Expert Analysis

• How Regulation May Affect The Role Of Crypto In The UK

  

  For crypto-asset firms to find a place in the U.K.’s burgeoning digital financial sector, the key is for regulators to strike the right balance between effective regulation and a regime that is sufficiently light-touch to make it attractive to the world’s major crypto companies, says Richard Cannon at Stokoe Partnership.

• 8 Steps To Improve The Perception Of In-House Legal Counsel

  

  With the pandemic paving the way for a reputational shift in favor of in-house corporate legal teams, there are proactive steps that legal departments can take to fully rebrand themselves as strong allies and generators of value, says Allison Rosner at Major Lindsey.

• Lessons To Be Learned From Twitter's Latest Hacking Scandal

  

  Following the report of a recent data breach at Twitter, it is clearly vital for companies to adhere to best practices in data protection and IT security arrangements, including technical measures, and proper processes and procedures that mitigate risk and provide adequate training for staff, says Simon Ridding at Keller Postman.

• Crypto Regulation Demands A More Cooperative Approach

  

  Instead of implementing ever-increasing fines and unduly restrictive regulation, regulators should establish a more collaborative approach to the conundrum of cryptocurrency compliance that seeks to develop an understanding of both the industry's needs and its potential, says Mandeep Kaur Virdee at KaurMaxwell.

• Preparing For EU's Pay Gap Reporting Directive

  

  An agreement has been reached on the European Union Pay Transparency Directive, paving the way for gender pay gap reporting to become compulsory for many employers across Europe, introducing a more proactive approach than the similar U.K. regime and leading the way on new global standards for equal pay, say attorneys at Lewis Silkin.

• A New FCA Gateway For Financial Promotion Approval

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority's recent consultation paper regarding firms that approve financial promotions sheds light on its plans to narrow the scope for such promotions in order to better protect consumers from multiple areas of concern, says Gavin Punia at Bird & Bird.

• How Geopolitical Change Is Affecting M&A Activity In Europe

  

  Several factors are leading businesses to divest from Russia and invest in central and Eastern European EU member states, with particular sectors attractive to U.K. companies and certain trends in M&A transactional activity emerging, says Oksana Howard at Colman Coyle.

• Examining The UK Government's Attempts To Combat Fraud

  

  The U.K. government’s response to a parliamentary committee report on fraud and the justice system lays bare a disappointing lack of consensus and frustratingly fails to support a plan for the introduction of a strict liability offense of corporate failure to prevent fraud, as strongly recommended, say Lloyd Firth and Katy O’Connor at WilmerHale.

• 7 Areas To Look Out For In The Edinburgh Reforms Package

  

  Most of the proposed Edinburgh Reforms to facilitate the growth of U.K. financial services are already in progress, and while they may take months or even years to come to fruition, regulated firms should be aware of the considerable reach of the changes outlined and bookmark the areas of particular relevance, says Jill Lorimer at Kingsley Napley.

• EU Double Jeopardy Ruling May Complicate US Extraditions

  

  The European Court of Justice’s recent judgment in Germany v. HF refines the European Union’s double jeopardy protections, weakening U.S. authorities’ ability to extradite defendants if charges involving the same set of facts are resolved in any EU member state, says Gabrielle Friedman at Lankler Siffert.

• Why 2023 Could Be The Year Of The Restructuring Plan

  

  As U.K. businesses face a challenging economic environment going into 2023, the stage may be set for a rise in restructuring plans, with early signs such as an increasing body of case law, the pragmatic approach taken by the judiciary to date and the cross-class cramdown mechanism, say Rachael Markham and Charlotte Møller at Squire Patton.

• ECJ Beneficial Owners Ruling Leaves Uncertainty In Its Wake

  

  The European Court of Justice's recent ruling in the WM and Sovim cases, holding that making information on a register of beneficial owners publicly available interferes with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, has been criticized as a step backward in the fight against money laundering and financing of terrorism, and its impact is not yet clear, say Michael Marschall and Verena Krikler at Schoenherr.

• UK Sustainability Disclosure Regime Complicates Compliance

  

  The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority's new sustainability disclosure rules — likely to be finalized later this year — are the latest piece in an evolving compliance puzzle that fund managers may struggle with, due to conflicting interplay between regulatory requirements and investor expectations, say attorneys at Akin Gump.

• FCA Sends Banks Strong AML Message With Santander Fine

  

  The recent nine-figure financial penalty imposed on Santander by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority shows the regulator's appetite to go after big banks for AML failings remains undiminished after the landmark case against National Westminster Bank in 2021, says Tom Bushnell at Hickman Rose.

• Why Your Fund Name Needs To Be Trademarked

  

  It is a common misconception that the mere formation of a fund vehicle provides a trademark for its name — but the rights of brand owners are not safeguarded without trademark registration, and the fund is vulnerable if a third party registers the same or a similar mark and seeks to enforce it, says Sophie Peat at Ogier.