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Financial Services UK
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September 05, 2024
'Act Now' On Dashboard Prep, Pensions Watchdog Warns
Pension scheme trustees should "act now" to be ready for the long-awaited government project designed to connect workers with lost pots and avoid enforcement action for failing to meet their duties, The Pensions Regulator warned Thursday.
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September 05, 2024
Gov't Consults On Plans For Pension Market Consolidation
The U.K. government is seeking feedback on the potential benefits and risks for pension savers and the economy if the pension market becomes more consolidated with larger schemes managing more assets.
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September 05, 2024
Surge In Pension Deal Demand Expected In 2nd Half Of 2024
There is likely to be a record number of transactions in the U.K. pensions market in 2024, according to a study published Thursday by accounting giant PwC, despite what many have described as a slower start to the year.
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September 05, 2024
Visa Boosts Consumer Protection In Bank Transfers
Visa Inc. said Thursday that it is launching a new U.K. service that will provide a safer and more user-friendly way for consumers to make payments directly from their bank accounts.
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September 05, 2024
FRC Warns Against Misuse Of Offsetting Financial Data
Companies that record a gain which nullifies the effect of its entry into their balance sheets — a practice known as offsetting — have caused "material errors" in their financial statements, Britain's accounting watchdog said Thursday.
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September 05, 2024
CVC Raises €7.4B Of Capital In 1st Results After Listing
European private equity firm CVC Capital Partners PLC said Thursday that it has raised €7.4 billion ($8.2 billion) in fresh capital during the first six months of 2024 as it published its first set of results since its €2 billion flotation in Amsterdam.
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September 04, 2024
FCA Tells Banks To Protect Customers From Being Debanked
Banks must do more to ensure consumers are not being denied accounts unfairly, the Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday.
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September 04, 2024
BNP Paribas Seeks To Move VietJet Litigation To UK
BNP Paribas SA has pushed to move a claim filed by VietJet Aviation to the English courts, arguing that disputes over their financial agreements with the Vietnamese low-cost airline belong in England, not Vietnam.
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September 04, 2024
Pension Pot Needs For 'Basic' Retirement Rose 60% In 3 Years
Pensioners need 60% more retirement savings to meet basic costs compared to just three years ago, according to a think tank's research published Wednesday.
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September 11, 2024
Hausfeld Snaps Up Litigation Pro From Covington In London
Hausfeld LLP has hired a partner from Covington & Burling LLP in London to boost its profile in commercial disputes, after its office in the U.K. capital recently underwent changes in leadership.
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September 04, 2024
Cap On Push-Payment Fraud Payouts To Plummet To £85K
The payments watchdog said Wednesday that it plans to cut the cap on compulsory reimbursement by companies of authorized push payment fraud from £415,000 ($546,000) to £85,000.
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September 04, 2024
Fraud, Scam Complaints Reach Highest-Ever Level
Fraud complaints in the U.K. reached a record high with 8,734 cases reported between April and June, according to data from the Financial Ombudsman Service published Wednesday.
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September 03, 2024
Tech Co. Accused Of Defrauding 'Plasma Reactor' Investor
A Chinese businessman and his company have sued a U.K. technology company claiming they were defrauded of nearly £2.9 million ($3.8 million) by the firm and its directors after being led under false pretenses into investing in the development of a so-called "plasma reactor."
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September 03, 2024
CMA Clears Tate & Lyle Sugar Biz Deal
Britain's competition authority said Tuesday it has now cleared Tate & Lyle's planned purchase of sugar producer Tereos' U.K. business, as the unit was at risk of shutting down without the deal, which would lead to reduced competition in the industry anyway.
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September 03, 2024
SFO Seizes Watches Worth £500K In £76M Fraud Probe
Serious Fraud Office investigators seized watches on Tuesday from a suspect arrested in a £76 million ($100 million) investment fraud probe into the collapse of a luxury care home provider in 2019.
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September 03, 2024
BBVA Gets UK Regulatory OK For €12B Bid For TSB Owner
Spanish lending giant BBVA said Tuesday the U.K.'s Prudential Regulation Authority has given the approval for it to indirectly acquire control of British-based TSB Bank PLC as part of its €12 billion ($13.3 billion) hostile takeover bid of rival Banco de Sabadell.
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September 03, 2024
Bahamian Bank Hit With $15M Claim Over Loan Deal Breach
The director of a U.S. biotech company has filed a $15 million legal claim against a Bahamian bank, as he accused it of improperly terminating a $3 million loan agreement because of several defaults.
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September 03, 2024
Half Of Women Unsure They Will Have Enough For Retirement
More than half of women in Britain do not believe they will have enough money to support their income in retirement, findings by an investment management company suggest, amid concerns over the gender pension gap.
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September 03, 2024
Pay To Play: The 2-Tier Legal Route For Crypto-Fraud Victims
More people are falling victim to cryptocurrency scams, but their options for recovering money are few and expensive, which creates a two-tier approach — one for those who have the means to pay lawyers and consultants and another for those who don't.
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September 03, 2024
Port Operator Disputes $2M Claim For Unpaid Fees
English port operator Freetown Terminal Holding has denied that it owes a Swiss consultancy $2 million in unpaid fees tied to shareholders' dividends, saying that their agreement had been terminated before the payouts were made.
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September 02, 2024
Simpson Thacher-Led Blackstone Inks €1B Property Deal
Blackstone Inc. is snapping up an 80% holding in a portfolio of European properties valued at approximately €1 billion ($1.1 billion), seller Burstone Group Ltd. said Monday, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP advising the asset management giant.
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September 09, 2024
A&O Shearman Hires PE Pros From Sidley Austin In London
A&O Shearman LLP said Monday it has secured a double-hire from Sidley Austin LLP in London as the firm expands its global private equity practice.
