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Financial Services UK
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April 05, 2024
UK Pension Schemes Maintain Near-Record Surpluses
The aggregate surplus of the U.K.'s defined benefit pension sector remained at near-record levels of around £151 billion ($190.8 billion) in March, a consultancy has said.
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April 19, 2024
Fieldfisher Expands Pensions Practice With 4 PwC Hires
European law firm Fieldfisher LLP has announced it is bolstering its U.K. pensions practice by hiring a partner, two directors and an associate from PwC UK.
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April 04, 2024
UK Billionaire Lewis Avoids Prison For Insider Trading
A New York federal judge on Thursday sentenced British billionaire Joe Lewis to three years of probation for feeding his girlfriend and private-jet pilots nonpublic stock tips about his private equity firm's portfolio companies, saying a prison term would put the 87-year-old at "serious risk" of death.
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April 04, 2024
Mayer Brown Adds Former KPMG Tax Specialist In London
Mayer Brown has added a former KPMG tax professional to its London office to advise clients on asset management and fund matters in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, the firm announced.
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April 04, 2024
Investors Hit Agent For £2.3M Over Failed Care Home Scheme
Care home investors have sued an investment agent for £2.3 million ($2.9 million) in a London court over claims they promoted a "fundamentally flawed" property development scheme as a safe and reliable investment.
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April 04, 2024
Law Firm Defeats Adviser's Unfair Redundancy Claim
A Scottish law firm didn't unfairly cull one of its financial advisers during a redundancy process because bosses scored candidates with a reasonable checklist, an employment tribunal has ruled.
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April 04, 2024
Insurer Wants Greater Flexibility On State Pension Age
The U.K. government should explore giving Britons more choice over when they can start claiming their state pension amid concerns over increases to the official retirement age, insurer Aegon said Thursday.
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April 04, 2024
Pillsbury's New UK White Collar Chief Eyes Success In London
Former Serious Fraud Office "powerhouse" Audrey Koh is in the building, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman says it now has the tools to launch its white-collar and corporate investigations practice in London. Here, Koh and managing partner Matthew Oresman survey the legal landscape.
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April 04, 2024
FCA To Claw Back £1.6M From Fund Manager For Investors
The Financial Conduct Authority said on Thursday that it has won court approval to take £1.6 million ($2 million) from fund manager Argento Wealth and its only director, who promoted two allegedly unlawful investment schemes.
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April 04, 2024
Fladgate Sued For $26.5M Over Botched Debt Claim Advice
Fladgate LLP lost an investment fund an estimated $26.5 million after negligently advising it on how to take action to recover money owed under bonds, according to a High Court claim.
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April 04, 2024
UK Joins Global Data Protection Enforcement Program
Britain's data watchdog said Thursday it has signed a new agreement with the Global Cooperation Arrangement for Privacy Enforcement to cooperate on cross-border data protection with the U.S. and eight other Pacific Rim countries.
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April 04, 2024
Financial Ombudsman Braces For Bigger Caseload
The U.K. Financial Ombudsman Service said Thursday that it had upped its estimate of how many complaints it expects to receive in the coming financial year to 210,000 from 181,000 due to increased everyday financial concerns.
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April 04, 2024
Standards Setter Warns Of Conflicts Of Interest In Exchanges
A global standards setter for regulators warned Thursday of the risk of conflict of interests in stock exchanges, including in situations where exchanges also run data or technology services.
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April 04, 2024
Standard Life Bags Insurer's Pension Plan In £95M Deal
Standard Life has completed a £95 million ($120 million) buy-in of a pension scheme sponsored by Brit Insurance in a deal guided by Burges Salmon LLP.
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April 04, 2024
Money Was Siphoned To Former Exec's Wife, Insurer Says
A Liechtenstein insurer suing two of its former directors for allegedly funneling millions of pounds to accounts they had ties to has now accused one of the men's wives of also benefiting from unauthorized payments.
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April 03, 2024
OneCoin Atty Gets 4 Years For Role In $4B Crypto Fraud
The former head of legal and compliance at OneCoin on Wednesday was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in the $4 billion cryptocurrency scheme that defrauded millions of investors around the world.
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April 03, 2024
UK Billionaire Lewis Agrees To $1.64M Insider Trading Penalty
British billionaire Joseph Lewis has agreed to pay $1.64 million to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's civil claims he fed confidential tips to his personal pilots and then-girlfriend after pleading guilty to related criminal charges earlier this year.
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April 03, 2024
Forex Broker Wins Deceit Claim Over TV Transactions
A forex broker has won in his 7.9 billion Nigerian naira ($5.9 million) deceit claim over an English brokerage's alleged failure to pay out dollars for naira after a London judge ruled that the firm would not be able to defend against it.
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April 03, 2024
More Pension Schemes Considering Running On, LCP Says
An increasing number of pensions schemes are considering running on their retirement savings plans as funding levels continue to strengthen in the U.K., a consultancy has said.
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April 03, 2024
UK Regulators Propose Special Regime For Digital Securities
Britain's finance regulators proposed on Wednesday a special regulatory regime to allow firms to use new technology to issue, trade and settle digital shares and bonds, a move they hope will boost the country's global competitiveness.
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April 03, 2024
Single Pensioner Income Inequality Found To Be Widening
Government data shows income disparity between rich and poor single pensioners is widening in the U.K. due to low earnings growth and rising housing costs, according to research by consultancy Broadstone published Wednesday.
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April 03, 2024
Watchdog Bans 'Misleading' Advertisements By UK Lender
The advertising watchdog said Wednesday that it has banned "misleading" promotions by Nationwide Building Society that boasted of its record of keeping branches open amid closures by competitors, pointing out that the lender has shut just over 150 branches in a decade.
