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Financial Services UK
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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.
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August 05, 2024
NCA Not Liable For Regulator's License Withdrawal Decision
A former financial investigator cannot sue the National Crime Agency for losing his license, after an employment tribunal ruled that the agency could lobby on his behalf but couldn't overturn a regulatory body's decision.
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August 05, 2024
Azeri Banker's Wife Forfeits Golf Club, Knightsbridge Home
The wife of a jailed Azeri banker has agreed to forfeit a house and golf course that the National Crime Agency says were bought with embezzled money, the agency announced on Monday.
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August 05, 2024
Glencore Ordered To Pay $152M In Swiss Bribery Case
Switzerland's federal prosecutor ordered commodities trader and miner Glencore on Monday to pay $152 million for failing to prevent bribery linked to the acquisition by a business partner of minority stakes in two mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011.
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August 05, 2024
Most Pension Plans Unclear On Members' Retirement Income
Aon PLC said Monday that almost two-thirds of defined contribution pension plans in Britain do know how much money a typical member can expect in retirement — and welcomed the intention of the new government to make remedying this a priority.
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August 12, 2024
Goodwin Adds Secondaries Partner From Dechert In London
Goodwin Procter LLP has tapped private investment funds partner Thiha Tun to work in its London office from Dechert LLP.
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August 05, 2024
FRC Tightens Accounting Guidance, Extends It To Listed Firms
Britain's accounting watchdog on Monday proposed tighter guidance for directors to assess whether a company is a "going concern" and broadened its application to the largest listed companies, after some high-profile corporate failures.
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August 05, 2024
Gov't Warned Over Tapping Pensions For Economic Growth
The Labour government must remember that the "primary role" of pensions is to support retirees in later life amid growing efforts to use the trillion-pound sector to drive economic growth, Royal London has warned.
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August 05, 2024
Ukraine War Shifts Contours Of Russian Litigation Landscape
The war in Ukraine and global sanctions have caused the number of Russian litigants using England's commercial courts to tumble dramatically, and lawyers expect that the consequences of the invasion will continue to influence the disputes landscape.
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August 05, 2024
Unauthorized Mortgage Broker Must Pay £4M To FCA
A court has ordered two unauthorized investment firms that misled vulnerable people into handing over their homes to hand over £4 million ($5.1 million) to the Financial Conduct Authority, the regulator said Monday
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August 05, 2024
SocGen Sells 2 Banking Units To Swiss Bank For €900M
Societe Generale said Monday that it has agreed to sell two of its private banking subsidiaries in the U.K. and Switzerland to a Swiss bank for €900 million ($990 million), as well as all its business in Madagascar, in a move to streamline its business.
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August 12, 2024
Paul Hastings Hires Finance Pro From Weil In London
Paul Hastings LLP has recruited a structured finance partner and two other lawyers from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP in London, the latest to move from its U.S. rival, as the firm boosts its services for clients in asset-backed finance transactions.
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August 02, 2024
S. Korea Loses Bid To Set Aside $48.5M Hedge Fund Award
A London court has upheld a $48.5 million arbitral award favoring hedge fund Elliott Associates LP against South Korea in a dispute over a government bribery scandal that allegedly underpinned the $8 billion merger of two Samsung affiliates in 2015.
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August 02, 2024
Self-Styled 'Business Guru' Faces Investor's £5.6M Fraud Case
An investor has hit a self-styled business guru with a £5.6 million ($7.2 million) fraud claim, accusing the entrepreneur of running a Ponzi scheme and of duping him into funding a loan for a luxury hotel development that was never lent.
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August 02, 2024
Property Investor Denies Hiding Info From Franchise Buyers
A real estate investment scheme's former owner has hit back at a £6.4 million ($8.1 million) counterclaim by the management consultancy that acquired it, saying in London court documents that he did not conceal any important information and that he had not breached any agreement.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Factors Driving Increased Litigation Against European Cos.
European government regulation and enforcement, economic inflation and litigation funding are driving an increase in litigation, especially class actions, against corporations in Europe, a trend that seems to be here to stay, says Henning Schaloske at Clyde & Co.
