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Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

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Fraud Plan Puts FCA At Forefront Of UK Crypto-Crackdown

The Financial Conduct Authority has been given a lead role in targeting money laundering, crypto-assets and money transfer scams in a government fraud strategy involving multiple agencies, which lawyers expect will boost enforcement action and heap a new compliance burden on financial institutions.

Strips of newspaper with the words 'freedom of speech' typed on them.

1st SLAPP Ruling Delivers Symbolic But Limited Landmark

A judge recently found for the first time that a claim met the statutory definition of a strategic lawsuit against public participation, offering a symbolically significant — if limited — test of new powers designed to curb abusive litigation.

Sign outside headquarters of UK government's department of defence.

MoD Whistleblower's Airbus Corruption Claim Gets Delayed

A whistleblower's claim against the government and an Airbus subsidiary for damages will be delayed after a London judge said Wednesday that the court will not have enough time to determine crucial issues in the case.

Illustration showing cyberattack on a computer network through a laptop, with a person typing.

New Fraud Unit Faces Hurdles To Take On Overseas Scams

A new anti-fraud unit built to disrupt the growing threat to national security posed by online scammers fills gaps left in the enforcement landscape, lawyers say — although there are hurdles for prosecution of suspects, particularly when many scams originate thousands of miles away.

March 26, 2026
Italy Seizes €20M Tied To Fraud Against Ursula Andress

Italian police said Thursday that they have seized approximately €20 million ($23 million) worth of assets in Florence, suspected to be the proceeds of money laundering that allegedly targeted James Bond actor Ursula Andress.
March 26, 2026
FCA To Use AI To Spot Consumer Harm Faster In New Plan

The Financial Conduct Authority set out plans on Thursday to use artificial intelligence as a regulatory tool to authorize businesses and detect harm faster in its annual work program.
March 26, 2026
Odey Denies Threat To Shut Biz To Scupper Misconduct Probe

Crispin Odey denied at a tribunal on Thursday that he threatened to shut down his hedge fund to force executives not to impose restrictions on him to safeguard women at the firm after repeated allegations of sexual misconduct.
March 26, 2026
EU Adopts Landmark Anti-Corruption Law

European Union lawmakers passed a new set of bloc-wide anti-corruption rules on Thursday that will streamline legal definitions and set out penalties for bribery, misappropriation and economic crimes as the bloc seeks to crack down on corruption across borders.
March 26, 2026
Whistleblower Bank Exec Wins Costs In Welsh Bribery Feud

A bank in Wales must help pay a former senior executive's costs in a dispute over claims that it fired him for raising concerns that his line manager was allegedly accepting bribes from the CEO.
March 26, 2026
UK Watchdog Revamps Audit Supervision In Quality Boost Bid

The accounting watchdog has launched a modernized supervisory framework for audit firms, centered on their systems of quality management used to deal with risks to audit quality.
March 26, 2026
Ex-Police Federation Treasurer Gets 2 Yrs For Expenses Fraud

A former police officer and treasurer with the West Mercia Police Federation has been sent to prison after using members' funds to pay for family holidays, alcohol and entertainment.
March 25, 2026
Amazon Can't Ax Overlapping Price Inflation Class Actions

Amazon has failed to strike out a class action over its allegedly abusive pricing policies which saw higher fees passed on to consumers, as a tribunal rejected the technology giant's argument that the proceedings are an abuse of process.
March 25, 2026
Dentons Says AML Claims Shouldn't Face Tribunal Rerun

Dentons on Wednesday sought to block allegations it breached anti-money laundering regulations being litigated before a tribunal for a second time, arguing at the Court of Appeal that the case had been rightly dismissed the first time.
March 25, 2026
Modi Can't Block India Extradition Over Torture Fears

A London court declined on Wednesday to stop the extradition to India of jewelry magnate Nirav Modi over an alleged $2 billion fraud after accepting diplomatic assurances he wouldn't be tortured.
March 25, 2026
Odey Denies Trying To Silence Groping Victim In FCA Probe

Crispin Odey told a London tribunal on Wednesday that he denied trying to stop a member of staff who he had groped from speaking to the Financial Conduct Authority while it investigated his conduct at the hedge fund.
March 25, 2026
UK Mulls Faster Director Bans In Civil Enforcement Shake-Up

The government floated plans on Wednesday to streamline the civil enforcement powers of corporate watchdogs to ban unscrupulous directors as it warned that as many as one million companies might be fraudulent.
March 25, 2026
CPS Freezes £81M London Flats In Wealth Order Probe

