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Financial Services UK
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September 23, 2024
FCA Faults City Bodies' AML Policing As Inconsistent
The Financial Conduct Authority on Monday raised concerns over the inconsistent enforcement of anti-money laundering regulations by City professional bodies, particularly in the legal and accountancy sectors.
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September 23, 2024
UK Insurers' Tax Contribution Hits Record High £18.5B
Members of the Association of British Insurers contributed a record £18.5 billion ($24.6 billion) in tax to the U.K. economy last financial year, the trade body said Monday.
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September 23, 2024
UniCredit Boosts Commerzbank Stake To 21%, Eyes More
Italian lender UniCredit said Monday that it has boosted its stake in German rival Commerzbank from 9% to 21% and is eyeing further investment as it appeared to be laying the groundwork for a possible full takeover.
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September 23, 2024
UK Watchdog Thins Out Pension Plan Reporting Rules
The Pensions Regulator said Monday it has scaled back the amount of data that retirement schemes are expected to submit under new funding regulations, which went live this weekend.
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September 23, 2024
Finance Sector Seeks Regulatory Clarity As Challenges Loom
The financial services sector is pushing for clearer regulations on artificial intelligence and environmental, social and governance criteria, according to research by global law firm DLA Piper.
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September 23, 2024
Clifford Chance-Led BNP To Buy HSBC Unit In Germany
BNP Paribas SA said Monday that it has agreed to buy HSBC's private banking unit in Germany as part of its plans to expand its wealth management arm in a "key strategic market."
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September 20, 2024
BNP Paribas Plugging $5B Into Apollo-Backed Atlas
Private equity giant Apollo and its Atlas SP Partners platform, both advised by Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, on Friday unveiled a strategic partnership with European Union bank BNP Paribas, led by Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP, that will see the global bank plugging an initial $5 billion investment into the collaboration.
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September 20, 2024
EU Moves To Hike Ukraine Loan To €35B In Case US Pulls Out
The European Commission proposed Friday that the European Union should increase its share of loans to Ukraine backed by frozen and immobilized Russian state assets up to €35 billion ($39.1 billion) from about €18 billion in case the U.S. backs out of its part of a Group of Seven agreement.
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September 20, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
The past week in London has seen crypto exchange Binance face a new claim from the co-founder of SO Legal, a U.S. immersive art company take on a Bristol venue for copyright violations and Blake Morgan LLP hit with a pension schemes claim by The Trust for Welsh Archeology. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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September 20, 2024
Businessman Gets 18 Months In Prison For COVID Loan Fraud
A British businessman was sentenced to 18 months in prison at a criminal court Friday for dishonestly obtaining a COVID-19 small business loan to repay an associate embroiled in a fight with the Serious Fraud Office.
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September 20, 2024
BoE Tells Small Banks To Choose Preferred Capital Regime
The Bank of England told smaller banks Friday to choose now whether to apply the latest Basel 3.1 capital rules or an alternative simpler regime, freeing them up to focus on growth.
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September 20, 2024
Willkie Guides On African Banking Biz's SocGen Deal
Societe Generale said Friday it has inked a deal to offload its 57.93% stake in its bank based in Guinea Conakry, West Africa, for an undisclosed sum to Atlantic Financial Group, which was advised by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.
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September 20, 2024
DLA Piper Boosts Corporate, Insurance Teams With 2 Partners
DLA Piper has strengthened its European corporate and insurance practices with the recruitment of two experienced partners to its offices in Spain and Italy.
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September 20, 2024
Audit Watchdog Revises Actuarial Standard For Insurers
Britain's accounting watchdog on Friday published a revised version of the rules for actuarial work in the insurance sector that it said reflected recent regulatory changes around delivering good outcomes for consumers.
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September 20, 2024
Pension Savings Plans Warned Over 'Deflation Spiral' Risk
Pension schemes should make contingency plans now for falling inflation, a consultancy has said, as it warned that failure to prepare could result in a destabilizing rush to sell off U.K. government bonds.