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April 03, 2024
EU Watchdog To Set ESG Rules For Credit Rating Agencies
The European Union's markets regulator has proposed rule changes to clarify how credit rating agencies should use environmental, social and governance factors in their ratings amid continued concerns that their approaches lack clarity.
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April 03, 2024
Fintech Alpha Pushes Plan To List On London's Main Market
Alpha Group International PLC on Wednesday confirmed its plan to shift its shares to the London Stock Exchange's main market to boost its reputation and its business prospects.
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April 03, 2024
Kirkland-Led Goldman Sachs Unit Buys Stake In Credit Fund
Goldman Sach's private equity unit has acquired Italian asset manager Azimut's 20% stake in private credit fund Kennedy Lewis for $225 million, the companies said Wednesday.
Expert Analysis
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An Overview Of European Private Investments in Public Equity
Although still fairly rare, private investments in public equity may continue to be an attractive option for some European issuers seeking to secure equity financing, and advisers planning such an investment should consider the various local options, requirements and norms, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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Cos. Must Monitor Sanctions Regime As Law Remains Unclear
While recent U.K. government guidance and an English High Court's decision in Litasco v. Der Mond Oil, finding that a company is sanctioned when a designated individual is exercising control over it, both address sanctions control issues, disarray in the law remains, highlighting that practitioners should keep reviewing their exposure to the sanctions regime, say lawyers at K&L Gates.
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Unpacking The UK's Proposals To Regulate Crypto-Assets
Recent proposals for crypto-asset regulation in the U.K. demonstrate support for crypto's potential, but there is concern around the authorization process for organizations undertaking crypto-asset activities, and new regulations will require a more detailed assessment of firms' compliance not previously addressed, say Jessica Lee and Menelaos Karampetsos at Brown Rudnick.
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The Top 7 Global ESG Litigation Trends In 2023
To date, ESG litigation across the world can largely be divided into seven forms, but these patterns will continue developing, including a rise in cases against private and state actors, a more complex regulatory environment affecting multinational companies, and an increase in nongovernmental organization activity, say Sophie Lamb and Aleksandra Dulska at Latham.
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UK Takeover Code Changes: Key Points For Bidders, Targets
Newly effective amendments to Rule 21 of the U.K. Takeover Code, which remove legal and administrative constraints on a target operating its business in the ordinary way during an offer, will add clarity for targets and bidders, and are likely to be welcomed by both, say lawyers at Davis Polk.
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Russia Ruling Shows UK's Robust Jurisdiction Approach
An English High Court's recent decision to grant an anti-suit injunction in the Russia-related dispute Renaissance Securities v. Chlodwig Enterprises clearly illustrates that obtaining an injunction will likely be more straightforward when the seat is in England compared to when it is abroad, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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How New Loan Origination Regime Will Affect Fund Managers
Although the recent publication of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive II represents more of an evolution than a revolution, the leverage limitations applicable to loan-originating funds are likely to present practical challenges for European credit fund managers, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
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How EU Sustainability Directive Will Improve Co. Reporting
The need for organizations to make nonfinancial disclosures under the recently adopted EU Sustainability Reporting Standards will significantly change workforce and human rights reporting, and with the objective of fostering transparency, should bring about an increased focus on risks, policies and action plans, say Philip Spyropoulos and Thomas Player at Eversheds Sutherland.
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PPI Ruling Spells Trouble For Financial Services Firms
The Supreme Court's recent decision in Canada Square v. Potter, which found that the claimant's missold payment protection insurance claim was not time-barred, is bad news for affected financial services firms, as there is now certainty over the law on the postponement of limitation periods, rendering hidden commission claims viable, say Ian Skinner and Chris Webber at Squire Patton.
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What Lawyers Can Learn From FDI Screening Report Findings
The recent European Commission report on the screening of foreign direct investments into the EU reveals how member states need to balance national security concerns with openness, and with more cross-border transactions subject to screening, lawyers must be alert to jurisdictional variances, says Jonathon Gunn at Faegre Drinker.
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UK Review May Lead To Lower Investment Screening Burden
The government’s current review of national security investment screening rules aims to refine the scope of mandatory notifications required for unproblematic deals, and is likely to result in much-needed modifications to minimize the administrative burden on businesses and investors, say lawyers at Simpson Thacher.
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Economic Crime Act Exposure: What Companies Can Expect
The intention of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is to make it easier to attribute criminal liability to companies if a senior manager has committed an offense, but the impact on corporate criminal convictions depends on who qualifies as a senior manager and the evidential challenges in showing it, say Hayley Ichilcik and Julius Handler at MoFo.
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FCA Promotions Review Sends A Strong Message To Firms
The recent FCA review into firms' compliance with the rules on promoting high-risk investments to retail clients clarifies that it expects the letter and the spirit of the rules to be followed, and given the interplay with the consumer duty, there are wider implications at stake, say Marina Reason and Chris Hurn at Herbert Smith.
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When Can Bonuses Be Clawed Back?
The High Court's recent decision in Steel v. Spencer should remind employees that the contractual conditions surrounding bonuses and the timing of any resignation must be carefully considered, as in certain circumstances, bonuses can and are being successfully clawed back by employers, say Merrill April and Rachael Parker at CM Murray.
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The State Of UK Litigation Funding After Therium Ruling
The recent English High Court decision in Therium v. Bugsby Property has provided a glimmer of hope for litigation funders about how courts will interpret this summer's U.K. Supreme Court ruling that called funding agreements impermissible, suggesting that its adverse effects may be mitigated, says Daniel Williams at DWF Law.