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Financial Services UK
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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.
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August 02, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Sullivan, Dechert, Kirkland
In this week's Taxation With Representation, BNP Parabis SA acquires an investment management subsidiary for €5.1 billion, Cleveland accounting firm CBIZ merges with competitor Marcum for $2.3 billion, and Arcosa Inc. inks a deal with a family-owned construction materials business for $1.2 billion.
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August 02, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen insurance broker Marsh sue the collapsed Greensill Bank, the former chair of the Islamic Students Association of Britain pursue a defamation case against the Jewish Chronicle, Berkshire Hathaway and Lloyd's face action from a shipping company, and alleged fraudster Ronald Bauer hit a loan company with a claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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August 02, 2024
SFO Claws Back Funds From Convicted Property Developer
Britain's white-collar crime prosecutor said Friday it has seized £86,000 ($110,000) from a former commercial property developer who was convicted of fraud more than a decade ago after it discovered that he had acquired a luxury car.
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August 02, 2024
Top UK Court To Hear HMRC Car Park Tax Dispute With NHS
HM Revenue and Customs has been granted permission by Britain's highest court to challenge a ruling that a National Health Service trust qualified for value-added tax exemption for hospital car parking, a decision that could affect appeals brought by NHS entities.
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August 02, 2024
FCA Charges Unauthorized Mortgage Broker With Fraud
An unauthorized mortgage broker has been charged with fraud for allegedly arranging mortgage applications based on false information, the Financial Conduct Authority said Friday.
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August 02, 2024
FCA To Allow Flexible Use Of Unclaimed Investment Assets
The Financial Conduct Authority said Friday it has changed its rules to enable companies such as banks and insurers to release dormant investment assets and client money into a scheme to find their owners or support U.K. growth through good causes.
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August 02, 2024
Ex-F1 Boss Sues HSBC For £5.5M For Wrongly Selling Bonds
Former Formula One team boss Eddie Jordan has sued HSBC for £5.5 million ($7 million) for losses suffered as the result of the bank's allegedly false and negligent advice over a bond in which he invested tens of millions of pounds.
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August 02, 2024
BNP Paribas To Buy Axa's Investment Manager For €5.1B
BNP Paribas SA has said it will buy an investment management subsidiary from French insurer Axa SA for €5.1 billion ($5.5 billion) to create a combined platform with €1.5 trillion of assets under management.
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August 01, 2024
World's First AI Act Takes Effect In EU
The world's first comprehensive regulation of the tools known as artificial intelligence came into force Thursday, introducing restrictions on the development and use of the technology across all member states.
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August 01, 2024
Barclays Wins £13.7M Freezing Order Action Against Directors
Barclays Bank PLC has proven that two businessmen breached freezing orders on £13.7 million ($17.5 million) of assets, after a London court on Thursday ruled it was beyond reasonable doubt the men allowed the assets to move offshore.
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August 01, 2024
Investor Wins $180M Claim Over Plane Leases Against VietJet
A global private investment company's unit has won its $180 million claim against a Vietnamese budget airline it alleged was a "delinquent debtor," after a London judge said that the air carrier had waged a campaign to stop the planes being returned to their owner.
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August 01, 2024
City Firms To Invest Up To £20B Of Pension Funds In UK Biz
Phoenix Group and Schroders have announced plans to invest as much as £20 billion ($25.7 billion) of pension money into private markets over the next decade in line with wider industry commitments to direct retirement savings capital toward the British economy.
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August 01, 2024
EU Watchdog Warns Of Risk From Global Crypto-Asset Firms
Europe's financial markets watchdog has warned national regulators to address the risk that global crypto groups may seek authorization in the European Union to obtain clients unlawfully and expose them to non-EU-regulated services.
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August 01, 2024
Tragedy And A Hustle: 5 Takeaways From The 'Tuna Bonds' Ruling
A London judge took the opportunity as he delivered a ruling that Mozambique was defrauded in a controversial maritime project to raise questions about the role played by international banks and the lack of financial standards in the multibillion-dollar "tuna bonds" scandal.
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August 01, 2024
UK Capital Gains Tax Liabilities Decline, HMRC Says
Capital gains tax liability in the U.K. declined in the 2022-2023 tax year, HM Revenue & Customs said in a news release Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
Watchdog Names Banks Reimbursing Few APP frauds
The Payment Systems Regulator found Thursday that banking groups varied widely in how far they reimbursed victims of authorized push payment fraud, with AIB Group, Danske Bank and Monzo making the lowest payouts in its 2023 performance report.
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August 01, 2024
Italy's Banca Generali Beats Credit Note Issuer's Appeal
A London appeals court has ruled an Italian bank can remove and replace a special purpose vehicle's financial agents working on a series of securities transactions that went south, without needing the SPV's consent.