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September 20, 2024
EQT To Buy Indian Affordable Housing Finance Biz For $210M
Swedish investment giant EQT plans to buy Indostar Home Finance of India for $120 million, to help its growth as the Asian country struggles with housing shortages.
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September 20, 2024
UK Fraud Reimbursement Plan Could Attract Organized Crime
A program launching in October that allows victims of fraudulent authorized push payments to get reimbursement from banks and payments companies could be exploited by organized crime to cash in with bogus claims, according to lawyers.
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September 19, 2024
London Law Firm Fined For Breaching AML Rules
A London law firm must pay £3,700 ($4,900) in fines plus costs after it failed to comply with strict anti-money laundering and terrorist financing rules, the solicitors' watchdog for England and Wales has said.
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September 26, 2024
Wiggin Scores 6-Person Sports Law Team From Walker Morris
Wiggin LLP announced Thursday it has hired a new chief for its sports law practice, along with his five-strong team, as the firm looks to cement its practice in the area.
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September 19, 2024
Lloyds Bank Beats Employees' Settled Hybrid Working Claims
An employment tribunal has nixed claims against Lloyds Bank after ruling that three employees were unlikely to prove the bank had wrongly rejected their request to work from home.
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September 19, 2024
Gov't Urged To Push Collective Defined Benefit Pension Plans
The U.K. government should push forward new collective pension plans with "bold and innovative" thinking to address Britain's retirement adequacy challenge, Hymans Robertson LLP said Thursday.
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September 19, 2024
UK Issues Disclosure Exemptions For Investment Trusts
The government and Financial Conduct Authority announced Thursday plans to reform the U.K. retail disclosure rules in early 2025, with immediate interim exemption of investment trusts from current requirements on cost disclosures to retail investors.
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September 19, 2024
AI Helping Rise In UK Insurance Fraud, Report Shows
Nearly one in five insurance claim handlers believe that many fraud claims now involve fake supporting documents created or altered using artificial intelligence tools, a new report shows.
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September 19, 2024
EU Wrong To Block Berlusconi's Bank Stake, Top Court Rules
Europe's highest court ruled Thursday that the European Central Bank was wrong to decide that a prior conviction for tax fraud prevented former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from holding a stake in a bank in the country.
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September 19, 2024
Close Brothers To Sell Wealth Manager To Oaktree For £200M
Close Brothers said Thursday that it has agreed to offload its wealth management business to Oaktree Capital Management for up to £200 million ($265 million) in a bid to boost its capital position and "navigate the current uncertain environment."
Expert Analysis
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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.
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FCA Doubles Down On New Priorities With Target ID Plan
Respondents to the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent consultation on its plan to publicly name subjects under investigation are concerned that the regulator’s cost-benefit analysis has not adequately considered the risks, but the FCA is holding firm, and it seems likely the changes will be implemented, says James Tyler at Peters & Peters.
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Examining Senior Managers' Accountability For AI Use
With the Financial Conduct Authority's artificial intelligence update and the Prudential Regulation Authority’s letter to the government offering key guidance on the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, Senior Managers in these organizations need to show they have taken steps to prevent breaching requirements in order not to be held personally accountable, says Jennifer Holyoake at DLA Piper.
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FCA Brokerage Changes Offer Asset Managers Wider Options
The Financial Conduct Authority’s fast-tracked plan to lift its controversial ban on joint payments to broker-dealers for third-party services will be welcomed by many asset managers wishing to return to a soft commission structure, say Richard Frase and Simon Wright at Dechert.
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What Cos. Should Know About The EU Greenwashing Rules
The EU's recently proposed Green Claims Directive introduces new rules to improve the transparency and honesty of environmental claims in advertising, which will help ensure that consumers receive accurate and reliable information to make informed purchasing decisions, says Daja Apetz-Dreier at Morgan Lewis.
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Sanctions Ruling Opens Door For Enforcer To Clear Up Rules
In Vneshprombank v. Bedzhamov, the High Court recently argued against a broader interpretation of the test on reasonable suspicion for asset freezes, offering the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation an opportunity to clarify when freezes should be applied and respond to judicial criticism of its guidance on financial sanctions, says Tasha Benkhadra at Corker Binning.