Financial Services UK

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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.
August 16, 2024
Local Council Accuses Tycoon Of Misappropriating £150M

A local English council pushed into effective bankruptcy after a spate of failed investments has sued a businessman for upward of £150 million ($194 million) it claims he siphoned off to buy yachts, private jets and a country estate.
August 16, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen Barry Manilow sued by music rights company Hipgnosis, a struck-off immigration lawyer take on the Solicitor's Disciplinary Tribunal and the former CEO of a collapsed bridging loan firm start proceedings against the FCA. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
August 16, 2024
Pension Scheme Endgames Pushed Back Amid Falling Yields

The average timeline for U.K. pension schemes to reach a point where they can buy out their liabilities with an insurance company was extended last month, due to falling bond yields, experts said.
August 16, 2024
Specialist Lender OSB Announces New £50M Share Buyback

OSB Group PLC said it will roll out a share repurchase program worth up to £50 million ($65 million) as the buy-to-let lender announced an increased pretax profit but warned of more competition in the "subdued" mortgage market.
August 16, 2024
PwC Fined £15M For Failing To Flag LC&F Fraud Suspicion

The Financial Conduct Authority said Friday it has fined PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP £15 million ($19.3 million) for failing to report to the regulator its belief that London Capital & Finance PLC might be involved in fraud.
August 16, 2024
Revolut Valued At $45B After Secondary Equity Issue

U.K. fintech Revolut said Friday it has secured a $45 billion valuation in a share sale by its employees to new and existing investors, cementing its status as Europe's most valuable private technology company.
August 16, 2024
FCA Apologizes For Treatment of 'Voluntary Requirement'

Britain's financial watchdog has apologized for an unnecessary extension of two years of publishing on its register a "voluntary requirement" for a company indicating failure to meet standards after the Complaints Commissioner upheld a claim.
August 15, 2024
Union Group Calls For UK To Address Gender Pension Gap

The Trades Union Congress has said retired women receive £7,000 ($9,000) a year less from their pensions than retired men, a gender gap, it warns, that is closing far too slowly.
August 15, 2024
Gov't Urged To Unlock £16B LGPS Pensions For Investment

The U.K. government could immediately unlock around £16 billion ($20.5 billion) of investment in U.K. infrastructure just by lifting thresholds on the asset class constraining the Local Government Pension Scheme, a report found.
August 15, 2024
FCA Censures Audit Firm On Client Assets Report Breaches

The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday it has censured auditor Macintyre Hudson LLP for failing to report breaches of the FCA's rules on treatment of client assets.
August 15, 2024
London's Listing Regime Revamp Overshadows Junior Market

The revamp by the City watchdog of the London Stock Exchange's rule book, which burnishes its appeal for corporate listings in competition with U.S. and European markets, has raised doubts on the future role of the junior market for growth companies and tech startups, lawyers say.
August 14, 2024
Ukrainian Bank In $1.1B Russia Case Points To Nigeria Ruling

A Ukrainian bank looking to enforce a $1.1 billion arbitral award against Russia has asked a Washington, D.C., federal judge to consider a decision issued last week by the D.C. Circuit rejecting Nigeria's sovereign immunity defense in another litigation over an arbitral award.
August 14, 2024
PwC Owes $11M For Tax Errors, Real Estate Group Says

PwC should pay £8.9 million ($11.4 million) in damages to a real estate group for miscalculating its tax liabilities and mispricing its properties, which prompted several additional assessments and penalties, according to a claim in a London court.
August 14, 2024
Adviser Denies Owing Bank £9.2M After Bad Property Loan

A property adviser has denied overvaluing a building development and causing a U.K. bank to lend millions of pounds more than it should have, claiming it made a competent assessment within the same range as other independent valuers.
August 14, 2024
World Bank Member Sues Lebanese Lender For Unpaid $234M

A member of the World Bank Group is suing Lebanon's largest private lender for more than $234 million in loans and interest payments due over the past four years, as the Middle Eastern state has struggled with a major financial crisis that devalued its currency.
August 14, 2024
Aegon Launches Digital Pension Comparison Service

Financial firm Aegon UK PLC launched a digital pension transfer comparison service on Wednesday with The Pension Lab to enable savers to compare the costs of different plans.
August 14, 2024
Pension Funding Surplus Rises To £475B Despite Rate Cut

The funding surplus of British retirement savings plans rose to £475.5 billion ($611 billion) at the end of July, according to official figures released on Wednesday, even as experts warned of the need to hedge against fresh interest rate cuts.
August 14, 2024
EU Watchdog Sets Priorities For Bank Resolution Rules

The European Union banking watchdog has found banks need to prepare better for the process of orderly failure known as resolution, including by obtaining more accurate data for assessing their financial positions.
August 14, 2024
FCA Fines, Bans Consultant For Leaving Clients Uninsured

The financial regulator said Wednesday that it has banned an insurance consultant from working in financial services and hit him with a fine of just over £5,000 ($6,430) fine for using funds from clients to pay his business and personal debts.
August 14, 2024
Cypriot Forex Firm Fined For Exploiting Customers

Britain's financial watchdog said Wednesday that it has hit Cypriot trading firm Forex TB Ltd. with a £276,100 ($355,000) fine for failing to treat customers fairly and providing unauthorized investment advice.
August 13, 2024
Travelers Defends DWFM Beckman Over Investment Advice

The insurer of now-defunct DWFM Beckman LLP has hit back against claims that the firm negligently advised a real estate investor on an almost £20 million ($25.5 million) deal, denying that the firm advised her on the investment at all.
August 13, 2024
Probe Unveils €500M Money-Laundering Group, Agency Says