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New UK Offense Will Help Law Firms Tighten AML Compliance
By allowing for larger fines and introducing a failure to prevent fraud offense, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will further motivate law firms to improve their anti-money laundering compliance process, says Richard Simms at AMLCC.
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What Venezuelan Gold Fight Means For UK One Voice Doctrine
The Court of Appeal's judgment in Deutsche Bank v. Central Bank of Venezuela clarifies the application of the "one voice" doctrine to foreign court judgments, highlighting that the reasoning depends on the recognition or nonrecognition of a head of state or government that is contrary to the U.K. government's position, say lawyers at Latham.
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Report On UK Investment Act Offers Welcome Insights
The U.K. government's recent report on the National Security and Investment Act's first full year of operation is to be applauded for disclosing more information on the act's notification system than was required, enabling a better understanding of what has taken place and what the next year may hold, say Andrea Hamilton and Ajal Notowicz at Milbank.
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Preparing For M&A Under The Foreign Subsidies Regulation
The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation introduces requirements that companies operating in the region must consider in M&A transactions, and any foreign financial contributions received by a target should be checked during the due diligence stage, with specific provisions for commission approval if a notification requirement is triggered, say Hendrik Viaene and Stéphane Dionnet at McDermott.
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Important Generative AI Considerations In M&A
The recent surge of interest in generative artificial intelligence and its use of machine learning algorithms means there are novel concerns as well as inherent risks for those engaging in M&A activity, and acquirers should pay careful attention to a target’s scope of ownership and licensing rights, say attorneys at Davis Polk.
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Pension Trustee Case Could Lead To Fossil Fuels Divestment
While the recent Court of Appeal case McGaughey v. Universities Superannuation Scheme attempts to link fossil fuel investment by trustees to significant risk of financial detriment, it is concerning that two out of 470,000 scheme members could be permitted to bring a claim without ensuring that other members are represented, says Anna Metadjer at Kingsley Napley.
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Outbound Screening May Be Next EU Investment Control Step
Following the European Commission’s recent commitment to reduce dependence on third countries by developing an outbound investment review mechanism, it will be interesting to see whether member states will take a united stand or whether national security interests will trump such an approach, say Christoph Barth and Neil Hoolihan at Linklaters.
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Barclays Ruling Narrows Banks' Fraud Recovery Duty
The U.K. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Philipp v. Barclays decided against the so-called Quincecare duty's application in authorized push payment fraud, shining light on how banks should balance their responsibility to follow customers' instructions against making reasonable inquiries, say lawyers at Ontier.
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Green Loans May Be Hungary's Path To Sustainable Financing
Fueled by a rising trend in the use of green loans, Hungary is making impressive progress in its journey toward achieving a net-zero future, although the development of social and sustainability-linked loans is still a work in progress, say Gergely Szalóki and Bálint Bodó at Schönherr.
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How The Law Must Change To Accommodate Digital Assets
The Law Commission's recent report shows that the common law of England and Wales is well suited to adapt to digital assets, and with targeted statutory reform to unlock the possibility of recognizing property in intangible things, the U.K. can become an ideal hub for parties to transact with emerging technology, says Sarah Green at the commission.
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Tackling Global Inflation Is A Challenge For Antitrust Agencies
Recent events have put pressure on antitrust agencies to address the global cost-of-living crisis, but the relationship between competition and inflation is complex, and with competition agencies’ reluctance to act as price regulators, enforcement is unlikely to have a meaningful impact, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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Key Findings From EBA's Money Laundering Report
The European Banking Authority's recent report on money laundering and terrorist financing risks, highlighting that payment institutions may be ineffectively assessing or managing those risks, makes clear that addressing its findings will be essential to protecting the European Union from financial crime, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
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Cos. Using AI Should Note Regulators' Privacy Concerns
The past year’s unprecedented explosion in the use of artificial intelligence tools has sparked fears over the way personal data may be collected and treated, and organizations adopting AI will need to ensure that they have a lawful basis to use data collected in this way, says Paula Williamson at Excello Law.