A Chinese man living in the U.K. has been ordered to explain how he built an £81 million ($108 million) property portfolio in London amid a wider investigation into whether the money was the proceeds of crime.
March 25, 2026
Russian Sanctions Blocked $69M Unicredit Lease Payments

Unicredit rightly withheld $69.3 million in payments to aircraft lessors for planes stranded in Russia, Britain's top court ruled Wednesday, as it found that the sanctions regime prevented the bank from making payments connected to the supply of aircraft to Russian airlines.
March 24, 2026
Judge Sanctions Searches For Proceeds Of €58M VAT Fraud

A judge lawfully issued search and seizure warrants against a man convicted in Germany over a €58 million ($67.2 million) value-added tax "carousel" fraud, a London court has held, because there were reasonable grounds to suspect he had invested the proceeds in Bitcoin.
March 24, 2026
Deutsche Bank Seeks To Grill Vik Over Assets In $360M Fight

Deutsche Bank urged the Court of Appeal on Tuesday to revive its bid to order Monaco-based billionaire Alexander Vik to answer questions about his company's assets, in the latest development in its effort to enforce a judgment debt of more than $360 million.
March 24, 2026
Brazilian Municipalities Can't Take BHP Case To Top UK Court

BHP may not face criminal contempt proceedings over allegations it filed a case in Brazil to block English claims linked to the Fundão dam collapse, as a London appeals court has refused permission to take the case to the U.K.'s top court.
March 24, 2026
Odey Regrets Coming Across To Staff As 'Creepy Old Man'

Crispin Odey said on Tuesday that he regrets coming across to young receptionists as a "creepy old man," as his challenge to a ban and fine of £1.8 million ($2.4 million) for thwarting an internal probe into sexual misconduct allegations continues.
March 24, 2026
NCA, Police Arrest 557 In Anti-Fraud 'Operation Henhouse'

Police arrested 557 individuals in February as part of the Operation Henhouse campaign against fraud, coordinated by the National Economic Crime Centre at the National Crime Agency and City of London Police, the NCA said Tuesday.
March 24, 2026
Mike Lynch's Estate Denied Appeal In HP Fraud Case

Mike Lynch's estate has been refused permission to challenge a ruling that the entrepreneur fraudulently misled Hewlett Packard Enterprise over its acquisition of his software company as a court found on Tuesday that no proposed ground of appeal had a prospect of success.
March 24, 2026
Bank Of London Fined £2M For Misleading Capital Claims

The Bank of England said Tuesday that it has fined Bank of London £2 million ($2.7 million) for failing to act with integrity and misleading the regulator on its capital holdings, which included providing several fabricated documents.
March 23, 2026
Brexit Donor Loses Appeal Of Inheritance Tax Bill

A political donor's bid to secure an inheritance tax exemption on £1.7 million ($2.2 million) in Brexit campaign donations made as lifetime gifts has been dismissed by a London tribunal.
March 23, 2026
Pipe Co. Owes £30K For Catch-22 Dismissal Of Injured Staffer

An employment tribunal has ordered a manufacturer of sustainable water and energy systems to pay £30,792 ($41,330) to a warehouse operative, after finding he was wrongly fired over unfounded accusations that he was defrauding insurers to receive sick pay.
March 23, 2026
PI Says Hacking Confession In Celebs' Mail Claim Was Forged

A private investigator testified Monday that his signature had been forged on a witness statement in which he allegedly confessed to phone hacking, and which underpins privacy claims brought by Prince Harry, Elton John and other public figures against the Daily Mail's publisher.
March 23, 2026
Four Men Convicted Of Duping Investors Out Of Millions

Four men accused of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars in get-rich-quick schemes have been convicted of fraud and money laundering, prosecutors said Monday.

Editor's Picks

New 'British FBI' Plan Missing Vital Detail, Lawyers Say

Plans by the government to merge several fraud enforcement agencies give little detail about how the largest policing overhaul in 200 years will operate in practice, although lawyers say the Serious Fraud Office appears to be safe — for now.
Slapped Down: SRA At Crossroads After SLAPP Setbacks

The string of failed prosecutions brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority against City lawyers accused of trying to silence journalists on behalf of clients has raised questions about its enforcement strategy, with critics accusing the watchdog of overreaching its rules.
Meet The Lawyers Tapped To Defend In Entain Bribery Case

Eleven gambling managers and employees, including former top executives at Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain PLC, have enlisted veteran defense counsel and some of the country's most experienced trial solicitors and barristers to defend themselves against the Crown Prosecution Service's bribery and fraud charges.

