Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Financial Services UK
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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."
-
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.
-
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.
Expert Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
'Debanking' Complaints Highlight Need For Flexibility In AML
The House of Commons' Treasury Committee's concerns about bank account closures have highlighted certain counterproductive features of anti-money laundering laws, and the review offers the opportunity for a more flexible approach, says John Binns at BCL Solicitors.
-
Mitigating Incarceration's Impacts On Foreign Nationals
Sentencing arguments that highlighted the disparate impact incarceration would have on a British national recently sentenced for insider training by a New York district court, when compared to similarly situated U.S. citizens, provide an example of the advocacy needed to avoid or mitigate problems unique to noncitizen defendants, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.
-
Decoding Arbitral Disputes: The Benefits Of Non-EU Venues
In Spain v. Triodos, a Swedish appeal court recently annulled an intra-EU investment treaty award, reinforcing a growing trend in the bloc against enforcing such awards, and highlighting the advantages of initiating enforcement proceedings in common law jurisdictions, such as the U.K., says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.
-
How Proposed Platforms For Unlisted Co. Trading May Work
The U.K. government is continuing development of its proposed private intermittent securities and capital exchange system to facilitate secondary share trading in private companies through a regulatory sandbox while ironing out details, representing an innovative step for unlisted company liquidity, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.
-
Experian Ruling Helps Cos. Navigate GDPR Transparency
In Information Commissioner v. Experian, the Upper Tribunal recently reaffirmed the lawfulness of the company's marketing practices, providing guidance that will assist organizations in complying with the GDPR’s transparency obligations, say lawyers at Jenner & Block.
-
Clarity Is Central Theme In FCA's Greenwashing Guidance
Recent Financial Conduct Authority guidance for complying with the U.K. regulator's anti-greenwashing rule sends an overarching message that sustainability claims must be clear, accurate and capable of being substantiated, say lawyers at Cadwalader.
-
How New FCA Rules Strengthen Borrower Protections
The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published final rules, aimed at strengthening protections for borrowers in financial difficulty by regularizing good practices across the industry, put its previous guidance on a permanent footing and send a clear message to firms that this issue remains a regulatory priority, say James Black, Julie Patient and Mark Aengenheister at Hogan Lovells.