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Financial Services UK
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April 01, 2024
Autonomy Paid Whistleblower $750K Over Firing, Jury Told
Autonomy's former U.S. chief financial officer testified Monday in the California criminal fraud trial of ex-CEO Michael Lynch that he was fired after blowing the whistle to British regulators about accounting irregularities, and revealed that Autonomy later paid him $750,000 to resolve his wrongful termination claims.
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March 28, 2024
Feds Say Ex-OneCoin Atty Should Serve 'Substantial' Time
Manhattan federal prosecutors have requested a "substantial" amount of prison time for a Bulgarian woman who worked on the legal team at the fraudulent OneCoin cryptocurrency exchange, but said the sentence should fall below the guidelines range of 10 years.
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March 28, 2024
Ex-Plastics Co. Manager Found Guilty Of Insider Dealing
A former manager at a plastics company was found guilty of insider dealing on Thursday by a London jury, but his friend was acquitted of similar charges in connection with the £261 million ($329 million) purchase of a rival company.
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March 28, 2024
Insurers Must Face £13B Russia-Stranded Planes Suits In UK
Major insurers including Allianz, AXA and Liberty Mutual will have to face £13 billion ($16.4 billion) worth of claims over planes stranded in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine as a London judge on Thursday ruled against attempts to move the claims to Moscow.
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March 28, 2024
Developer Says Law Firm Flubbed FOS Appeal
A property developer is suing its former lawyers for just over £700,000 ($883,500) for negligence after the firm allegedly failed to file a complaint against a now-infamous turnaround unit of the Royal Bank of Scotland when its investments turned sour in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
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March 28, 2024
Traders' Loss Raises High Bar For Bankers To Clear Names
The failure of two former traders to overturn their rate-rigging convictions could mark the end of the road for others convicted in connection with the scandal because of the reluctance of the English courts to topple precedent, lawyers say.
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March 28, 2024
EU Watchdogs To Relax On OTC Derivative Clearing Breaches
The European Union's securities regulator has said it expects national regulators not to prioritize supervisory action against banks or insurers that fail to clear some over-the-counter derivatives with foreign pension schemes, ahead of legal exemption.
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March 28, 2024
NCA Logs 5% Decline In Suspicious Activity Reports Last Year
The National Crime Agency reported Thursday a 5% decline in reports about potential criminal activities such as suspected money laundering and terrorist financing to its intelligence unit received during the financial year that ended March 2023.
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March 28, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen investors target fraudsters who ran a fake film tax scheme, Barclays Bank sue privately owned Russian bank PJSC Sovcombank, easyGroup bring a trademark infringement claim against online casino TGI Entertainment for its "easybet" word sign, and a bioethanol fuel company hit high-profile individuals connected to the collapsed Elysian Fuels scheme. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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March 28, 2024
UK Signs Accounting Standards Deal With Australia
Britain's audit watchdog said Thursday it has secured a deal on accounting standards with Australian authorities to make it easier for auditors to work between both countries.
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March 28, 2024
Investors Told To Show Standing For £1.4B StanChart Claim
A London judge on Thursday ordered part of a group of investors suing Standard Chartered PLC for £1.4 billion ($1.7 billion) — for allegedly downplaying how much it had breached U.S. sanctions — to prove they are entitled to bring the claim.
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March 28, 2024
Crowe Denies £5M Negligence Claim Over Audits Of Wine Co.
A London-based accounting firm has hit back against a £5 million ($6.3 million) negligence claim by the liquidators of a failed wine investment company, saying it acted with the "care and skill" of a "reasonably competent" auditor.
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March 28, 2024
Struggling Lender Amigo Raises Cash, Eyes Reverse Takeover
Amigo Holdings PLC said on Thursday that it has raised cash and is looking for a reverse takeover target so that it can continue operating as a listed company, amid the planned liquidation of its troubled subprime lending arm.
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March 28, 2024
Abrdn Property Plans Wind-Down After Merger Rejected
Abrdn Property Income Trust Ltd. has said it is planning a managed wind-down after its shareholders voted against an all-share merger with Custodian Property Income REIT PLC that valued it at £237 million ($299 million).
