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Financial Services UK
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August 08, 2024
UK Gov't Refunds £57M In Pension Freedoms Overtaxation
The government has been forced to repay £59.6 million ($75.5 million) in the three months between April and June to people who overpaid tax after they tapped into their pensions for the first time, according to HM Revenue and Customs.
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August 08, 2024
The Top Corporate Crime Cases Of 2024 So Far
The partial acquittal of two retired British executives on bribery charges as part of a major Serious Fraud Office investigation, the first bribery conviction of a foreign official and Julian Assange's shock plea deal are just a few of the blockbuster cases so far in 2024.
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August 08, 2024
FCA Proposes Framework For Long-Term Pensions Value
The finance watchdog has said it is planning a new "traffic light" guide for retirement investment plans as it seeks to improve long-term value in workplace pensions, shifting the emphasis for providers from a simple consideration of costs.
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August 08, 2024
Bank Of Cyprus To Quit LSE, Weighs Athens Move
Bank of Cyprus said Thursday that it plans to ditch its place on the London Stock Exchange in favor of a proposed listing on the Athens bourse, to boost its profile among investors in the region and enhance the liquidity of its shares.
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August 07, 2024
Asset Freeze Continuing In OneCoin Investor Claim
A London judge allowed a freezing order to continue Wednesday against eight people and four companies alleged to have been involved in the $4 billion OneCoin cryptocurrency scam, in an early stage of a group action claim brought by the scheme's investors.
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August 07, 2024
Adviser Tells Investor To Pay Up After €150M Investment
A real asset adviser has accused an investor of failing to pay for its services securing a €150 million ($164 million) investment.
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August 07, 2024
Thurrock Sues Advisers Over Bond Investment Guidance
A cash-strapped English local authority has sued Laven Advisors LLP for more than £20 million ($25.4 million), arguing that fraudulent statements by a representative of the regulatory host caused it to invest in high-risk bonds.
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August 07, 2024
Ex-Citibank Worker's Wages Claim Struck Out
An employment tribunal has refused to hear a former Citibank worker's claim that the lender unlawfully paid him nothing for his work, finding there is no evidence he did anything worth paying for after he knew his contract was terminated.
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August 07, 2024
Crypto-Asset Firms Must Improve On Compliance, FCA Says
The financial watchdog said Wednesday it has found that more work "needs to be done" to improve compliance with new marketing rules in many cases at crypto-asset companies
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August 07, 2024
Investment Co. Sues Rival Biz For Passing Off Qube TM
Qube Research & Technologies has sued a rival investment manager over the use of the word "Qube" in its branding, accusing it of trying to mislead consumers into believing that there is a connection between the companies.
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August 07, 2024
FCA Expands Leeds Office With 100 More Employees
Britain's financial watchdog announced plans on Wednesday to expand its presence in Leeds by adding 100 new employees to its workforce in the northern English city, reflecting the emergence of the region as a second financial center.
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August 07, 2024
Insurer Loses Appeal Over Romanian License Withdrawal
Euroins Insurance Group AD has lost its bid to challenge a refusal by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority to investigate why the Romanian Financial Supervisory Authority withdrew the operating license of a subsidiary, the EU-wide regulator said Wednesday.
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August 07, 2024
Gov't Urges Pension Plans To Feed Infrastructure Spending
The government said Wednesday that it wants the U.K. to adopt a Canadian-style model for pensions, with a handful of megafunds investing in vital infrastructure projects to "fire up" the economy.
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August 07, 2024
EY Sanctioned For Breaching Fee Cap Over Russian Client
The accounting watchdog said Wednesday that it has ordered Ernst & Young LLP to pay just over £251,000 ($319,000) for breaching a fee cap on work it carried out for Evraz, a steel and mining group based in Russia.
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August 07, 2024
Asset Manager To Pay Investors €250M After FCA Probe
The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that asset manager H20 AM LLP will pay €250 million ($272 million) to investors unable to gain access to funds since 2020 after the regulator found serious breaches of rules, including a failure to manage conflicts of interest and making false statements.
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August 06, 2024
Travel Biz Directors Misused Funds, Leaving £17.6M Shortfall
Directors of a defunct holiday tour operator left the company with a £17.6 million ($22.3 million) shortfall after racking up debts that were used to pay personal bills and transfer money to relatives, a London judge ruled Tuesday
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August 13, 2024
Davis Polk Hires PE Pro From A&O Shearman In London
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP said Tuesday that it has hired a private equity specialist from Allen Overy Shearman Sterling as a partner in its London corporate practice as the U.S. firm looks to seize "ripe" opportunities for growth in the City.
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August 06, 2024
Forfeiture Gives NCA's Rarely Used 'McMafia' Order A Boost
The seizure by the National Crime Agency of £22 million ($28 million) in properties from a banker's wife who is in prison allowed it to display its "McMafia" powers, although lawyers still have doubts about the future of the rarely-used enforcement tool.
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August 06, 2024
Senior SFO Official Heads For Exit After Less Than 2 Years
The Serious Fraud Office's chief operating officer is set to leave after less than two years on the job, leaving a vacancy at the top of the white-collar crime prosecutor as it undergoes a shake-up in leadership.
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August 06, 2024
BoE Identifies Resolution Issues At Top UK Banks
The Bank of England urged five major U.K. banks on Tuesday to make further enhancements in how they prepare for orderly failure in a report, identifying only at Standard Chartered a shortcoming that could impede resolution.
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August 06, 2024
Pension Body Urges Sector Tech Overhaul After CrowdStrike
The pension industry must take steps to bolster its data security or else put the life savings of millions of Britons at risk, experts warned Tuesday.
