Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

Blocks featuring binary code with locks on dark blue background as illustration of blockchain technology.

SFO's Crypto Probe Marks Shift In Tackling Blockchain Fraud

The launch by the Serious Fraud Office of its first cryptocurrency investigation signals an appetite for using new resources to crack down on fraud, part of a wider move by U.K. law enforcement agencies to treat blockchain as a mainstream threat, lawyers say.

Individual cryptocurrency coins on view on a black surface.

How Mishcon Helped Uncover £5.6B Money Laundering Plot

Law360 examines here how a suspicious activity report raised by Mishcon de Reya about a client's attempted transactions served as the catalyst for one of the biggest cryptocurrency seizures in British history.

Close-up of hands searching through files in a cabinet.

Carter-Ruck Test Case Could Redefine SRA's Privilege Rights

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is facing an unprecedented court challenge from Carter-Ruck to its power to force law firms to hand over privileged documents, a case that could embolden clients to refuse consent far more frequently and force legislative reform.

FCA Oversight Spells Tougher AML Scrutiny For Law Firms

The Financial Conduct Authority's new powers to police lawyers and other professionals could place law firms under a heightened supervisory regime similar to that of banks and other high-risk financial institutions, experts say.

November 24, 2025
$18B Spain Claim Was Nixed Over Investment Issue

The international tribunal that threw out an $18 billion claim brought by a group of Filipinos who accused Spain of stymying their efforts to enforce a $14.9 billion arbitral award against Malaysia concluded that the claimants had not made a protected investment, according to a newly public award.
November 24, 2025
Credit Suisse Denies Role In Tech Exec's Alleged Stock Theft

Credit Suisse has urged a New York federal judge to let it out of a lawsuit by an Aeva Technologies co-founder who claims the banking giant provided "institutional cover" to conspirators who allegedly stole tens of millions of dollars, arguing that it also fell victim to the scam.
November 24, 2025
Ex-Trafigura Exec Denies Devising $600M Nickel Fraud

Trafigura's former head of nickel trading denied conspiring with Prateek Gupta to defraud the company out of $600 million through a sham nickel trade deal, as he gave evidence at the trial on Monday.
November 24, 2025
Sheikh Held Liable For €67M Shares Breach By Top UK Court

Britain's highest court ruled on Monday that a business tycoon breached his fiduciary duties when he transferred shares out of his wound-up company, and ordered him to hand over €67 million ($77 million) in damages.
November 24, 2025
Fair Work Agency Promised An Extra £1M For Investigators

The new U.K. labor rights watchdog will get an extra £1 million ($1.3 million) for a team of specialist investigators, HM Treasury has confirmed.
November 24, 2025
Ex-Georgia PM Wins $607M Appeal Over Credit Suisse Fraud

The Bermudan life insurance arm of Credit Suisse lost its challenge on Monday to a $607 million damages bill it owes to the former prime minister of Georgia as the top court for overseas U.K territories rejected its arguments.
November 21, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen Clyde & Co. face a claim from Yorkshire firm GWB Harthills, a property developer previously investigated over suspected bribery and corruption sue the general counsel and solicitor to HM Revenue and Customs, and sportswear giant Gymshark bring an intellectual property claim against its co-founder's rival company, AYBL. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
November 21, 2025
10-Year Migrant Pathway May Be 'Catastrophic' For Employers

The government's plan to extend routes to settlement in Britain for migrants to up to 20 years could have "catastrophic consequences" for sponsoring employers and risks tying vulnerable workers to bad bosses for a decade, experts have warned.
November 21, 2025
UK Government Faces Backlash Over Juryless Trial Proposal

Controversial plans to overhaul criminal law to bar some defendants from electing to be tried by a jury won't succeed in reducing the backlog of cases without long-term funding, and it suggests that the government is no longer able to deliver justice, experts said Friday.
November 21, 2025
FCA Plans Reduced Reporting To Save Firms £108M A Year

The Financial Conduct Authority proposed Friday to reduce transaction reporting requirements for 1,400 firms in the financial sector, which would save them an estimated £108 million ($141 million) a year.
November 21, 2025
Ex-Reform UK Politician Gets 10 Yrs Over Pro-Russian Bribes

The former leader of the Reform UK party in Wales was sentenced to over 10 years imprisonment on Friday for receiving corrupt payments in exchange for supporting Russian causes in speeches made when he was a member of the European Parliament.
November 21, 2025
Teenagers Deny Carrying Out TfL Cyberattack That Cost £39M

