Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Financial Services UK
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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).
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
March 12, 2025
Gov't To Scrap UK Payments Watchdog To Boost Growth
The U.K. government has said that it will abolish the payments watchdog as the latest step to reduce the size and complexity of regulatory burdens on business.
-
March 12, 2025
UK Watchdogs Drop Diversity And Inclusion Regulation Plans
The financial services watchdogs have walked back plans to introduce new regulations for diversity and inclusion policies, saying on Wednesday that they hope to avoid duplicating existing regulation and legislative guidelines.
-
March 12, 2025
L&G Launches £500M Buyback, Reports 6% Rise In Profits
Legal & General Group PLC said Wednesday that it plans to line shareholders' pockets with £500 million ($647 million) over 2025 as it reported a 6% rise in core operating profits for 2024.
-
March 11, 2025
AXA Says Santander Was In 'Driving Seat' In £670M PPI Trial
Insurance giant AXA said at the start of a £670 million ($867 million) London trial Tuesday that Santander should compensate it for what it has paid out dealing with claims for missold payment protection insurance because the Spanish bank's subsidiary was "in the driving seat."
-
March 11, 2025
Over-50s Regret Not Taking Pension Seriously, Study Shows
A quarter of those over the age of 50 said they regret not taking their pension more seriously at a younger age, according to research from insurance giant Aviva that comes amid increased warnings about Britons not saving enough for retirement.
Expert Analysis
-
What Updated Guide Means For Jersey's Private Funds
The Jersey Financial Services Commission's recent updates to the Jersey Private Fund Guide clarify existing provisions and introduce new requirements for fund managers, service providers and investors, demonstrating a clear commitment to maintaining Jersey's reputation as an attractive jurisdiction for investment, say lawyers at Walkers Global.
-
The Road Ahead For Tokenized Investment Funds In The UK
With an HM Treasury working group expected to release the final phase of a road map for tokenized investment funds by the end of the year, Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP discuss the advantages for investors and fund administrators, the proposed model for implementation, and what the regulatory landscape may look like.
-
Review Of EU Cross-Border Merger Regs' Impact On Irish Cos.
Looking back on the year since the European Union Mobility Directive was transposed into Irish law, enabling Irish and European Economic Area limited liability companies to participate in cross-border deals, it is clear that restructuring options available to Irish companies with EU operations have significantly expanded, say lawyers at Matheson.
-
A Look At UK, EU And US Cartel Enforcement Trends
The European Union, U.K. and U.S. competition agencies' recently issued joint statement on competition risks in generative artificial intelligence demonstrates increased cross-border collaboration on cartel investigations, meaning companies facing investigations in one jurisdiction should anticipate related investigations in other jurisdictions, say lawyers at Latham & Watkins.
-
Testing The Limits Of English Courts' Pro-Arbitration Stance
Although the Court of Appeal recently upheld a $64 million arbitration award in Eternity Sky v. Zhang, the judgment offers rare insight into when the English courts’ general inclination to enforce arbitral awards may be outweighed by competing policy interests such as consumer rights, say Declan Gallivan and Peter Morton at K&L Gates.
-
What Green Claims Directive Proposal Means For Businesses
With the European Union’s recent adoption of a general approach to the proposed Green Claims Directive, which will regulate certain environmental claims and likely be finalized next year, companies keen to publicize their green credentials have even more reason to tread carefully, say Marcus Navin-Jones and Juge Gregg at Crowell & Moring.
-
£43M Legal Bill Case Shows Courts' View On Exchange Rates
A recent Court of Appeal decision declined to change the currency used for payment of the Nigerian government's legal bill, aligning with British courts' consensus that they should not be concerned with how fluctuating exchange rates might benefit one party over another, says Francis Kendall at Kain Knight.
-
Examining The EU's New Payments Services Package
Following recent European Parliament elections, the spotlight is turning to the highly anticipated payments services package expected in September, marking a pivotal moment in the legislative process that will reshape the payment services ecosystem in the European Union, says Kristýna Tupá and Karolína Hlavinková at Schoenherr.
-
Examining The State Of Paccar Fixes After General Election
Following the U.K. Supreme Court's Paccar decision last year, which made many litigation funding agreements for opt-out collective actions in the Competition Appeal Tribunal unenforceable, the judiciary will likely take charge in implementing any fixes — but the general election has created uncertainty, says Ben Knowles at Clyde & Co.
-
EU Reports Signal Greenwashing Focus For Financial Sector
Reports from the European Supervisory Authorities on enforcement of sustainability information, plus related guidance issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority, represent a fundamental change in how businesses must operate to maintain integrity and public trust, say Amilcare Sada and Matteo Fanton at A&O Shearman.
-
Opinion
Without Change, Fighting Fraud Is A Losing Battle For The UK
To successfully fight fraud cases in the U.K. — like the Russian Coms scam recently shut down by the National Crime Agency — it is clear there needs to be significant investment in recruiting and training expert investigators, and meaningful engagement between the country’s intelligence platforms, says Anthony Hanratty at Howard Kennedy.
-
Embedding Consumer Duty: 6 Areas Firms Should Prioritize
The Financial Conduct Authority has repeatedly emphasized that complying with the Consumer Duty is not a tick-box exercise but an ongoing responsibility, so firms need to show that the duty is at the heart of their practices by staying compliant in areas from cultural change to customer vulnerability, say Nicola Higgs and Becky Critchley at Latham.
-
2 UK Rulings Highlight Persistent Push Payment Fraud Issues
Two recent High Court decisions, Larsson v. Revolut and Terna DOO v. Revolut, demonstrate that authorized push payment fraud continues to cause headaches for consumers and financial institutions alike, and with forthcoming mandatory reimbursement requirements, more APP fraud litigation can be expected, say lawyers at Charles Russell.
-
Open Questions 3 Years After 2nd Circ.'s Fugitive Ruling
The Second Circuit’s 2021 decision in U.S. v. Bescond, holding that a French resident indicted abroad did not meet the legal definition of a fugitive, deepened a circuit split on the fugitive disentitlement doctrine, and courts continue to grapple with the doctrine’s reach and applicability, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.
-
Key Points From UK Prospectus Regime Reform Consultation
The Financial Conduct Authority's current consultation on U.K. prospectus regime reform proposals, including when a prospectus will be required and the requirements concerning content, is designed to enhance the attractiveness of the U.K.'s capital markets, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.