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Financial Services UK
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Featured
Experts See Risks In FCA's Soft-Touch Response To AI
The Financial Conduct Authority has so far failed to detail its rules on artificial intelligence and is moving toward a reliance on companies to self-report, putting it at risk of deferring excessively to the sector it regulates, legal experts say.
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July 04, 2024
Labour Gov't To Prioritize Competitive Financial Regulation
The Labour government is expected to step up regulatory change to make the country's financial services more innovative and globally competitive, with centralized oversight of the watchdogs to ensure they help consumers and facilitate economic growth.
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July 04, 2024
Labour's Big UK Election Win Clears Way For Tax Reform
Labour's victory in the U.K. general election clears the way for plans to raise taxes on the rich to close a widening spending gap, but it could also mean wider fiscal reform in the new government's first budget later this year.
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July 04, 2024
Prime Minister Sunak Concedes Defeat In UK Election Rout
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat on Friday in a general election that saw his Conservative Party lose to a decisive swing in electoral support in favor of Keir Starmer's Labour Party, ending 14 years of Tory government.
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July 04, 2024
HSBC Wins Appeal Over Brexit Move Of EU Body To Ireland
High street lender HSBC had no option but to move the U.K. arm of its European works council to Ireland after Brexit despite protests from the representative body for European staff, an appellate tribunal ruled Thursday.
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July 04, 2024
WSJ Publisher Dow Jones Must Face Bankers' GDPR Claims
The Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones has failed to strike out data protection allegations brought against it by two investment bankers as a London court found the claims were not a tactic to avoid the difficulties of bringing a defamation claim.
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July 04, 2024
Pope Aide Says Vatican 'Trapped' By UK Property Deal
A close aide to the pope testified Thursday that he authorized payments of Є15 million ($16.2 million) to an Italian broker to regain full ownership for the Vatican of a London building at the heart a now-notorious property deal.
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July 04, 2024
Lender Hits Elite Law For £1.9M Over Alleged Loan Breach
A lender has sued Elite Law Solicitors after it allegedly failed to spot that its client was a fraud and did not secure necessary protections over a £1.9 million ($2.4 million) property loan, telling a court that this has left it unable to recover its cash.
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July 04, 2024
Emirati Scrap Metal Sellers Lied To Secure $45M Loan
A Dubai shipping broker and his son made false and fraudulent representations when they secured a $45 million loan arrangement from a Norwegian security agent and other lenders, a London court has ruled.
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July 04, 2024
Insurers Disadvantaged By EU Sustainability Reporting Rules
European insurers have warned that bloc-wide rules on sustainability reporting for the sector are incomplete and inconsistent, meaning they are not reliable for investors.
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July 04, 2024
Briton Wins Bid To Challenge $99M Wine Fraud Extradition
A British businessman accused of defrauding investors out of $99 million by persuading them to make interest-bearing loans using valuable wine collections as collateral won a chance on Thursday to challenge his extradition to the U.S.
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July 04, 2024
Pension Deals Market 'Driven By Transactions Under £100M'
The record number of pension deals in the U.K. last year was driven primarily by smaller transactions of less than £100 million ($127.6 million), a consultancy has said.
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July 04, 2024
London IPO Market Gaining Momentum, EY Study Finds
The London Stock Exchange attracted eight companies to take a listing in the first sixth months of 2024, raising a total of £513.8 million ($655.3 million), EY has said, signaling that the IPO market is gaining some momentum after a challenging couple of years.
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July 04, 2024
Barclays Sells €4.7B German Consumer Biz To Austrian Bank
Barclays PLC said Thursday that it will sell its €4.7 billion ($5.1 billion) German consumer finance business to Austrian lender BAWAG as the British bank moves to simplify its operations.
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July 03, 2024
Ukraine Bank Slams Stay Request In $1.1B Suit Against Russia
A Ukrainian bank is challenging the Russian Federation's bid to stay litigation to enforce a $1.1 billion arbitral award against the Kremlin pending efforts to annul the award in France, saying Russia's argument involves a string of contingencies that a D.C. federal judge should not entertain.
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July 03, 2024
M&G Lands £309M Pension Deal For Machinery Co.
A subsidiary of finance and insurance company M&G PLC has taken on £309 million ($394.3 million) worth of pension liabilities from a scheme sponsored by machinery manufacturer NSK, in a deal guided by Shoosmiths, CMS and Hogan Lovells.