Two teenagers denied on Friday that they carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London that plunged the network into chaos and cost the transportation authority £39 million ($51 million.)
November 20, 2025
UK Ties Vast Money-Laundering Scheme To Russian Military

Criminals operating in at least two dozen U.K. cities and towns are behind a billion-dollar money-laundering network turning dirty cash into cryptocurrency to fuel Russia's military, evade sanctions and further the global drugs trade, British investigators said Friday.
November 20, 2025
Alleged Fraudster Wins Bid To Challenge Sweden Extradition

A U.K.-based man charged with fraud in Sweden was given a chance on Thursday to challenge a court order allowing his extradition to Sweden, after he argued that the court did not properly assess the risk of inhumane treatment in Swedish prisons.
November 20, 2025
Solicitor Lied To Client's Wife About Seized Funds, SRA Says

A criminal defense solicitor lied to an imprisoned client's wife by concealing the fact he was holding on to funds belonging to the client, the Solicitors Regulation Authority told a tribunal Thursday.
November 20, 2025
StanChart Appeals Disclosure Order In £1.5B Sanctions Case

Standard Chartered on Thursday relaunched a fight to withhold regulatory documents from investors that are suing the bank for £1.5 billion ($2 billion), as they allege that the lender made untrue or misleading statements about its noncompliance with sanctions.
November 20, 2025
SFO Launches Probe Into $28M 'Crypto Hedge Fund'

The Serious Fraud Office arrested two men and opened a criminal investigation on Thursday into the collapse of a $28 million cryptocurrency scheme over suspected fraud after plans to create a "crypto hedge fund" failed.
November 19, 2025
Trademark Infringements Dominate £500M UK Counterfeit Haul

Britain's border control agency seized counterfeit goods worth more than £500 million ($654 million) between 2021 and 2023, with trademark infringement continuing as the most common intellectual property violation, a government report has revealed.
November 19, 2025
FCA Says 3 Arrested In Suspected Fraudulent Debt Probe

The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that three individuals have been arrested as it investigates suspected "unauthorized debt activity" that it believes targeted people facing repossession proceedings.
November 19, 2025
Russian Tech Co. Hit With Sanctions Over Ransomware Links

The U.S., U.K. and Australia on Wednesday announced coordinated sanctions on Russia-based Media Land LLC and employees of the so-called bulletproof hosting service over allegations that the business has acted as a key enabler for ransomware attacks.
November 19, 2025
WH Smith CEO Quits Over North America Accounting Error

WH Smith PLC's chief executive stepped down with immediate effect on Wednesday, after an independent review by Deloitte LLP found that the company's North American division made an accounting blunder that overstated profits by as much as £50 million ($65.4 million).
November 19, 2025
Lloyds Trims Arena TV Liquidators' £1.3B Fraud Case

Lloyds Bank PLC convinced a London court on Wednesday to ax a chunk of the £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) in claims that accused the lender of failing to spot an alleged fraud by directors at a broadcast equipment company.
November 18, 2025
Employers Bracing For Impact As EU AI Act Deadline Nears

Less than a fifth of employers feel very prepared to comply with European Union artificial intelligence regulations despite widespread awareness of how upcoming rule changes will affect workers, according to a report published Wednesday.
November 18, 2025
BHP Dam Case Highlights Legal Risk For UK Businesses

A landmark ruling holding mining giant BHP liable for a catastrophic dam collapse in Brazil signals the English courts' growing readiness to hold U.K.-based multinationals to account for harm overseas.
November 18, 2025
SFO To Move Headquarters To Canary Wharf In 2026

The U.K.'s white-collar crime agency said on Tuesday that it will move its headquarters to Canary Wharf in 2026 as it stressed that the new location in east London will help it meet the challenges of investigating serious fraud and corruption.

Editor's Picks

6 Bombshell Moments From Staley's Bid To Clear His Name

Jes Staley has suffered a bruising week as he testified about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, culminating in an admission by the former banker that he had sex with a member of the disgraced financier's staff.
5 Questions For Spencer West Partner Karl Foster

The Financial Conduct Authority's approach to enforcement and consumer protection has come up against government economic growth priorities and resistance from the sector to its proposals to "name and shame" companies early on during regulatory probes.
UK Russia Sanctions Face Landmark Test At Supreme Court

The U.K.'s sanctions regime faces a major test on Wednesday as billionaire Eugene Shvidler seeks to have his financial restrictions cast off — the first case to challenge Russian sanctions that has reached the country's highest court.

