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Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

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FCA Urged To Clarify AI Rules For Senior Managers

The Financial Conduct Authority is facing calls from legal experts for it to plug gaps in its rules that could leave senior managers on the hook for failings in artificial intelligence under existing accountability regulations.

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.

Signage on the outside of the London building that is home to the U.K. agency for fighting white-collar crime.

SFO Director's Surprise Exit Reignites Debate Over Its Future

Nick Ephgrave's surprise retirement from the Serious Fraud Office could turn up the heat on a simmering debate about the future of the agency and a potential merger with other law enforcement authorities such as the National Crime Agency, lawyers say.

Gov't Overhaul Plan For CMA Merger Reviews Sparks Doubts

Proposals by the government to abolish the Competition and Markets Authority's independent decision-making panel without replacing it with easier mechanisms to appeal rulings might ultimately harm the businesses that Whitehall wants to attract, experts have warned.

January 29, 2026
MoD Urged to Unite Teams to Better Combat Economic Crime

The U.K.'s public spending watchdog urged the Ministry of Defence on Friday to create a single body that brings together the department's counter-fraud and police teams to better investigate economic crime.
January 29, 2026
Ex-Oil Minister Says She Repaid 'Lavish' Gifts From Execs

Diezani Alison-Madueke did not abuse her position as a Nigerian petroleum minister by accepting "lavish" gifts from oil executives as the cash, car rides and luxury accommodation were later reimbursed, her lawyer told jurors in London on Thursday.
January 29, 2026
Ex-LCF Boss Violated Court Order Imposed During SFO Probe

The former chief executive of London Capital & Finance PLC and his wife admitted on Thursday to breaching a court order imposed during an investigation into the £237 million ($326.8 million) collapse of the company, the Serious Fraud Office said.
January 29, 2026
Barclays Traders' Rate-Rigging Cases Sent To Court Of Appeal

The watchdog for miscarriages of justice referred the convictions of five former Barclays traders back to the Court of Appeal on Thursday after concluding that the legal errors which led the country's highest court to overturn historical Libor and Euribor prosecutions also undermined their cases.
January 29, 2026
FCA, OFSI Team Up To Fight Crypto Abuse, Money Laundering

The Financial Conduct Authority has joined forces with the sanctions policing body, law enforcement agencies and regulators in an information-sharing initiative to tackle the abuse of crypto assets and money laundering.
January 29, 2026
Local Authority Settles Claim Over Lost £20M Bond Investment

A local council in England has agreed to a settlement in its £20 million ($28 million) claim against an investment adviser over allegedly fraudulent misrepresentations that led the now essentially bankrupt authority to invest in high-risk bonds.
January 29, 2026
Deutsche Bank Probed For Suspected Money Laundering

German prosecutors confirmed on Thursday that they are investigating Deutsche Bank AG for suspected money laundering activity linked to foreign businesses.
January 29, 2026
Howard Kennedy's Ex-Client Can't Challenge £196K Legal Bill

Howard Kennedy LLP has successfully defeated a former client's challenge to a legal bill of almost £196,000 ($270,000) racked up in connection with Financial Conduct Authority proceedings, as a London court ruled that the man was made aware of the costs.
January 28, 2026
Belarusian Co. Fights To Overturn 'Irrational' UK Sanctions

A Belarusian construction company urged a London appellate court Wednesday to overturn a decision upholding the U.K. Foreign Office's imposition of economic sanctions on it, arguing that it no longer benefited from or supported the republic's government in Minsk.
January 28, 2026
Lawyers Urge UK Gov't To Expand Anti-SLAPP Laws

More than 120 lawyers and other representatives of civil society called on Wednesday for the government to include provisions in the next King's Speech for tackling strategic legal claims designed to gag reporting and silence criticism.
January 28, 2026
Coinbase Crypto Ads Banned Over Cost-Of-Living Claims

The Advertising Standards Authority banned adverts by Britain's largest crypto-asset exchange on Wednesday, saying that they trivialize the risk of cryptocurrency investing by implying it could be an alternative to cost-of-living concerns.
January 28, 2026
Ex-OPEC Head Vowed Oil Execs Would Join Her In Jail