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August 06, 2024
Eversheds Steers Sale Of Kodak Unit By Pensions Lifeboat
The U.K. Pension Protection Fund has sold a business unit of photography giant Kodak to U.S. private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management in a deal steered by Eversheds Sutherland and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
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August 06, 2024
Law Firm Sued Over Negligent Property 'Ponzi Scheme' Advice
Four investors have sued AI Law for £373,000 ($473,000) over the regional English firm's alleged failure to advise them that there is a risk their purchase of leases in apartments was an investment in a potential Ponzi scheme.
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August 06, 2024
Alternative Investor Great Point Enters Into Liquidation
Alternative investment fund manager Great Point Investments Ltd. has wound up its operations and liquidated its assets to pay off creditors after its parent company became insolvent, the financial watchdog said Tuesday.
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August 06, 2024
Brown & Brown Buys Trade Credit Insurance Specialist
Brown & Brown (Europe) Ltd. said Tuesday that it has bought trade credit insurance broker The CI Group Holdings Ltd. to expand its services for lenders and the small and midsized businesses in the U.K.
Expert Analysis
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Takeaways From ICO's Action In NatWest Privacy Dispute
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office's latest intervention in the Nigel Farage NatWest Bank dispute highlights the importance of the legal responsibilities of all data processors in possession of sensitive information, and is a reminder that upholding bank customers' privacy rights is paramount, says James Kelliher at Keller Postman.
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How The OECD Global Tax Proposal Could Affect M&A
Following agreement on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Pillar Two proposal to introduce a global minimum tax, domestic implementation is expected to have a significant impact on international M&A transactions, with financial modeling, deal structuring, risk allocation and joint venture arrangements likely to be affected, say lawyers at Freshfields.
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How Russia Sanctions May Complicate Contract Obligations
Against the backdrop of recent comprehensive sanctions against Russia and Belarus, a review of recent U.K. case law clarifies that certain force majeure clauses likely cover trade sanctions, and that future litigation will further develop the scope of force majeure and frustration in the context of sanctions, says Frances Jenkins at Quillon Law.
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New Guidance Offers Clarity For Charities On ESG Investing
The need for charities to understand investing in line with environmental, social and governance aspirations has never been more pressing, and recently updated U.K. Charity Commission guidance should give trustees confidence to make decisions that are right for their organization, says Robert Nieri at Shoosmiths.
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US And EU Poised For Closer Ties In Tech Financial Market
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the European Commission are both concerned about the challenges posed by the increasing digitalization of financial products, such as the use of AI and new forms of credit, and by working together, the two regulators can share information and best practices, says Yulia Makarova at Cooley.
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FCA Case Failures Highlight Value Of Robust Investigation
The recent U.K. upper tribunal judgment in Seiler, Whitestone and Raitzin v. The Financial Conduct Authority, criticizing the regulator for accepting a narrative advanced by the firm, makes clear that such admissions must not get in the way of a proper investigation to enable agencies to target the correct individuals, say Tom Bushnell and Olivia Dwan at Hickman & Rose.
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UK Shares-Tax Proposals Offer Long-Awaited Modernization
The U.K. government's recent consultation on the introduction of a new tax on transactions in securities raises detailed legal and practical issues, but the prospect of a single digital stamp tax offering both streamlined legislation and administration will be welcomed, say Zoë Arnautov and Mark Sheiham at Simmons & Simmons.
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Directors Should Beware Reinvigorated UK Insolvency Service
The recent lengthy disqualification of Carillion directors serves as a salutary lesson to executives on the level of third-party scrutiny to which their actions may be exposed, and a reminder that the directors’ fiduciary duty to creditors is paramount once a company is irretrievably insolvent, says Ben Drew at Fladgate.
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The New Accountability Landscape For Financial Regulators
The preliminary-stage success of a group of U.K. lawmakers in a case against the Financial Conduct Authority highlights the significant hurdles for review of regulatory actions, but the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 creates additional visibility into the regulators' decision making, which may lead to an increase in judicial review activity, say attorneys at Cleary.
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Director Responsibilities Amid Russian Asset Seizures
Following Russia's recent takeover of several companies, shareholders may argue that directors failed to properly guard the companies' assets and choose to bring derivative claims or unfair prejudice petitions, say lawyers at Collyer Bristow.
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Investors Should Prepare For Possible EU Energy Treaty Exit
Following the European Commission’s recent call for the European Union and Euratom to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, investors in the energy sector should assess the legal structure of their existing investments and consider restructuring to ensure adequate protections, says Philipp Kurek at Kirkland.
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EU Raw Materials Initiative Vital For Sustainable Value Chains
The European Commission’s recent steps toward developing partnerships with the U.S. and Argentina to ensure a secure supply of critical raw materials are a welcome recognition of the importance of mining to the European Union's sustainable transition, say lawyers at Watson Farley.
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UK Top Court Ruling Spells Uncertainty For Litigation Funders
The U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision in Paccar Inc. v. Competition Appeal Tribunal has called litigation funding agreements impermissible, causing astonishment in the legal industry and raising questions over how funders should now approach litigation, say Mohsin Patel at Factor Risk Management and Imran Benson at Hailsham Chambers.
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Gender Diverse Boards May Reduce Corporate Fraud Risk
Following the recently proposed "failure to prevent fraud" offense, companies should focus on diversity in leadership as research shows that an increase in women's representation on boards is associated with a decreased probability of fraud, say Anoushka Warlow and Suzanne Gallagher at BCL Solicitors.
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Trustees Should Take Caution After UK Pension Tap Plan
The U.K. government's recent plan to boost technology startups by tapping into pension sector funds may risk the hard-earned savings of members, so trustees need to be mindful of the proposals in light of their fiduciary duties, say Beth Brown and Riccardo Bruno at Arc Pensions.