Financial Services UK

  • October 07, 2024

    Investors Urge UK Pension Reforms To Boost Returns

    Investors have urged the U.K. to adopt new pension reforms designed to improve how pension schemes invest and operate following a call for evidence as the government carries out a review of pensions investment.

  • October 07, 2024

    LME Beats US Hedge Fund's Appeal Over $12B Nickel Trade

    A London court has dismissed a U.S. hedge fund's appeal against a decision by the London Metal Exchange to cancel more than $12 billion in nickel trades, ruling on Tuesday that its actions were lawful, justified and proportionate.

  • October 07, 2024

    Watchdog Now Orders Banks To Pay Back APP Fraud Victims

    The Payment Systems Regulator said Monday that new rules will provide world-leading protections to consumers who have been tricked into sending money to fraudsters through the banking system.

  • October 04, 2024

    SFO Seizes £295K From Convicted Tycoon In $700M Fraud

    Britian's financial crime enforcer has seized £295,000 ($386,000) from a convicted fraudster imprisoned three times in connection with an international metal trading scam that defrauded lenders worldwide out of nearly $700 million more than two decades ago. 

  • October 04, 2024

    G7 Antitrust Chiefs Vow To Scope Collusion In AI Tech Sector

    U.S. and international antitrust regulators said Friday they intend to scrutinize any anticompetitive practice in the market for artificial intelligence technologies or any use of the emerging tech to circumvent competition.

  • October 04, 2024

    WealthTek Distribution Plan Was Approved For Expediency

    England's High Court had the power to approve a plan to distribute client assets held by collapsed wealth manager WealthTek LLP even though the plan does not conform with investors' "strict rights" to their investment, a judge said Friday in giving his full reasons for sanctioning the plan earlier this year.

  • October 04, 2024

    ECJ Says Interest Deduction Limits Align With EU Law

    Governments across the European Union can legislate to block businesses from getting corporate tax deductions on interest paid as part of noncommercial loans, the European Court of Justice ruled Friday.

  • October 04, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen GMB Union sued by the makers of Tetley Tea after a staff walkout in September, boxer Mike Tyson hit with legal action from a marketing company and the Met Police face a misuse of private data claim from a woman who had a relationship with an undercover police officer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • October 04, 2024

    Experian To Acquire Brazil's ClearSale For $350M

    Credit ratings agency Experian PLC said Friday that it has agreed to acquire Brazil-based digital fraud prevention company ClearSale SA for 1.90 billion Brazilian real ($350 million) to complement its existing identity and fraud business in the South American country.

  • October 04, 2024

    McDermott Taps Big 4 Partner As Senior Tax Pro In London

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced it has recruited a former U.K. partner from KPMG to join its firm as a tax partner, bringing an expert in private equity to its London office.

  • October 11, 2024

    Dechert Hires Fund Finance Pro From DLA Piper

    Dechert LLP has recruited a fund finance specialist as a partner from DLA Piper to boost its offerings for asset management firms, financial institutions and alternative lenders.

  • October 04, 2024

    FCA's £29M Fine Of Starling Sends Wider Compliance Warning

    The Financial Conduct Authority hit Starling Bank Ltd. with a £28.9 million ($38.4 million) fine on Wednesday for inadequate anti-money laundering and sanctions controls. This has sent a wider warning to companies that compliance levels must match growth.

  • October 04, 2024

    Bahamian Bank Claims No Fault In $3M Loan Row

    A Bahamian bank has argued it did not breach a $3 million loan agreement with a director of an American biotech company, arguing the deal was justifiably terminated and that it does not owe him $15 million for any alleged losses.

  • October 03, 2024

    Former Senior Accountant Jailed For £1M Council Fraud

    A former council accountant has been jailed for defrauding a local authority out of nearly £1 million ($1.3 million) over two decades, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

  • October 03, 2024

    FCA Charges 2 Brothers With Insider Dealing

    The U.K.'s financial watchdog charged two men with insider dealing in London on Thursday over allegations they pocketed £110,000 ($144,230) by profiting off confidential information on oil and gas stocks over a four-year period. 