Diezani Alison-Madueke threatened to expose the oil tycoons who had showered her with lavish gifts after hearing rumors of a plot to "sink" her, vowing to "escort all of you to jail along with myself," prosecutors told a London court on Wednesday.
January 27, 2026
UBS Wants Hayes' $400M Malicious Prosecution Suit Axed

UBS AG has asked a Connecticut state court to throw out former trader Tom Hayes' lawsuit that alleges the bank scapegoated him for Libor-rigging, arguing the case doesn't belong in the state and improperly seeks to punish the bank for cooperating with prosecutors.
January 27, 2026
Ex-OPEC Head Accused Of Taking Cash, Cars, Jets In Bribes

Diezani Alison-Madueke lived a "life of luxury" taking bribes that included cash, cars and the use of high-end properties to "favor" executives in Nigeria's oil and gas industry, prosecutors said at the start of her criminal trial in London on Tuesday.
January 27, 2026
Execs Say $22M Investec Loan Breached Sberbank Sanctions

Two business executives have denied owing Investec Bank PLC almost £22 million ($30.2 million) over loan agreements, arguing that the Anglo-South African lender knew the deals were designed to aid the purchase of a Russian bank's assets in breach of sanctions.
January 27, 2026
Home Office Pressed Over Failure To Explain RTW Fine

The Home Office must explain how it has determined that someone does not have the right to work in the U.K. when it issues penalty notices to employers, a restaurant argued at Britain's top court on Tuesday.
January 27, 2026
Ex-Biotech CEO Wins New Shot At Whistleblowing Claim

A London appeals judge has handed the sacked chief executive of a biotechnology company a second shot at his whistleblowing claim, slamming an earlier tribunal's "wholly insufficient" assessment of his claimed protected disclosures.
January 27, 2026
CMA Seeks To Appeal Re-Do Of £70M Pfizer, Flynn Drug Fines

The Competition and Markets Authority sought permission from the Court of Appeal on Tuesday to challenge a decision that criticized and revised the £70 million ($96 million) in fines it issued to Pfizer and Flynn Pharma for excessive pricing.
January 26, 2026
Scots Law Society Beats Bias Claim Over Conduct Probe

A tribunal has ruled that the Scottish law society did not discriminate against a qualified lawyer based on his Roman Catholic Christian faith by hastily investigating a complaint of misconduct against him.
January 26, 2026
UK To Create 'British FBI' To Tackle Fraud, Serious Crime

The U.K. government announced it will create a new national police force dubbed the "British FBI" to investigate fraud by merging the National Crime Agency with other law enforcement agencies.
January 26, 2026
Mail's Spying Gave Me 'Sleepless Nights,' Sadie Frost Says

Actor Sadie Frost told a London court on Monday that the publisher of the Daily Mail had "violated" her through stories about her personal life, alleging that its journalists had used information gained through unlawful methods such as tapping her landline phone.
January 26, 2026
UK Fines Bank Of Scotland For Russia Sanctions Breach

The U.K. sanctions policing body said Monday that it has fined Bank of Scotland PLC, which is wholly owned by Lloyds Banking Group, £160,000 ($218,354) for serious breaches of the government's Russia sanctions rules by allowing payments to and from the account of a sanctioned individual.
January 26, 2026
Saudi Arabia Must Pay £3M To Dissident In Spyware Case

Saudi Arabia must pay more than £3 million ($4.1 million) in damages to a human rights activist critical of the government for "the most acute intrusion" of his private life, involving phone hacking and a targeted assault, a London court ordered Monday.
January 26, 2026
FCA Warns Crypto Sector Against Mistreating Consumers

The Financial Conduct Authority has warned crypto asset businesses against providing unsuitable products to consumers in draft guidance on applying the Consumer Duty under the crypto asset regime that comes into force in 2026.
January 23, 2026
Insider Trading Presumption Challenged By EU Adviser

An investment bank does not commit insider dealing merely by executing a client's share sale, unless regulators can show the bank held inside information and acted outside its expected professional standards, an adviser to the European Union's top court has said.

