Financial Services UK

  • September 10, 2024

    FCA Charges 1st Individual With Running Illegal Crypto-ATMs

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday that it has launched its first criminal prosecution of an individual suspected of running a network of illegal cryptocurrency ATMs.

  • September 10, 2024

    Investors Sue Broker For Assisting $129M Forex Fraud

    A group of investors who lost tens of millions of dollars in a fraudulent foreign exchange scheme have sued a London broker for approximately $43 million for allegedly providing credit for the company to trade through brokerage accounts which perpetuated the fraud.

  • September 10, 2024

    Ex-Barclays VP Loses Bid To Retry Lost Promotion Claim

    An attempt by a former Barclays vice president to revive her claim that she faced racial discrimination during a promotion round has failed, as an employment tribunal ruled that she was merely trying to "have another bite at the cherry."

  • September 10, 2024

    Paul Hastings Taps Capital Markets Pro From Davis Polk

    Paul Hastings LLP has hired a prominent capital markets transactions expert as a partner at its London office as it looks to boost its global practice, which it has identified as a priority.

  • September 09, 2024

    Brit Fights Fraud Extradition, Says He Is Protected Witness

    A retired British accountant urged a London court Monday to block Spanish authorities' request that he be extradited to face money laundering and fraud charges, arguing that the request is abusive because he is entitled to protection as a witness for prosecutors in related cases.

  • September 09, 2024

    EU Should Loosen Merger Rules To Compete, Report Says

    The European Union should loosen its merger rules and reform trade policy and the energy market in order to boost EU competitiveness enough to catch up with the U.S. and China, a former European Central Bank president reported Monday.

  • September 09, 2024

    Think Tank Sets Out UK Pension Reform For Self-Employed

    The government needs to introduce reforms to boost the level of pension contributions among self-employed workers, a think tank said.

  • September 09, 2024

    Barratt, Lloyds Bank Form £150M JV For UK Housing

    Housebuilder Barratt Developments PLC said Monday that it has formed a £150 million ($195 million) joint venture with Lloyds Banking Group and the U.K.'s housing and regeneration agency to develop thousands of houses across the country.

  • September 09, 2024

    FCA Proposes Rules For Banks Delaying Suspicious Transfers

    The Financial Conduct Authority set out guidance on Monday for banks seeking to delay suspicious payment transactions under new legislation as the watchdog seeks to ensure fair treatment for customers and efficient processing.

  • September 09, 2024

    Asset Manager Alpha Seals Guernsey Insurance Biz Buyout

    Alpha Growth PLC said on Monday that it has completed the purchase of 93.36% of Jeometri, an insurance management company in Guernsey, for £449,300 ($588,300) including costs, as the asset manager moves to expand its life insurance business across the U.K. and streamline its operations.

  • September 09, 2024

    UK Crypto-Marketing Rules Risk Regulatory Overreach

    Legal advisers for crypto-asset companies are concerned by how strenuously the financial watchdog will enforce new guidelines for promoting complex digital financial products for consumers, and have warned that overinterpreting the rules could handicap development of the market.

  • September 06, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Rockfire Capital sue its former director, Liam Kavanagh, after he was accused of cheating cash-strapped Thurrock Council out of £150 million ($197 million), FedEx launch a claim against an Israeli supply chain business, and a legal dispute between steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta and a former colleague. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • September 06, 2024

    FCA Fines, Bans 4 For 'Reckless' Pension Transfer Advice

    Britain's finance watchdog on Friday announced it has fined four people a total of nearly £600,000 ($793,300) and banned them from working in financial services because of pension transfer advice they gave that showed a "reckless disregard" for customers.

  • September 06, 2024

    Magnate Can't Stop Sale Of Airline Shares In €50M Dispute

    A company with links to aviation magnate German Efromovich on Friday failed to get an order restraining the chairman of Aeroitalia SRL from selling the assets of the budget carrier pending the determination of a €50 million ($55 million) dispute.

  • September 06, 2024

    Travers Smith Names Elmore As New Head Of Funds

    Travers Smith LLP said Friday that it has appointed Jeremy Elmore as its new head of funds, as the firm looks to continue building its practice following partner exits in 2023.

  • September 06, 2024

    EU Gears Up For New Commission With A Plea: More Women

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is gearing up to distribute the top jobs in foreign trade, economics and antitrust among the new commissioners for their five-year mandate, but she is pressing countries in the bloc to nominate more female candidates.

  • September 06, 2024

    Finance Co. Beats Would-Be CEO's Whistleblowing Claim

    A U.K. finance company sacked its would-be chief executive because he lacked the experience and skills for the role — not because he had flagged alleged compliance breaches, a tribunal has ruled.