Expert Analysis

Takeaways From Landmark UK Ruling On Brazil Dam Collapse

The High Court found BHP liable for a Brazilian dam collapse that resulted in a major environmental disaster, showing that England remains open for complex transnational environmental claims and providing a road map for other mass claims that are sure to follow this case, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.
Navigating Compliance As EU Cybersecurity Rules Evolve

One year after the European Union’s Network and Information Systems Directive 2 took effect, in-scope organizations are encountering mounting pressure to meet new cybersecurity standards, and national variations are creating additional challenges for companies that operate across multiple EU jurisdictions, say lawyers at Goodwin.
EBA Proposals Signal Overhaul Of EU 3rd-Party Risk Rules

The European Banking Authority’s plans to extend third-party risk controls to non-ICT services, which may be finalized by the end of the year, will place a significant compliance and operational burden on in-scope entities, which should not be underestimated, say lawyers at Travers Smith.
UK Tribunal's Clearview Decision Expands GDPR Application

The Upper Tribunal’s recent decision in Information Commissioner v. Clearview AI is an important ruling on the extraterritorial reach of the European Union and U.K. General Data Protection Regulations, broadening behavioral monitoring to include not only activity by the company, but also its client, says Edward Machin at Ropes & Gray.
Decoding Arbitral Disputes: UK Assignability Of ICSID Awards

The recent High Court decision in Operafund v. Spain clarifies the stance of English law on an important question to investors, funders and sovereigns, concluding that awards under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Convention are not commodities that can be traded, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.
CMA Guide Clarifies Role Of Competition Law In Employment

The Competition and Markets Authority’s recent guide to applying U.K. competition law to employment market practices, with a focus on no-poach agreements, wage-fixing and exchange of sensitive information, provides welcome and timely guidance for employers trying to navigate this area, say lawyers at Lewis Silkin.
FCA Proposals Reduce Consumer Duty Compliance Burden

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent proposals to streamline the consumer duty regime represent a pragmatic response to industry concerns, with a move toward sector-specific supervision and potentially narrowing its scope for wholesale and cross-border business, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.
How New Companies House ID Rules Affect Businesses

Lawyers at Shepherd & Wedderburn discuss the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act’s new mandatory identity verification requirements for all company directors and persons with significant control, set to go live next week, which aim to curb fraud by improving the reliability of information held by Companies House.
Russia Sanctions Spotlight: Taking Russian Oil Off The Market

The recent sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector by the U.K., EU and U.S. aim to limit Russia’s ability to fund its war machine by the sale of fossil fuels, representing an important escalation that has the potential to affect a wide range of business activities, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.
Role Of UK Investment Act Is Evolving In M&A Deals

With merger and acquisition activity likely to increase in light of the government’s new defense industrial strategy, the role of the National Security and Investment Act will come into sharper focus, and its recent annual report confirms that scrutiny is intensifying, say lawyers at Kingsley Napley.
What To Know About EU's Reimposition Of Sanctions On Iran

Lawyers at Steptoe discuss the European Union’s recent reimposition of trade and financial sanctions against Iran, which will introduce legal and operational constraints that affect EU companies' commercial activities in the region.
Navigating Int'l Laws To Protect Children In The Digital World

The European Commission’s recent request to online platforms for information on their measures to protect minors using their services is part of an intensifying focus on safeguarding children, and with an ever-growing worldwide maze of regulations, digital businesses should conduct a holistic assessment to minimize risks, says Anna Morgan at Bird & Bird.
FCA Crypto Proposals Herald Tougher Oversight For Firms

The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent proposals to extend regulation to crypto-asset activities will bring parity, but implementation of the operational resilience requirements and enhanced financial crime controls will present compliance challenges, says Michelle Kirschner at Gibson Dunn.
EU Investment Reporting Rules Letup Signals Pragmatic Shift

While investment companies remain subject to far-reaching disclosure obligations under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, new guidance from the European Commission on reporting passive limited partner commitments represents a drastic simplification and burden reduction, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.
SFO's 2-Year Transformation Signals Crackdown On Fraud

Two years after Nick Ephgrave’s appointment as director of the Serious Fraud Office, the introduction of new corporate criminal offenses and strengthened investigative methods sends a clear message to corporations that the agency is delivering on its promise to be bolder and more proactive about tackling fraud, say lawyers at BCL Solicitors.