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July 03, 2024
PIC Seals £1.2B 2nd TotalEnergies UK Pension Plan Buy-in
Pension Insurance Corporation PLC on Wednesday concluded a £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) second buy-in with the trustee of TotalEnergies UK Pension Plan, a deal considered the largest completed pension scheme buy-in thus far this year, according to an announcement by PIC.
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July 03, 2024
Credit Suisse Units Fined $19.5M For South Korea Breaches
South Korea's financial services watchdog said Wednesday it has fined two subsidiaries of the Credit Suisse group, which was absorbed by UBS in 2023, a record total of 27.17 billion South Korean won ($19.5 million) for breaching short selling rules.
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July 03, 2024
WTW Launches Insurance Policy For Asset Managers
WTW has launched a new policy designed to provide a single comprehensive cover for asset managers rather than traditional insurance options that often require multiple policies.
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July 03, 2024
Financial Intel Biz Buys Abrdn's Compliance Unit For £14.6M
Financial data intelligence provider Fintel said Wednesday that it has acquired Threesixty Services, a business support company, from British investment giant Abrdn for £14.6 million ($18.5 million) to boost its portfolio.
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July 02, 2024
Gambling Biz Settles €273M Buyout Dispute With Financier
Gambling hall operator MaxBet has settled a host of international legal disputes with Luxembourg-based financial holdings company Maximus stemming from a deal for Maximus to purchase various MaxBet-owned businesses that went south, lawyers for MaxBet told Law360 on Tuesday.
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July 02, 2024
£8.5M Property Deal Said To Defraud Creditors In Debt Row
A British Virgin Islands-registered company has asked a London court to declare that the transfer of an estimated £8.5 million ($10.8 million) property by one of its debtors was done to intentionally hinder the company's chances to reclaim the money it is allegedly owed.
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July 02, 2024
Worldpay Faces Demand For Client Info In Alleged FX Fraud
An architecture firm has asked a London court to order merchant service provider Worldpay to hand over a virtual ledger of one of its customer's accounts in an attempt to track down $1.17 million allegedly missing in a forex broker fraud.
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July 02, 2024
EU Watchdog Requires Regulatory Liaison On Insurer Moves
The European Union's insurance watchdog has published ground rules for regulators from departure and destination countries of insurers relocating within the bloc to engage actively and clearly.
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July 02, 2024
FCA Approves PE Firm's £432M Bid For Wealth Manager
Wealth management firm Mattioli Woods said Monday that the U.K.'s financial regulator has given a green light to its approximately £432 million ($546 million) acquisition by London private equity firm Pollen Street Capital.
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July 02, 2024
City Body Calls For Digital Gilt To Boost Retail Investing
Britain's leading financial services trade body called Tuesday for a U.K. digital gilt to encourage retail investors, in a set of briefing papers aiming to improve competitiveness of capital markets.
Editor's Picks
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UK Draft Pay Fraud Rules Open Tricky Legal Liabilities
The government's new draft legislation, which will give banks longer to investigate suspicions of fraud before they send payments instructed by customers, will create a wave of new legal liabilities and lead to regulatory hurdles, according to lawyers.
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FCA Fires Warning Shot Over City's Consumer Duty Failings
The Financial Conduct Authority has sent out a fresh warning to financial services companies highlighting how some of them are failing to comply with its Consumer Duty regime. But experts have told Law360 that the expectations are unclear.
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5 Questions for Osborne Clarke Partner Nick Price
The Payment Systems Regulator is due to start forcing payment firms to reimburse victims of scams who have been tricked by a fraudster into transferring them money. Here, Law360 talks to Osborne Clarke partner Nick Price about how this new regime could mean uncertainty about compliance.
Expert Analysis
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Why Reperforming Loan Securitization In UK And EU May Rise
The recently published new U.K. securitization rules will largely bring the U.K.’s nonperforming loan regime in line with the European Union, and together with the success of EU and U.K. banks in reducing loan ratios, reperforming securitizations may feature more prominently in relevant markets going forward, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.
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What French Watchdog Ruling Means For M&A Landscape
Although ultimately dismissed due to lack of evidence, the French competition authority’s recent post-closing review of several nonreportable mergers is a landmark case that highlights the increased complexity of such transactions, and is further testament to the European competition authorities’ willingness to expand their toolkit to address below-threshold M&As, say lawyers at Cleary.