European and Brazilian authorities have searched multiple homes and frozen millions in assets during an operation investigating what is alleged to be an Italian mafia-run money-laundering network worth more than €500 million ($547.8 million), the European Union law enforcement agency Eurojust announced Tuesday.
August 13, 2024
UK Charity Sector Pension Funding Reaches £50B

The charity sector's pension schemes have seen funding reach £50 billion ($63.9 billion) in 2022, potentially leading to more pension buy-outs, according to a report published Tuesday by pensions consultancy Hymans Robertson LLP.
August 13, 2024
PA Forced To Visit Boss' Home During Lockdown Wins £115K

Two hedge fund bosses must pay a former personal assistant over £115,000 ($147,468) after an employment tribunal found the businessman had asked her to unnecessarily go against COVID-19 restrictions by working from their homes.
August 13, 2024
Firm Ex-Director Gets 15-Year Sanction For Investment Scam

A former director of an investment firm has had a ban on working as a company executive extended to 2033 after he was convicted of a Ponzi scheme fraud at an English court, the U.K.'s Insolvency Service has said.

Editor's Picks

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.
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.
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

Takeaways From New FCA Rules On Research Payments

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published final rules on payment optionality for investment research, which involve a client disclosure obligation option, will be welcome news for U.K. managers who buy investment research from U.S. brokers, and for global asset management groups, says Anna Maleva-Otto at Schulte Roth.
What To Expect From Labour's Pension Schemes Bill

The Labour government’s recently announced Pension Schemes Bill, outlining key policy areas affecting the retirement savings sector, represents a positive step forward for both defined contribution scheme members and defined benefit superfunds, but there are some missing features, says Sonya Fraser at Arc Pensions.
Int'l Treaties May Aid Investors Amid UK Rail Renationalization

The recently introduced Passenger Railway Services Bill seeks to return British railways to public ownership without compensating affected investors, a move that could trigger international investment treaty protections for obligation breaches, says Philipp Kurek at Signature Litigation.
What EU Opinion May Mean For ESG Product Classification

The recently issued European Supervisory Authority opinion on the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation offers key recommendations, including revising the definition of sustainable investments and making principal adverse impacts consideration mandatory, that could sway the European Commission’s final approach to product classification, say lawyers at Debevoise.
What New UK Listing Rules Mean For Distressed Companies

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published overhaul of U.K. listing rules makes it easier for advisers to restructure distressed listed companies, and in moving to a more disclosure-based approach, simplifies timelines and increases opportunities for investors, say Kate Stephenson and Sarah Ullathorne at Kirkland & Ellis.
AI Reforms Prompt Fintech Compliance Considerations

With the EU Artificial Intelligence Act's Aug. 1 enforcement, and the U.K.'s new plans to introduce AI reforms, fintech companies should consider how to best focus limited resources as they balance innovation and compliance, says Nicola Kerr-Shaw at Skadden.
Irish Businesses Should Act Now To Prepare For EU AI Act

Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the Irish job market, and proactive engagement with the forthcoming European Union AI Act, a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for Irish businesses, will be essential for Irish businesses to responsibly harness AI’s advantages and to maintain legal compliance, say lawyers at Pinsent Masons.
EU Investment Fund Standards Offer Welcome Clarity

The European Commission’s recently published regulatory technical standards for long-term investments, which granted managers greater flexibility with respect to open-ended European long-term investment funds, should help managers active in the space navigate the mandatory liquidity requirements for long-term investment funds, say Zac Mellor-Clark and Nishkaam Paul at Fried Frank.
Unpacking The New Concept Of 'Trading Misfeasance'

In addition to granting one of the largest trading awards since the Insolvency Act was passed in 1986, the High Court recently introduced a novel claim for misfeasant trading in Wright v. Chappell, opening the door to liability for directors, even where insolvent liquidation or administration was not inevitable, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.
Key Takeaways From Proposed EU Anticorruption Directive

The European Commission's anticorruption proposal, on which the EU Council recently adopted a position, will substantially alter the landscape of corporate compliance and liability across the EU, so companies will need to undertake rigorous revisions of their compliance frameworks to align with the directive's demands, say lawyers at Linklaters.
How Regulation Of Tech Providers Is Breaking New Ground

The forthcoming EU regulation on digital operational resilience and the U.K. critical third-party regime, by expanding the direct application of financial services regulation to designated technology providers, represent a significant development that is not to be underestimated, say David Berman and Emily Lemaire at Covington.
What EU Net-Zero Act Will Mean For Tech Manufacturers

Martin Weitenberg at Eversheds Sutherland discusses the European Council’s recently adopted Net-Zero Industry Act and provides an overview of its main elements relevant for net-zero technology manufacturers, including benchmarks, enhanced permitting procedures and the creation of new institutions.
Complying With EU Commission's Joint Purchasing Rules

One year after the European Commission released its revised guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements, attorneys at Crowell & Moring reflect on the various forms such agreements can take, and how parties can avoid structuring arrangements that run afoul of competition law.
Tips For Implementing EU Sustainability Reporting Guidance

Lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell discuss the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group’s recently published guidance on double materiality assessments and offer takeaways on achieving a sustainability directive-compliant process that could enhance clarity and consistency among multinational stakeholders.
Why Ukraine Aircraft Insurance Case Failed To Take Off In UK

In Aercap v. PJSC Insurance, the High Court decided the claimants could not avoid an exclusive jurisdiction clause and advance their case in England rather than Ukraine, and the reasoning is likely to be of relevance in future jurisdiction disputes, say Abigail Healey and Genevieve Douglas at Quillon Law.