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March 28, 2024
UK To Nullify NDAs That Stop People Reporting Crimes
Non-disclosure agreements that prevent victims from reporting potential crimes are to become unenforceable, the government said Thursday as it announced plans to "clarify" the law governing the controversial contracts.
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March 27, 2024
No New Trial For Hedge Fund Boss In Forex Rigging Case
A New York federal judge on Friday refused to acquit or call for a new trial for a U.K.-based hedge fund chief convicted of illegally manipulating a currency exchange rate, rejecting his argument that his alleged conduct lacked sufficient ties to the United States.
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March 27, 2024
Evidence On Ex-Mozambique Official Stays In $2B Fraud Suit
A former Mozambique finance minister can't keep evidence from his phone out of a case alleging his involvement in a $2 billion scheme to siphon government-backed project funds from that country after a federal judge in Brooklyn on Wednesday backed the phone's seizure and search.
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March 27, 2024
Wedlake Bell Can't Get Early Exit From Trust Negligence Case
A London court dismissed a law firm's attempt to escape a damages claim for its admitted negligent management of a trust, finding Wednesday that the law is "in a state of development" about the scope of a solicitor's duty in that situation.
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March 27, 2024
StanChart Urges Court To Toss Part Of £1.4B Sanctions Suit
Standard Chartered PLC urged a London judge Wednesday to block part of a group of investors' £1.4 billion ($1.77 billion) claim against it alleging that the bank had downplayed how much it breached U.S. sanctions against Iran by hundreds of billions of dollars, alleging some of the investors had not shown they had standing.
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March 27, 2024
BoE Finds Increasing Fear Of Financial Risk From AI
The Bank of England said on Wednesday the proportion of banks, insurers and other firms that find artificial intelligence one of the greatest risks to the finance system has doubled in six months.
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March 27, 2024
Finance Pros Avoid Prison For £3M Mortgage Fraud
A banned independent financial adviser and an accountant were handed suspended sentences on Wednesday for forging documents to help their clients make fraudulent mortgage applications worth £3 million ($3.8 million).
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March 27, 2024
BoE Says Action On LDI Has Boosted Financial Stability
The U.K.'s financial stability watchdog said Wednesday that measures introduced in the wake of the pension fund crisis 18 months ago have bolstered resilience to further shocks.
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March 27, 2024
Swiss Watchdog Sets Out New Capital Rules For Banks
Switzerland's financial regulator said Wednesday it has published five sets of rules to implement the latest capital requirements for banks, known as Basel III, allowing a more risk-sensitive treatment of managed collective assets than the global standards require.
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March 27, 2024
Watchdog Aligns Accounting Rules In UK, Ireland With IFRS
Britain's accounting regulator published plans on Wednesday to update some accounting standards in the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland to align with changes in international guidelines.
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March 27, 2024
Payments Watchdog Launches 2nd Review Of ATM Coverage
The Payment Systems Regulator launched on Wednesday its second review of the effectiveness of its mandate for LINK, the national cash machine network, to ensure the accessibility of ATMs across the country.
Expert Analysis
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Pension Trustee Case Could Lead To Fossil Fuels Divestment
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.
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Outbound Screening May Be Next EU Investment Control Step
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.
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Barclays Ruling Narrows Banks' Fraud Recovery Duty
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.
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Green Loans May Be Hungary's Path To Sustainable Financing
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.
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How The Law Must Change To Accommodate Digital Assets
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.
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Tackling Global Inflation Is A Challenge For Antitrust Agencies
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.
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Key Findings From EBA's Money Laundering Report
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.
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Cos. Using AI Should Note Regulators' Privacy Concerns
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.
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Comparing EU And UK Proposals To Regulate ESG Ratings
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.
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Digital Assets Consultation Offers First Step In Regulation
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.
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EU And UK Crypto-Asset Consumer Rights Look Set To Differ
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.
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EU Sustainability Initiatives Will Affect Emissions Trading
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.
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The Benefits Of Uniformity In EU Anti-Corruption Proposals
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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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.