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

FTO Designations: Containing Foreign Firms' Legal Risks

Non-U.S. companies can contain legal risks related to foreign terrorist organizations by deliberately structuring operations to demonstrate that any interactions with cartel-affected environments are incidental, constrained and unrelated to advancing harm on the U.S., says David Raskin at Nardello & Co.
A Look At ESMA's New Governance Framework For EU Boards

The European Securities and Markets Authority's recently finalized supervisory expectations for management bodies mark a shift toward improved board oversight across culture, risk, strategy and accountability that firms should view as a benchmark, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
UK Class Actions Appear Set For Resurgence In 2026

In 2026, the U.K. will likely see an uptick in class actions as a result of legal and regulatory developments, including the landmark court decision in BHP Group v. PGMBM Law that boosted confidence in the enforceability of funds-committed litigation funding arrangements, say lawyers at Winston & Strawn.
Limited Claims Raise Concerns About Subsidy Act's Efficacy

With significantly fewer challenges to date than expected under the Subsidy Control Act, it appears that parties may be unwilling to bring claims or unaware of their rights, calling into question the effectiveness of the regime, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
How To Navigate AI M&A Risks, Compliance In Europe

As the artificial intelligence industry continues to witness substantial M&A transactions in Europe, parties should be mindful of the unique challenges posed by the acquisition of intangible AI technologies, monitor the evolving regulatory landscape, and establish optimal mechanisms for risk allocation, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.
What Is In Store For ESG Litigation In UK And EU

With 2025 seeing more sophisticated and far-reaching environmental litigation, and regulatory enforcement set to continue, a focus on greenwashing and climate attribution science is likely in 2026, and organizations must remain vigilant and proactive in their approach to sustainability risks and opportunities, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.
Noting Similarities And Divergences In UK, EU Apple Rulings

While recent judgments against Apple by the Competition Appeal Tribunal and European Commission all focus on the Apple ecosystem and point toward closer scrutiny of its App Store rules, their analytical methodologies and potential enforcement routes differ, highlighting differences in approaches to competition law, say lawyers at Perkins Coie.
Decoding Arbitral Disputes: EU Law And Treaty Arbitration

A recent Singapore court ruling in DNZ v. DOA upholding an arbitration award against Poland constitutes a significant affirmation of the autonomy of international arbitration from regional constitutional orders when disputes are adjudicated outside those orders, says Josep Galvez of 4-5 Gray's Inn.
What To Expect From UK Prospectus Regime Changes

The new U.K. prospectus regime for trading on regulated markets, effective Jan. 19, aims to streamline processes and reduce costs, but a significant shift in structuring and disclosure obligations will increase pressure on practitioners to manage risk under tighter timelines, say lawyers at Baker Botts.
10 Financial Regulatory Changes To Prepare For In 2026

A number of changes in the financial regulatory sphere are due this year, from targeted support to payment safeguarding and a new consumer composite investments regime, and firms should plan to address the policies and regulatory strategies relevant to them, say lawyers at Womble Bond.
How Gov't AML Supervision Reform Will Affect Law Firms

In confirming that the Financial Conduct Authority will become the single supervisor for professional services, HM Treasury’s planned reform of the U.K.’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing supervision regime marks a significant change for the legal profession, signaling a greater emphasis on evidence and accountability, says Harriet Holmes at Thirdfort.
EU Financial Regulation Trends Cos. Need To Watch In 2026

An ever-increasing number of initiatives on the European Union regulatory agenda, with simplification and consistent implementation being priorities, means financial services businesses with a footprint in the EU or seeking to establish one will face significant challenges and strategic opportunities, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.
What To Expect From UK, EU Crypto Regime Changes In 2026

With 2025 marking the first operational year of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation and the U.K.’s rules reaching their final legislative form, the two jurisdictions are converging in focus, but structural design differences mean firms active in both markets will require dedicated documentation to ensure compliance, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.
What Cos. Can Expect From CMA Consumer Protection Drive

The Competition and Markets Authority’s recently launched consumer protection drive targeting banned online sales practices focuses on supporting compliance rather than on enforcement, although firms should expect this to change once businesses have had time to adapt to the regulator's new regime, say lawyers at Baker Botts.
Preparing For UK's New Tax Fraud Whistleblower Program

With the U.K. government introducing a U.S.-style whistleblower incentive scheme to tackle high-value tax avoidance and evasion, companies should take proactive steps and establish clear protocols to mitigate the potential increase in tax investigations, say lawyers at Skadden.