  • October 03, 2024

    Whisky Fund Manager To Pay £51K Over Sexist Treatment

    An employment tribunal has ordered an investment consultancy specializing in rare whiskies to pay £51,800 ($68,000) to a female staff member after employees harassed her and forced her out with sexist treatment.

  • October 03, 2024

    New UK Anti-Fraud Law Could Fuel Prosecution Of Individuals

    The new "failure to prevent fraud" offense that is likely to take effect in 2025 was written to target large companies that do not have internal controls to prevent such crime, but lawyers are warning clients that bosses will be expected to help pursue individual fraudsters

  • October 03, 2024

    Pension Co. Expects Greater Investment Plan Detail In Budget

    More detail on how the British government plans to generate greater investment from the £800 billion ($1.05 trillion) defined contribution sector into the economy seems "highly likely" to feature in the upcoming autumn Budget, PensionBee has said.

  • October 03, 2024

    Herbert Smith-Led WTW Buys Stake In Wealth Manager

    Insurance group Willis Towers Watson PLC said Thursday that it has acquired a minority stake in U.K. wealth manager Atomos, following an alliance between the companies since 2022.

  • October 03, 2024

    EU Finance Bodies Seek Clarity On Cybersecurity Compliance

    Financial trade bodies across the European Union have urged regulators to clarify critical requirements under the Digital Operational Resilience Act, which is set to come into effect in January, saying they are not clear on how the cybersecurity legislation applies to them.

  • October 02, 2024

    UK To Give Banks New Powers To Combat Fraudsters

    The U.K. government said Thursday it is introducing new laws enabling banks to extend investigations of suspected fraudulent payments.

  • October 02, 2024

    Parliamentary Ombudsman Probes Pensions Injustice

    The independent complaints body for government departments has launched an inquiry into historical injustices in state pensions that could lead to hundreds of millions of pounds being paid out in compensation to women who were affected, a consultancy said Thursday.

  • October 02, 2024

    FCA Wins Appeal In $700M BlueCrest Investor Redress Case

    The Financial Conduct Authority can resume its bid to impose a redress scheme of more than $700 million for investors of hedge fund BlueCrest Capital Management, an appeals court said Wednesday, ruling that a tribunal wrongly held that the regulator did not have that power.

  • October 02, 2024

    Italian Lender Beats Rival's Challenge To 'Isybank' TM Bid

    An Austrian bank cannot rely on its "Easybank" trademarks to stop Italian rival Intesa Sanpaolo from protecting its "Isybank" brand because there is no likelihood of European Union consumers mixing up the signs, officials in the bloc have ruled.

  • October 09, 2024

    Shoosmiths Adds Privacy & Data Partner From BCLP

    Shoosmiths LLP has hired a new partner to its privacy and data unit in London from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, with the new arrival saying Wednesday that an immediate rapport with Shoosmiths' partners led her to jump ship.

Expert Analysis

  • Economic Crime Act Offers Welcome Reform To AML Regime

    Author Photo

    The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act exemption for mixed-property transactions that came into force on Jan. 15 as part of the U.K.'s anti-money laundering regime is long overdue, and should end economic harm to businesses, giving banks confidence to adopt a more pragmatic approach, say Matthew Getz and Joseph Fox-Davies at Pallas Partners.

  • 3 Financial Services Hot Topics To Watch In 2024

    Author Photo

    Technology, ESG and private markets are set to have the greatest impact on financial markets in 2024, as firms grapple with increasing regulatory change and a shifting political backdrop on both sides of the Atlantic, says Matthew Allen at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • What Venice Swaps Ruling Says About Foreign Law Disputes

    Author Photo

    The English appeals court's decision in Banca Intesa v. Venice that the English law swaps are valid and enforceable will be welcomed by banks, and it provides valuable commentary on the English courts' approach toward the interpretation of foreign law, say Harriet Campbell and Richard Marshall at Penningtons Manches.