Expert Analysis
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Predicting DeFi Regulations At Home And Abroad In 2024
Though decentralized finance has advocates on both sides of the Atlantic in figures like U.S. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, DeFi in 2024 seems likely to be folded into existing regulatory frameworks in the U.K. and EU, while anti-crypto scrutiny may discourage DeFi’s growth in the U.S., say Daniel Csefalvay and Eric Martin at BCLP.
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Consultation Docs Can Help EU Firms Prep For Crypto Regs
Firms providing crypto services should note two recent papers from the European Securities and Markets Authority defining proposals on reverse solicitation and financial instrument classification that will be critical to clarifying the scope of the regulatory framework under the impending Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
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A Closer Look At Novel Jury Instruction In Forex Rigging Case
After the recent commodities fraud conviction of a U.K.-based hedge fund executive in U.S. v. Phillips, post-trial briefing has focused on whether the New York federal court’s jury instruction incorrectly defined the requisite level of intent, which should inform defense counsel in future open market manipulation cases, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.
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Investors' Call For Voting Changes Faces Practical Challenges
A recent investor coalition call on fund managers to offer pass-through voting on pooled funds highlights a renewed concern for clients’ interests, but legal, regulatory and technological issues need to be overcome to ensure that risks related to the product are effectively mitigated, says Angeli Arora at Allectus.
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Litigation Funding Implications Amid Post-PACCAR Disputes
An English tribunal's recent decision in Neill v. Sony, allowing an appeal on the enforceability of a litigation funding agreement, highlights how the legislative developments on funding limits following the U.K. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Paccar v. Competition Appeal Tribunal may affect practitioners, say Andrew Leitch and Anoma Rekhi at BCLP.
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What Extension Of French FDI Control Means For Investors
The recently published French order on foreign investment control expands the regime's application to more sectors and at a lower threshold of share ownership, illustrating France's determination to maintain sovereignty over its supply chains in sensitive sectors, and adding new considerations for potential investors in these areas, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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What To Expect For Private Capital Investment Funds In 2024
As 2024 gets underway, market sentiment in the private fundraising sphere seems more optimistic, with a greater focus on deal sourcing and operational optimizations, and an increased emphasis on impact and sustainability strategies, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
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Cayman Islands Off AML Risk Lists, Signaling Robust Controls
As a world-leading jurisdiction for securitization special purpose entities, the removal of the Cayman Islands from increased anti-money laundering monitoring lists is a significant milestone that will benefit new and existing financial services customers conducting business in the territory, say lawyers at Walkers Global.
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Cos. Should Plan Now For Extensive EU Data Act Obligations
The recently enacted EU Data Act imposes wide-ranging requirements across industries and enterprises of all sizes, and with less than 20 months until the provisions begin to apply, businesses planning compliance will need to incorporate significant product changes and revision of contract terms, say Nick Banasevic, Robert Spano and Ciara O'Gara at Gibson Dunn.
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How Decision On A Key Definition Affects SMEs
The Financial Conduct Authority's decision not to extend the definition of small and midsized enterprises may benefit banks and finance providers in the current high interest rate environment and where SMEs in certain sectors may be under financial pressure in light of the cost-of-living crisis in order to streamline it, says Rachael Healey at RPC.
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What New Digital Sandbox Regs Hold In Store For UK Markets
The recently enacted Digital Sandbox Regulations will be key to incorporating distributed ledger technology into the activities of a central securities depository, but despite being a potentially transformative innovation, a number of considerations may need to be addressed to accommodate the trading, settlement and maintenance of shares, say Tom Bacon and Andrew Tsang at BCLP.
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Why Investment In Battery Supply Chain Is Important For UK
The recently published U.K. battery strategy sets out the government’s vision for a globally competitive battery supply chain, and it is critical that the U.K. secures investment to maximize opportunities for economic prosperity and net-zero transition, say lawyers at Watson Farley & Williams.
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What Extending Corporate Liability Will Mean For Foreign Cos.
Certain sections of the Economic Crime Act enacted in December 2023 make it easier to prosecute companies for economic crimes committed abroad, and organizations need to consider their exposure and the new ways they can be held liable for the actions of their personnel, say Dan Hudson at Seladore Legal and Christopher Coltart at 2 Hare Court.
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A Consequential Moment For Sanctions Activity
It is clear from the U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation's review of the 2022-2023 financial year that the unprecedented scale of designated persons and the value of assets frozen as a result has placed enormous pressure on OFSI and its partners, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.
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ECJ Ruling Triggers Reconsiderations Of Using AI In Hiring
A recent European Court of Justice ruling, clarifying that the General Data Protection Regulation could apply to decisions made by artificial intelligence, serves as a warning to employers, as the use of AI in recruitment may lead to more discrimination claims, say Dino Wilkinson and James Major at Clyde & Co.