Expert Analysis

Assessing Potential Legal Claims From Private Credit Turmoil

Amid the downturn in the private credit markets spurred by multiple high-profile bankruptcies, a New York lawsuit stemming from the collapse of First Brands provides an important case study for investors to help minimize future losses and maximize any potential recovery in the event of a private credit default, say attorneys at Bleichmar Fonti.
What New FCA Rules Mean For Deferred Payment Providers

New rules from the Financial Conduct Authority requiring deferred payment credit providers to obtain a financial services license have two notable implications: providers will be subject to full compliance with the regulator’s consumer duty, and must meet its organizational and governance requirements, says Alix Prentice at Cadwalader.
FCA Stablecoin Sandbox Indicates Shift In Crypto Regulation

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent decision to use four companies to test stablecoin models within its regulatory sandbox provides a mechanism for testing real-world use cases, and shines a light on the U.K.'s broader strategy in the context of global stablecoin legislation, says Ben Lee at Andersen.
Who Will Be 1st To Prosecute New Corporate Fraud Offense?

With no prosecutions under the failure to prevent fraud offense six months on from its introduction, lawyers at BCL Solicitors explore the front-runners in the race to prosecute, and consider whether a private prosecutor might beat a state prosecuting authority to the finish line.
What EU Cybersecurity Proposals Could Mean For Tech Cos.

The European Commission’s recent proposals for further communication technologies regulation via the Cybersecurity Act 2 and Digital Networks Act signify a substantive shift in how the European Union expects digital services, infrastructure and supply chains to function in an era of intensifying geopolitical risk, say lawyers at Akin.
FCA's £44M Nationwide Fine Highlights AML Control Gaps

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent £44 million fine of Nationwide Building Society for anti-money laundering control failures demonstrates that where a firm does not implement appropriate policies and remediation projects, there is a risk that noncompliance will remain unaddressed, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.
What Brazil's Adequacy Status Will Mean For EU Data Flow

The European Commission’s recent historic decision to grant full adequacy status to Brazil for personal data transfers removes a significant compliance burden for organizations and offers an opportunity to simplify transfer mechanisms, positioning Brazil as a major gateway for EU-Latin America data flows, say lawyers at Gibson Dunn.
How UK Securitization Reforms Will Affect Industry

The Prudential Regulation Authority’s recent proposals to reform securitization requirements will offer greater structuring flexibility, reduced operational complexity and lower compliance costs, although with the rationale for imposing stand-alone obligations on institutional investors not clear, dissenting voices are likely, say lawyers at Skadden.
How EU Reforms May Affect Copyright, AI Balance

The European Parliament’s recently proposed resolution calling on the European Commission to address the intersection between copyright and generative artificial intelligence will have implications for companies developing technology, whose compliance costs will soar, and rights holders, for whom great opportunities may lie ahead, says Pasquale Tammaro at BonelliErede.
FCA's HTX Action Shows Crypto Ad Rules Must Be Followed

The Financial Conduct Authority’s London High Court action against global crypto-exchange HTX for illegally promoting its services to U.K. consumers sends the message that it will pursue those who flout the rules from a distance and will be key in testing the extent of the U.K.’s regulatory perimeter, says Nick Barnard at Corker Binning.
UK Territories May Yet Prevail On Ownership Disclosure

Despite its recently launched anti-corruption strategy, the U.K. government appears to have little appetite in the short term to impose fully public ownership registers on the overseas territories, a position that will be welcomed by advisers and individuals, says Rupert Cullen at Allectus Law.
New Foreign Bribery Guide Can Help Int'l Cos. Identify Risks

In light of growing global coordination on anti-bribery enforcement, the International Foreign Bribery Taskforce’s recent guide to foreign bribery indicators represents a step forward in the standardization of factors for evaluating corruption risks that multinational companies should consider, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.
FCA Enforcement Newsletter Reflects Shift Toward Openness

The Financial Conduct Authority’s inaugural Enforcement Watch newsletter provides clarity on the cases the regulator is opening and highlights its approach to early communication of enforcement activity, offering a welcome insight into its emerging priorities, says David Hamilton at Howard Kennedy.
How UK Gov't Proposes To Streamline CMA Regime

The Department for Business and Trade’s planned overhaul of the Competition Market Authority’s regime will introduce a series of targeted procedural changes aimed at improving efficiency and engagement, raising questions around procedural safeguards and jurisdictional thresholds, say lawyers at Baker Botts.
Decoding Arbitral Disputes: US Cert Denial And EU Strategy

The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied certiorari in Russia v. Hulley Enterprises, leaving in place the D.C. Circuit's opinion supporting jurisdiction in the $50 billion arbitration award challenge, and intensifying litigation exposure for the European Union's strategy of contesting the enforceability of intra-EU awards abroad, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.