  • Key Litigation Funding Rulings Will Drive Reform In 2024

    Author Photo

    Ground-breaking judgments on disputes funding and fee arrangements from 2023 — including that litigation funding agreements could be damages-based agreements, rendering them unenforceable — will bring legislative changes in 2024, which could have a substantial impact on litigation risk for several sectors, say Verity Jackson-Grant and David Bridge at Simmons & Simmons.

  • How Draft Trading Regs Provide Framework For UK Regime

    Author Photo

    Representing an important part of the U.K. government's post-Brexit regulatory reform agenda, the most recent draft of the proposed Trading Regulations seeks to provide a framework for a new rules-based regime for regulating public offers of securities and admissions to trading on a U.K.-regulated market, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • Breaking Down The New Rules For High Net Worth Individuals

    Author Photo

    Andrew Northage at Walker Morris outlines what businesses need to be aware of to ensure ongoing compliance with revised conditions in the U.K. government's updated financial promotion exemptions for high net worth individuals and sophisticated investors, and suggests a few practical tips for businesses to follow.

  • How Data Privacy Law Cases Are Evolving In UK, EU And US

    Author Photo

    To see where the law is heading in 2024, it is worth looking at privacy litigation and enforcement trends from last year, where we saw a focus on General Data Protection Regulation regulatory enforcement actions in the U.K. and EU, and class actions brought by private plaintiffs in the U.S., say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • Misleading Airline Ads Offer Lessons To Avoid Greenwashing

    Author Photo

    Following the Advertising Standards Authority's recent decision that three airlines' adverts misled customers about their environmental impact, companies should ensure that their green claims comply with legal standards to avoid risking reputational damage, which could have financial repercussions, say Elaina Bailes and Olivia Shaw at Stewarts.

  • An Overview Of UK Short Selling Regulation Reforms

    Author Photo

    The steps taken by the U.K. government to reform the short selling regime show a thoughtful and considered approach and a willingness to listen to industry feedback in adapting the legacy EU regime to the realities of the U.K. markets, say Anna Maleva-Otto and Matthew Dow at Schulte Roth.

  • Supreme Court Ruling Is A Gift To Insolvency Practitioners

    Author Photo

    As corporate criminal liability is in sharp focus, the Supreme Court's recent decision in Palmer v. Northern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court that administrators are not company officers and should not be held liable under U.K. labor law is instructive in focusing on the substance and not merely the title of a person's role within a company, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.

  • What Can Be Learned From Adobe-Figma Merger Termination

    Author Photo

    The Competition and Markets Authority’s role in the recent termination of the proposed Adobe-Figma merger deal indicates the regulator's intention to be seen as a strong enforcer in the technology sphere, and serves as a warning for companies to address antitrust risks early on in the merger process, say Deirdre Taylor and Molly Heslop at Gibson Dunn.

  • How FCA Listing Regime Reform Proposals Are Developing

    Author Photo

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently proposed U.K. equity listings reforms maintain increased flexibility with a disclosure-based approach, but much of the new regime’s success will depend on the eligibility criteria used and whether additional governance will be required for inclusion, say lawyers at Debevoise.

  • Major EU AI Banking Ruling Will Reverberate Across Sectors

    Author Photo

    Following the European Court of Justice's recent OQ v. Land Hessen decision that banks' use of AI-driven credit scores to make consumer decisions did not comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, regulators indicated that the ruling would apply broadly, leaving numerous industries that employ AI-powered decisions open to scrutiny, say lawyers at Alston & Bird.

  • Key Points From Ireland's New Accountability Framework

    Author Photo

    The recently introduced Individual Accountability Framework is a positive step for the financial services industry in Ireland, and in contributing to cultural and practical change will encourage positive behavior and good governance for the benefit of the industry and investors, say Aongus McCarthy and Niall Esler at Walkers Global.

  • Technology And AI: 2024's Legal And Regulatory Landscape

    Author Photo

    Alexander Amato-Cravero at Herbert Smith discusses what businesses and their lawyers can expect in the year ahead in terms of regulation, policies and associated risks related to advancing technologies and artificial intelligence, including the need for increased internal governance and workforce engagement.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Financial Services UK archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!