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New Directors' Code Of Conduct May Serve As Useful Guide
Although the Institute of Directors’ current proposal for a voluntary code of conduct is strongly supported by its members, it must be balanced against the statutory requirement for directors to promote their company’s success, and the risk of claims by shareholders if their decisions are influenced by wider social considerations, says Matthew Watson at RPC.
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Exploring The EU's Draft Standards On Crypto Authorization
The European Securities and Markets Authority’s recently published draft standards aim to promote fair competition and a safer environment for crypto providers and investors, detailing precisely the information to be provided to national authorities in charge of screening the acquisitions of a qualifying holding, says Mathieu de Korvin at Norton Rose.
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How FCA Guidance Aligns With Global Cyberattack Measures
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s recent guidance on preparing for cyberattacks aligns with the global move by financial regulators to focus on operational resilience, highlighting the importance of proactive strategies and robust resilience frameworks to mitigate disruptions, while observing a disappointing level of engagement by the industry, say Alix Prentice and Grace Ncube at Cadwalader.
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Takeaways From Regulators' £61.6M Citigroup Trading Fine
Following the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority’s recent significant fining of Citigroup for its catastrophic trading error, and with more enforcement likely, institutions should update their controls and ensure system warnings do not become routine and therefore disregarded, says Abdulali Jiwaji at Signature Litigation.
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Factors For London Cos. To Consider If Adding US Listings
Recent reports of a continuing valuation gap between London and New York have resulted in some London-listed companies considering U.S. listings to gain an increased investor base, but with various obligations and implications involved in such a move, organizations should consider whether there is a real benefit from trading there, say lawyers at Winston & Strawn.
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Assessing The Energy Act 2023, Eight Months On
Although much of the detail required to fully implement the Energy Act 2023 remains to be finalized, the scale of change in the energy sector is unprecedented, and with the U.K. prioritizing achieving net-zero, it is likely that developments will continue at pace, say lawyers at Paul Hastings.
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Opinion
Why Timing Makes UK Libor Judgments Controversial
The recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in the R v. Hayes and Palombo appeal against Libor convictions demonstrates that had U.K. regulators probed with the facts known today, civil claims in all jurisdictions would be dismissed and a decadelong wasted investigation should be put to rest, says Charles Kuhn at Clyde & Co.
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Tips For Orgs Using NDAs In Light Of New UK Legislation
The recent passage of the Victims and Prisoners Act follows a crackdown on the misuse of nondisclosure agreements, but although NDAs are not prohibited and regulators recognize their legitimate justification, organizations relying on them must be able to clearly explain that justification if challenged, say attorneys at Macfarlanes.
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What Alternative Fuel Proposals Mean For EU Infrastructure
The European Union’s proposed Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility, covering activities in the transport sectors supporting the decarbonization process, sets ambitious standards regarding the deployment of adequate supply infrastructure and offers new funding opportunities for port operators and shipowners, says Christian Bauer at Watson Farley.
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Continuation Funds: What You Need To Know
As the continuation fund market matures, the structure and terms of these transactions have become increasingly complex, presenting challenges that should be carefully navigated by participants to ensure a successful transaction process, say lawyers at Skadden.
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EU Anti-Greenwashing Guide Analyzed For Fund Managers
Anna Maleva-Otto and Matthew Dow at Schulte Roth explain how the European Securities and Markets Authority’s new guidelines on sustainability-related terms in fund names aim to protect European Union investors from unsubstantiated claims, and how they provide quantifiable criteria for determining which terms can be used to promote their funds.
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FCA 'Finfluencer' Trial Exposes Social Media Promo Risks
The upcoming Financial Conduct Authority prosecution of nine individuals for Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 violations is the first time an online influencer will be tried for using social media to promote investments, demonstrating the need to be wary of the specific legal requirements surrounding financial product promotion, says David Claxton at Red Lion.
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A Look At US-EU Consumer Finance Talks' Slow First Steps
The unhurried and informal nature of planned discussions between the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the European commissioner for justice and consumer protection suggests any coordinated regulatory action on issues like AI and "buy now, pay later" services is still a ways off, say attorneys at DLA Piper.