Expert Analysis

• Opinion

  FCA Greenwashing Rules Need To Be Stronger To Be Effective

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority's forthcoming anti-greenwashing measures, aimed at ensuring the veracity of regulated entities’ statements about sustainability credentials, need external scrutiny and an effective definition of "corporate social responsibility" to give them bite, says Jingchen Zhao at Nottingham Trent University.

• Companies House False Filings Raise Issues Of Integrity

  

  A recent spate of unauthorized company filings with Companies House raises specific concerns for secured lenders, but also highlights the potential for false filings to be used to facilitate fraudulent schemes, says Daniel Sullivan at Charles Russell.

• Gov't Probe Highlights Computer-Based Evidence Issues

  

  A recently launched U.K. Home Office probe, following the alleged use of faulty data in criminal cases, illuminates the need for scrutiny on the presumed reliability of evidence from computer-based systems, says Jessica Sobey at Stokoe Partnership.

• UK Courts Continue To Struggle With Crypto-Asset Cases

  

  Although the common law has proved capable of applying established principles to crypto-assets, recent cases highlight persistent challenges in identifying defendants, locating assets and determining jurisdiction, suggesting that any meaningful development will likely come from legislative or regulatory change, say Emily Saunderson and Sam Mitchell at Quadrant Chambers.

• Why Computer Evidence Is Not Always Reliable In Court

  

  Recent challenges to the admissibility of encrypted communication from the messaging tool EncroChat highlight the flawed presumption in the U.K. common law framework that computer evidence is always accurate, and why a nuanced assessment of such evidence is needed, say Sam De Silva and Josie Welland at CMS Legal.

• Comparing The UK And EU Approaches To AI Regulation

  

  While there are significant points of convergence between the recently published U.K. approach to artificial intelligence regulation and the EU AI Act, there is also notable divergence between them, and it appears that the U.K. will remain a less regulatory environment for AI in the foreseeable future, say lawyers at Steptoe.

• Lessons On Using 3rd-Party Disclosure Orders In Fraud Cases

  

  The expansion of the gateway for service out of jurisdiction regarding third-party information orders has proven to be an effective tool against fraud since it was introduced in 2022, and recent case law offers practical tips on what applicants should be aware of when submitting such orders, says Rosie Wild at Cooke Young.

• Compliance Points To Know About The EU Digital Services Act

  

  Online service providers in the European Union should prioritize understanding the scope of the recently implemented Digital Services Act, their specific legal obligations under it and the practical steps they must take to comply with the new law while obeying a raft of overlapping EU digital reforms, say Leo Moore and Róisín Culligan at William Fry.

• Independent Regulator Could Chip Away At FIFA Autonomy

  

  After the U.K.'s recent proposal for an independent football regulator, FIFA's commitment to safeguarding football association autonomy remains unwavering, despite a history of complexities arising from controversies in the bidding and hosting of major tournaments, say Yasin Patel at Church Court Chambers and Caitlin Haberlin-Chambers at SLAM Global.

• A Look At The Latest EU Alternative Investment Regulation

  

  Recent amendments to the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive governing a range of alternative investment funds reflect a growing regulatory focus on nonbanking financial institutions, which expand credit to support economic growth but carry a commensurate risk, say Juliette Mills and Alix Prentice at Cadwalader.

• Unpacking The Law Commission's Digital Assets Consultation

  

  The Law Commission recently published a consultation on recognizing a third personal property category to accommodate the development of digital assets, highlighting difficulties with current models of property rights and the potential consequences of considering digital assets as personal property, say Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP.

• Unpacking The FCA's Approach To AML Compliance Failures

  

  In light of the upward trend of skilled-person reviews by the Financial Conduct Authority, including the latest investigation into Lloyds' anti-money laundering controls, financial firms should familiarize themselves with the mechanisms of FCA supervision and enforcement investigations, says Kathryn Westmore at RUSI.

• New Russia Sanctions Reveal Int'l Enforcement Capabilities

  

  Significant new U.K., U.S. and EU sanctions imposed on Russia notably target Europe-based individuals and entities accused of sanctions evasion, and with an apparent political will to enhance capabilities, the rhetoric is translating into international enforcement activity, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

• Legal Sector Will Benefit From New Data Security Standard

  

  The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office-approved new privacy certification scheme for the legal profession will inevitably become the default for law firms, chambers and vendors to prove their U.K. General Data Protection Regulation compliance, says Orlagh Kelly at Briefed.

• Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

  

  Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.