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Financial Services UK
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June 30, 2025
EU Eyes Adding ESG Risk In Stress Tests For Banks, Insurers
Three European Union finance watchdogs have proposed rules to ensure that national banking and insurance regulators integrate environmental, social and governance risks into supervisory stress-testing in a more harmonized way.
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June 30, 2025
FCA's New Enforcement Regime Threatens Firms, Individuals
The Financial Conduct Authority could damage the reputations of businesses and individuals under investigation in cases that it publicizes anonymously as an unintended consequence of a new enforcement policy, lawyers have warned.
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June 30, 2025
CPS Drops Bribery Case Against Oil Entrepreneur Over Errors
Prosecutors have dropped bribery charges against a Nigerian-born U.S. oil entrepreneur accused of making illegal payments to a banker, admitting at a court hearing in London on Monday to substantial errors in disclosing evidence.
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June 29, 2025
FCA Presents Targeted Support Rules For Finance Firms
The Financial Conduct Authority said Monday it has set out a fast-track plan to allow financial services firms to provide a new type of "targeted support" to unadvised customers about pensions and investments.
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June 27, 2025
Senior MPs Urge Reform Of Complex Lifetime ISA Rules
Senior MPs warned Monday that the dual-purpose and inflexible rules of Lifetime ISAs might be pushing consumers toward less suitable financial products and risking their cash reserves.
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June 27, 2025
UK Tribunal Says Visa, Mastercard Fees Infringe Antitrust Law
A U.K. tribunal issued a judgment Friday siding with merchants seeking damages from Visa and Mastercard for claims they were charged excessively high transaction fees, finding the interchange fees merchants pay to banks violate competition law.
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June 27, 2025
How Staley's Legal Bid To Save His Reputation Backfired
Former Barclays boss James "Jes" Staley's bid to salvage his reputation has backfired in the face of a London tribunal's findings he "lacked credibility" due to the "overwhelming" evidence of his close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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June 27, 2025
FCA Launches Investigation Into John Wood Group
The U.K.'s financial watchdog said Friday that it has opened a probe into the Scottish multinational engineering consultancy John Wood Group PLC after the company revealed the probe in a statement to markets.
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June 27, 2025
Law Firm Fails To Ax Vanquis Bank's £4.5M Complaints Case
A London judge has refused to throw out Vanquis Bank's £4.5 million ($6.1 million) claim against a law firm it alleges inundated it with thousands of meritless complaints over loans, ruling that although the facts underpinning the claim were "novel," it was based on "well-established" principles.
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June 27, 2025
EU Watchdog Floats Allowing Funds Some Riskier Investing
The European Union's market watchdog has recommended that the European Commission should reform the rule book governing the bloc's retail investors, calling for a more relaxed stance on alternative assets investments and improved regulatory harmonization across member states.
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June 27, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen the British Basketball Federation sued by members of the men's professional basketball league for alleged competition breaches, songwriter Coco Star file an intellectual property claim against Universal Music Publishing, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority file a claim against the Post Office amid ongoing investigations into law firms linked to the Horizon IT Scandal. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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June 27, 2025
Ex-NASA Scientist Pleads Guilty To £1M Investment Fraud
A former NASA scientist has admitted a £1 million ($1.4 million) fraud that "fleeced unwitting investors" while he operated an investment business without authorization, the Financial Conduct Authority said on Friday.
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June 27, 2025
Aon Denies Ex-Exec's $1.3M Bonus Bid Over Early Exit
Aon has rejected its former insurance consulting chief's $1.3 million claim for bonus and stock options, arguing that his employment contract ended before the payout date.
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June 27, 2025
Preventing Financial Crisis Best Thing For Growth, BoE Says
The government's growth agenda should not equate to throwing out all safeguards, because preventing a major financial crash is vital for ensuring Britain is competitive, a senior member of the Bank of England said Friday.
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June 27, 2025
HMRC Beats Dentist's Appeal Over Tax Avoidance Scheme
A dental practice has failed to overturn a finding that it engaged in tax avoidance by making loan payments to its owner through a trust, after an appeals court Friday found that the payments fall to be taxed as income.
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June 27, 2025
FCA Flags Poor Risk Management Practices At Payment Firms
The Financial Conduct Authority has revealed that payment services companies displayed inadequate risk management in every case it examined in a multi-company review.
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July 03, 2025
Dechert Hires PE Pro In London From Wealth Fund GIC
Dechert said on Thursday it has recruited a new partner from Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC, adding global private capital expertise to its corporate and securities practice in London.
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June 26, 2025
Law Firm Settles Crypto Fraud Victim's Negligence Claim
A boutique investment fraud law firm and a cryptocurrency fraud victim have inked a settlement to end a claim accusing the firm of providing negligent advice to recover £500,000 ($687,600) in stolen funds.
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June 26, 2025
Ex-Consultant Wants £1.4M Over Botched Insurance Cover
A former consultant has sued a wealth management and benefits consultancy for £1.4 million ($1.9 million) for allegedly failing to arrange adequate insurance cover, which she claims left her short of money during serious illness and surgery.
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June 26, 2025
Restructuring Filings Surge Amid AI, Geopolitical Strains
The first half of 2025 has seen a surge in companies filing for restructuring plans amid increasing financial distress caused by geopolitical troubles and the advent of AI, according to a LexisNexis report published Thursday on the fifth anniversary of the introduction of the plans.