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September 02, 2024
OFSI To Bring 1st Penalty For Sanctions Violation This Year
Britain's sanctions enforcer will bring the first penalty for breaching the banning rules later this year as the agency looks to crack down on Russian oligarchs whose assets have been frozen since the invasion of Ukraine, a senior Treasury official said Monday.
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September 02, 2024
Greensill, Gupta Deny Conspiracy In Zurich Insurance Row
Financier Lex Greensill and steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta have denied conspiring to deceive underwriters at insurance giant Zurich over allegedly fake debts, amid a $400 million court battle in London over trade credit insurance.
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September 02, 2024
Manolete Wins Nearly £1M Over Director's Breach Of Duties
An insolvency litigation financing company has secured a victory worth £918,590 ($1.2 million) against the former director of Just Recruit Group Ltd. after a court found that he had breached his duties during the financial collapse of the business.
Expert Analysis
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What To Know About 'Prior Obligations' Sanctions Exemption
The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation recently issued a "prior obligations" general license authorizing U.K. persons to receive funds or economic resources owed to them by any person targeted by U.K. asset freeze sanctions, and it is novel for its scope but by no means a panacea, say Jane Shvets and Konstantin Bureiko at Debevoise.
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Recent Cases Mark Maturation Of CAT Class Cert. Approach
The Competition Appeal Tribunal's recent refusal to grant collective proceedings applications against Visa and MasterCard in the Commercial and Interregional Card Claims case shows that the tribunal takes its role as a gatekeeper seriously, and that it will likely continue to be difficult for defendants to defeat certification first time around, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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Why The UK Needs Tougher Fraud Enforcement
The Crown Court's recent conviction of Anthony Constantinou for running a Ponzi scheme is a rare success for prosecutors, highlighting the legal system's painfully slow course when it comes to complex fraud, and the need for significant funds and resources in the fight against financial crime, says James Clark at Quillon Law.
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What New FCA Management Will Mean For Enforcement
Therese Chambers’ first speech since becoming the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s joint executive director provided insightful observations about the expected behaviors of firms and their legal advisers during investigations, indicating the advent of a proactive, prosecution-minded enforcement agency trying to do the right thing, says Richard Burger at WilmerHale.
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Global M&A Outlook: Slow But Moving Along
Global merger and acquisition markets had a tough start to the year, with inflation, rising interest rates and the Ukraine conflict knocking sentiment, but in the macroeconomic, deal makers have continued to unearth pockets of activity to keep deal volumes ticking over, say lawyers at White & Case.
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Why Int'l Investors Should Keep An Eye On German M&A Regs
While German reform proposals will digitize corporate law formalities that have long been immune to change, international limitations remain, particularly for countries outside the European Union, as Germany moves to tighten regulatory hurdles to control inbound investment, say Marcus Geiss and Sonja Ruttmann at Gibson Dunn.
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How B2B Data Sharing Could Unlock Untapped Value
B2B data sharing offers organizations an opportunity to extract greater value from an existing asset, and although it is essential to consider the legal and regulatory framework and maintain a sound governance structure, with strong support businesses that share data are likely to grow more than those that do not, say Jocelyn Paulley and Helen Davenport at Gowling WLG.
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Why Coordinated UK Crypto Regulation Is Needed
The slew of recently published crypto-sector consultations and reports differ in their treatment of the currency, so the industry must coordinate to establish regulations that can weather the proliferation of fraud while supporting the U.K.'s race to become a world leader in digital assets, says Nicola McKinney at Quillon Law.
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5 Code Of Ethics Recommendations For FTSE 350 Companies
In light of the U.K. Institute of Business Ethics' recent report on the FTSE 350, companies should regularly update their code of ethics in order to emphasize to employees and business partners the importance they place on following good practice, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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Examining The Effects Of Increased Construction Insolvency
With a significant rise in construction firm insolvencies, proactive monitoring of key counterparties is paramount, and if early warning signs such as failure to pay suppliers or a turnover in key management are triggered, parties should take steps to minimize exposure and potential losses, say lawyers at Reynolds Porter.
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What TPR's Guidance On DEI Means For Pensions Industry
The Pension Regulator is one of the first regulators to issue guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion, and employers and trustees should incorporate its advice by developing policies and monitoring progress to ensure that improvements are made regularly, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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The Many Challenges Of Post-Brexit Regulatory Divergence
As the regulatory effects of the U.K.'s departure from the EU emerge and the geopolitical landscape continues to evolve, firms must monitor compliance with fast-changing trade sanctions and the foreign investment screening regime that continues to add cost and complexity to the cross-border acquisitions market, say lawyers at Shepherd & Wedderburn.
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Economic Issues To Watch In The Libor Transition
With the London Interbank Offered Rate officially retiring June 30, market participants and their counsel should consider how the economic questions presented by outstanding contracts and the pros and cons of different alternative reference rates may lead to litigation around Libor cessation, say analysts at The Brattle Group.
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Reserved Investor Fund Would Plug Gap In UK Finance Market
The reserved investor fund recently proposed by HM Treasury has the potential to be a welcome tax-efficient addition to the U.K.’s canon of products for real estate investments, with attractive features for companies and, in particular, large asset managers, say lawyers at Herbert Smith.
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What Firms Need To Know About The FCA Consumer Duty
The Financial Conduct Authority's new consumer duty, in force from July 31, presents an opportunity for manufacturers and distributors of financial services to understand the importance of fair value for consumers, and the regulator will be taking a close interest in this, say Julie Patient, Mark Aengenheister and Virginia Montgomery at Hogan Lovells.