbacks

The string of failed prosecutions brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority against City lawyers accused of trying to silence journalists on behalf of clients has raised questions about its enforcement strategy, with critics accusing the watchdog of overreaching its rules.
Meet The Lawyers Tapped To Defend In Entain Bribery Case

Eleven gambling managers and employees, including former top executives at Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain PLC, have enlisted veteran defense counsel and some of the country's most experienced trial solicitors and barristers to defend themselves against the Crown Prosecution Service's bribery and fraud charges.

Expert Analysis

How New EU Third-Country Branch Rules Will Affect UK Banks

The European Union's new directive on third-country branch rules for non-EU banks will have a significant impact on U.K. banks, which will no longer be permitted to provide core cross-border services into the EU without a local presence, unless an applicable exemption or carveout applies, say lawyers at Farrer & Co.
Lessons From ESMA's Record €1.4M Trade Repository Fine

The European Securities and Markets Authority's recent fine against REGIS-TR for data and procedure breaches under Market Infrastructure and Securities Financing Regulations demonstrates that a license confers no immunity from sanctions, and that dually registered trade repositories face a greater financial exposure in the event of noncompliance, say lawyers at White & Case.
CMA's 5-Point Plan Signals Shift In Enforcement Priorities

The Competition and Markets Authority’s recently published annual plan is notable for a strong shift toward prioritizing U.K. enforcement of consumer protection laws, encouraging innovation and policing public procurement markets for anticompetitive conduct, which contrasts with previous plans that focused on competition in digital markets, complex merger review and sustainability, say lawyers at Cooley.
A New Era For UK Financial Sanctions Enforcement

A major overhauling of the U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation brings it into closer alignment with its U.S. counterpart, though it also deliberately diverges in ways that carry real consequences for exposure modeling and enforcement strategy, says Irene Polieri at Gibson Dunn.
ECJ Ruling Shows When Cos. Can Reject Data Requests

The European Court of Justice’s recent decision in Brillen Rottler v. TC clarifies that although data controllers must be cautious in declining data subject access requests under the EU General Data Protection Regulation, a company may refuse to respond where the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, even at first contact, says Rob Dalling at Jenner & Block.
Dubai Ruling Delineates Standard For Foreign Arbitration Aid

By delineating the limits of its jurisdiction with clarity, in the recent Orabelle v. Orzenia decision, the Court of First Instance of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts enhances predictability and reinforces the court's standing as a forum combining international openness with strict adherence to statutory constraints, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.
What CMA Blog Reveals About Pricing Collusion Scrutiny

The Competition and Markets Authority's recent blog post announcing capabilities to screen for algorithmic collusion demonstrates that the regulator's concerns are crystallizing into enhanced investigative and enforcement actions, broadening the range of commercial arrangements at risk of antitrust scrutiny, say lawyers at Freshfields.
Carillion Fines Show FCA's Broad View Of Directors' Duties

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent issuing of final notices to Carillion’s former group CEO demonstrates that executive directors cannot recklessly allow misleading public announcements that undermine market confidence, says Wendy Saunders at Lewis Silkin.
Assessing Potential Legal Claims From Private Credit Turmoil

Amid the downturn in the private credit markets spurred by multiple high-profile bankruptcies, a New York lawsuit stemming from the collapse of First Brands provides an important case study for investors to help minimize future losses and maximize any potential recovery in the event of a private credit default, say attorneys at Bleichmar Fonti.
What New FCA Rules Mean For Deferred Payment Providers

New rules from the Financial Conduct Authority requiring deferred payment credit providers to obtain a financial services license have two notable implications: providers will be subject to full compliance with the regulator’s consumer duty, and must meet its organizational and governance requirements, says Alix Prentice at Cadwalader.
FCA Stablecoin Sandbox Indicates Shift In Crypto Regulation

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent decision to use four companies to test stablecoin models within its regulatory sandbox provides a mechanism for testing real-world use cases, and shines a light on the U.K.'s broader strategy in the context of global stablecoin legislation, says Ben Lee at Andersen.
Who Will Be 1st To Prosecute New Corporate Fraud Offense?

With no prosecutions under the failure to prevent fraud offense six months on from its introduction, lawyers at BCL Solicitors explore the front-runners in the race to prosecute, and consider whether a private prosecutor might beat a state prosecuting authority to the finish line.
What EU Cybersecurity Proposals Could Mean For Tech Cos.

The European Commission’s recent proposals for further communication technologies regulation via the Cybersecurity Act 2 and Digital Networks Act signify a substantive shift in how the European Union expects digital services, infrastructure and supply chains to function in an era of intensifying geopolitical risk, say lawyers at Akin.
FCA's £44M Nationwide Fine Highlights AML Control Gaps

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent £44 million fine of Nationwide Building Society for anti-money laundering control failures demonstrates that where a firm does not implement appropriate policies and remediation projects, there is a risk that noncompliance will remain unaddressed, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.
What Brazil's Adequacy Status Will Mean For EU Data Flow

The European Commission’s recent historic decision to grant full adequacy status to Brazil for personal data transfers removes a significant compliance burden for organizations and offers an opportunity to simplify transfer mechanisms, positioning Brazil as a major gateway for EU-Latin America data flows, say lawyers at Gibson Dunn.