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June 26, 2025
Qatar National Bank Beats £89M Claim Over Share Deal
A Qatari bank Thursday beat a Kuwaiti businessman's £89.4 million ($122.8 million) English claim over alleged breaches of a complex financing agreement, after a judge noted his reliance on "hallucinatory" references to cases that didn't exist through the inappropriate use of AI.
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June 26, 2025
BoE Launches Forum For Financial Firms And Policy Body
The Bank of England said Thursday it has set up a forum for senior individuals in large financial services firms to liaise with the central bank's Monetary Policy Committee, which sets interest rates.
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June 26, 2025
EU Strikes 'Milestone' Deal To Reform Bank Failure Rules
The European Union has agreed to radically reform the rule book for managing failures of small and midsized banks in the bloc by improving lenders' access to industry-funded safety nets.
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June 26, 2025
Audit Watchdog Sets New Guidance For 'Black Box' AI
Britain's accounting watchdog warned Thursday in new guidance on using artificial intelligence in audits that the opacity of AI models makes it crucial for firms to document how they are controlled.
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June 26, 2025
Gov't Mulls Mandating Climate Plans From Banks, Insurers
Large banks and insurance companies in Britain could be forced to develop and publish a strategy for how they plan to align their business with global climate targets under proposals floated by the U.K. government.
Expert Analysis
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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EU Report May Influence Regulation Of Decentralized Finance
The European supervisory authorities’ recent report on decentralized finance highlights the major regulatory challenges and increased cybersecurity risks of this ecosystem, and will likely provide useful guidance on how the market could be regulated to limit potential risks for investors, say Hubert de Vauplane and Hugo Bordet at Morgan Lewis.
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Market Infrastructure Regs Aim To Reinvigorate EU Trading
The recently amended European Market Infrastructure Regulation, imposing a requirement on certain financial and nonfinancial institutions to maintain an active EU counterparty account, hopes to incentivize the central clearing of trades, although there are concerns that higher compliance costs will lead to a decrease in competitiveness, say lawyers at McDermott.
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Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Equal Rights Limit State Immunity
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales' recent determination that Spain’s London embassy could not dodge a former U.K.-based employee’s discrimination claims by invoking sovereign immunity reaffirms its position that employment and human rights should come before the privileges of foreign powers, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray’s Inn.
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How Proposed Private Share Trading System May Benefit Cos.
The government's proposal for a private securities and capital exchange system intends to enhance market practices and risk tolerances, offering a significant way for firms to free up liquidity by allowing investors to trade existing private company shares, say lawyers at Mishcon de Reya.
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Nonfinancial Misconduct Lessons From Rail Worker's Win
While financial services firms wait for the Financial Conduct Authority’s final policy statement on nonfinancial misconduct, an Employment Tribunal’s recent award to a railroad worker targeted by a hostile human resources team provides guidance on developing even-handed and inclusive company policies, say attorneys at Shoosmiths.
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Important Changes To Note In Accountant Ethics Code Update
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales' forthcoming code of ethics will bring a number of significant updates to raise standards within the profession, but also risks of professional indemnity claims that could lead to challenges for firms, say lawyers at RPC.
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A Look At Collateralized Loan Obligations Post-Reform
The Financial Stability Board's recent report on global securitization reforms, analyzing resilience trends in the collateralized loan obligation market post-2008, suggests that, while risk retention rules have a limited impact on observable characteristics, other structural features play a significant role in ensuring risk alignment, says Kos Vavelidis at DLA Piper.
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What EU Sustainable Category Proposals Will Mean For Funds
The European Union Platform on Sustainable Finance’s recent proposals to apply stricter product categorization standards for funds subject to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation will assist retail investors in selecting sustainable products, and allow advisers to easily match their clients’ preferences, say lawyers at Debevoise.
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What To Expect As CAT Considers Mastercard Settlement
It is expected that the Competition Appeal Tribunal will closely scrutinize the proposed collective settlement in Merricks v. Mastercard, including the role of the case’s litigation funder, as the CAT's past approach to such cases shows it does not treat the process as a rubber stamp exercise, say lawyers at BCLP.
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Managing Transatlantic Antitrust Investigations And Litigation
As transatlantic competition regulators cooperate more closely and European antitrust investigations increasingly spark follow-up civil suits in the U.S., companies must understand how to simultaneously juggle high-stakes multigovernment investigations and manage the risks of expensive new claims across jurisdictions, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.
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What 2025 Holds For UK, EU Restructuring And Insolvency
European Union and U.K. restructuring developments in 2024, with a new era of director accountability, the use of cramdown tools and the emergence of aggressive liability management exercises, mean greater consideration of creditors' interests and earlier engagement in restructuring discussions can be expected this year, says Inga West at Ashurst.
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What To Know As EU Urges Outbound Investment Reviews
A recent European Commission recommendation urges European Union member states to review outbound investments in certain critical technologies sectors, but does not clarify the next steps for states once information on relevant transactions in third countries is received, say lawyers at Cleary.
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Despite Divisive Political Rhetoric, DEI Is Alive And Well
The World Economic Forum's recent finding that DEI initiatives have continued to rise amid political headwinds raises the question of whether reports of the death of DEI are exaggerated, especially as employers must focus on new pay gap reporting obligations in the U.K. and Europe, say lawyers at Herbert Smith Freehills.
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How GCs Can Protect Cos. From Geopolitical Headwinds
Geopolitical uncertainty is perceived by corporate leaders as the biggest short-term threat to global business, but many of the potential crises are navigable if general counsel focus on what is being said about a company and what the company is doing, says Juliet Young at Schillings.