  • September 06, 2024

    UK Lags Globally In Pensions Allocation To Domestic Stocks

    British pension funds have a "significantly lower" allocation of their assets to the domestic stock market than most of their counterparts around the world, a think tank has said.

  • September 06, 2024

    UK Regulators Back Nationwide's £2.9B Deal For Virgin Money

    Two U.K. financial regulators have given their consent for Nationwide Building Society's £2.9 billion ($3.8 billion) acquisition of Virgin Money UK PLC, the lenders said Friday.

  • September 06, 2024

    City Task Force Calls For Shake-Up Of UK Capital Markets

    The U.K. must encourage risk-taking in its capital markets in order to remain competitive in the global stage and help fund £1 trillion ($1.32 trillion) of fresh investment needed to hit economic targets, a task force of City heavyweights said on Friday.

  • September 06, 2024

    Companies Failing To Oversee Reps Properly, FCA Finds

    The Financial Conduct Authority warned Friday that firms are failing to properly oversee the agents that carry on regulated activities for them without having to be individually authorized.

  • September 06, 2024

    Pensions Campaigners Say Gov't Meeting 'Start Of Something'

    The chair of a campaign group working to secure compensation for women after the government failed to tell them that their retirement age had changed said Friday that its first meeting with the pensions minister was "the start of something."

  • September 06, 2024

    British Savers Urged To Track Down Lost Pension Pots

    British insurers urged U.K. savers on Friday to take action and track down their lost pension pots in a new campaign aimed at raising awareness about planning for retirement.

  • September 05, 2024

    Investors Claim £12.6M Bank Investment Started With A Lie

    An investment company and its owner have sued two business partners for more than £12.6 million ($16.6 million) paid to set up a specialist bank, accusing the pair of lying by saying less than half that amount would be needed to get the bank off the ground.

  • September 05, 2024

    FCA Boasts Accelerated Authorizations For Firms

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday in its 2023-2024 annual report that it has significantly improved its authorization process, but has missed some targets in relation to processing applications of payments firms.

Expert Analysis

  • Preparing For M&A Under The Foreign Subsidies Regulation

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    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.

  • Important Generative AI Considerations In M&A

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    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.

  • Pension Trustee Case Could Lead To Fossil Fuels Divestment

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    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.

  • Outbound Screening May Be Next EU Investment Control Step

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    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.

  • Barclays Ruling Narrows Banks' Fraud Recovery Duty

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    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.

  • Green Loans May Be Hungary's Path To Sustainable Financing

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    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.

  • How The Law Must Change To Accommodate Digital Assets

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    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.

  • Tackling Global Inflation Is A Challenge For Antitrust Agencies

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    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.

  • Key Findings From EBA's Money Laundering Report

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    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.

  • Cos. Using AI Should Note Regulators' Privacy Concerns

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    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.

  • Comparing EU And UK Proposals To Regulate ESG Ratings

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    Ferdisha Snagg and Andreas Wildner at Cleary examine the key aspects of the EU proposal for regulating environmental, social and governance rating activities and draw comparisons to the U.K. proposal regarding scope, substantive provider obligations on regulated providers and the likely timeline for adoption and implementation.

  • Digital Assets Consultation Offers First Step In Regulation

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    The recently published International Organization of Securities Commissions consultation intending to establish coordinated international regulation of cryptocurrency and digital assets, will benefit and protect retail investors against financial crime risk, also allowing legitimate market entrants to distinguish themselves from less scrupulous participants, says Fred Saugman at WilmerHale.

  • EU And UK Crypto-Asset Consumer Rights Look Set To Differ

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    The U.K. government's recent consultation paper lacks an extended cooling off period to cancel crypto-asset purchases, which notably deviates from the European Union Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, but depending on feedback, the U.K. may eventually adopt similar consumer protection measures, say Felicity Forward and Matt Green at Shoosmiths.

  • EU Sustainability Initiatives Will Affect Emissions Trading

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    The measures recently adopted by the EU in its "Fit for 55" legislative package to revise its emissions trading system and establish a carbon border adjustment mechanism have far-reaching implications for companies needing to implement changes to offset the potential effects of their business operations, say Melanie Bruneau, Giovanni Campi and Annette Mutschler-Siebert at K&L Gates.

  • The Benefits Of Uniformity In EU Anti-Corruption Proposals

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    The proposed directive requiring European Union member states to incorporate uniform anti-bribery measures would bring greater harmony and consistency, doing much to facilitate the prevention of bribery and drive common standards in the compliance culture of companies, say lawyers at White & Case.

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