Financial Services UK

  • June 25, 2025

    EU Watchdog Pushes To Expand Digital Asset Program

    The European Union's market watchdog advised lawmakers Wednesday to make a pilot scheme for tokenizing securities on digital ledger technology more flexible for investors and permanent.

  • June 25, 2025

    EU Insurers Push For Simplified Cybersecurity Regulation

    A trade body for European insurers urged the European Commission on Tuesday to streamline the bloc's potentially counter-productive rule book on cybersecurity and digital resilience to help reduce duplication as the compliance burdens on the sector increase.

  • June 25, 2025

    EFG Unit To Buy 75% Stake In NZ Investment Firm For $41M

    Global private banking group EFG International AG said Wednesday that its Australian subsidiary Shaw and Partners Financial Services has agreed to acquire 75% of New Zealand-based investment firm Investment Services Group for 67.5 million New Zealand dollars ($40.6 million).

  • June 25, 2025

    FCA Floats Mortgage Rule Changes To Aid Homebuyers

    The Financial Conduct Authority suggested changes to its mortgage rules on Wednesday to make it easier to lend to first-time homebuyers and others, in a drive to boost property ownership.

  • June 25, 2025

    Adviser Wren Sterling Expands In Scotland With Acquisition

    Financial and pensions advisory business Wren Sterling said Wednesday that it has acquired City Financial (Aberdeen) Ltd., expanding its presence in Scotland.

  • June 25, 2025

    Sweden Fines Diagnostics Co. $1.25M For Market Abuse

    Sweden's financial watchdog has fined a medical diagnostics company 12 million Swedish kronor ($1.25 million) for breaching European Union regulations on market abuse following an investigation into its handling of insider information, the company revealed on Wednesday.

  • June 25, 2025

    ECB Clears Monte Dei Paschi's €13.3B Mediobanca Deal

    Italian lender Monte dei Paschi said Wednesday that the European Central Bank has waved through its €13.3 billion ($15.4 billion) proposed takeover of rival Mediobanca SpA, ramping up consolidation in the country's banking sector.

  • June 24, 2025

    Irwin Mitchell Can't Ax Pension Fraud Negligence Claim

    A London court on Tuesday denied Irwin Mitchell's bid to scrap a professional negligence suit against a firm it merged with in 2015, but ruled Irwin Mitchell itself is not liable for the advice given to a pensioner in the wake of alleged fraud.

  • June 24, 2025

    Solicitor Denies Inducing Trust To Invest £5.8M In His Firm

    A solicitor has denied fraudulently inducing a family trust into investing £5.75 million ($7.84 million) into a company he part owned that became insolvent, arguing the trust made its own assessment to become involved in the "low risk" project.

  • June 24, 2025

    VietJet Air Loses Bid To Ax $181M Plane Lease Dispute Ruling

    A Vietnamese budget airline lost its fight to overturn a decision that it is liable to pay an investment company $181 million for failing to make aircraft leasing payments when a London court ruled Tuesday that the notices served to terminate the leasing deals were valid.

  • June 24, 2025

    Fintech Accuses JP Morgan Of Waging 'Proxy War' In Greece

    Fintech company WeRealize accused J.P. Morgan on Tuesday of waging a legal "proxy war" against its directors in Greece to prevent it from purchasing the investment bank's stake in a payments startup joint venture.

  • June 24, 2025

    Broker's Costs Cut By £3M Over 'Vague' Trade Secrets Case

    A London court has slashed an investment broker's recoverable costs by half to £3.3 million ($4.5 million) despite previously upholding its claim that a hedge fund and consultant took its trade secrets, ruling that the firm increased costs "at every turn."

  • June 24, 2025

    Groups Urge EU To Trim Sustainable Finance Reporting Rules

    Top global financial services industry trade bodies have urged European lawmakers in its review of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation to cut duplication with other sustainability reporting rules and reflect derivatives more clearly.

  • June 24, 2025

    Treasury Official Tapped As Interim Pensions Regulator Chair

    The government has revealed Civil Service veteran Kirstin Baker as the next interim chair of Britain's retirement savings watchdog.

  • June 24, 2025

    Danish Pensions Fintech Biz Expands Into UK Market

    Festina Finance, a Danish financial technology company, said it has begun fully operating its retirement savings platform for administrators of British pension plans.

  • June 23, 2025

    Trafigura Beats Dubai Bank Unit's 'Cynical' $21M Fraud Case

    Trafigura on Monday defeated a claim by a subsidiary of Dubai's Rasmala Investment Bank alleging that the commodities trader tricked it into providing $21 million to pay off another company's debts, with a London court ruling the trader was not part of the deception.

  • June 23, 2025

    Luxembourg Lender Sues Urbas For €189M Over Unpaid Debt

    A credit provider has alleged that a Spanish real estate development group owes it more than €189 million ($218 million) over an unpaid loan, and said the group's companies have deliberately misrepresented their payment and debt obligations.

  • June 23, 2025

    EU Fund Managers Could See Simplified Data Reporting

    The European Union's financial watchdog on Monday released proposals to simplify how asset managers report data to regulators.

  • June 23, 2025

    Investors Say Hargreaves Ignored Woodford Fund's Problems

    Thousands of investors who lost out when Neil Woodford's fund collapsed in 2019 have sued asset manager Hargeaves Lansdown, saying the firm kept the fund on its prestigious Wealth List long after it should have known it was headed for administration.

  • June 23, 2025

    EU Proposes Cutting Transaction Reporting Rules For Firms

    The European Union's markets watchdog proposed Monday to simplify rules for financial firms on reporting transactions to national regulators.

  • June 23, 2025

    LCP Hits Milestone With Pensions Dashboard Connection

    Consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock LLP has connected its first pensions administration manager to the government's private sector pensions dashboard, providing savers with access to their financial retirement information.

  • June 23, 2025

    Aviva Pushes Investment In Nature-Based Flood Solutions

    Insurance giant Aviva said on Monday its backing of a low-cost project to increase resilience to flooding in Norfolk is paying off, with impact analysis showing homes have been protected effectively.

  • June 23, 2025

    Squire Patton Steers Just's £67M Pension Deal For 2 Plans

    Pension insurer Just Group said Monday it has penned a £67 million ($90 million) retirement savings deal for two plans, guided by law firm Squire Patton Boggs LLP.

  • June 20, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Pogust Goodhead face legal action from mining giant BHP Group, Trainline bring a procurement claim against the Department for Transport, Sworders auction house sue Conservative peer Patricia Rawlings, and Nokia hit with a patents claim by Hisense. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 20, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Latham, Paul Weiss, Covington

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Nippon Steel closes its purchase of U.S. Steel, Hunter Point Capital buys a minority stake in Equitix, Eaton acquires Ultra PCS Ltd. from the Cobham Ultra Group, and Eli Lilly and Co. acquires Verve Therapeutics.

Expert Analysis

  • Companies House False Filings Raise Issues Of Integrity

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    A recent spate of unauthorized company filings with Companies House raises specific concerns for secured lenders, but also highlights the potential for false filings to be used to facilitate fraudulent schemes, says Daniel Sullivan at Charles Russell.

  • UK Courts Continue To Struggle With Crypto-Asset Cases

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    Although the common law has proved capable of applying established principles to crypto-assets, recent cases highlight persistent challenges in identifying defendants, locating assets and determining jurisdiction, suggesting that any meaningful development will likely come from legislative or regulatory change, say Emily Saunderson and Sam Mitchell at Quadrant Chambers.

  • Comparing The UK And EU Approaches To AI Regulation

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    While there are significant points of convergence between the recently published U.K. approach to artificial intelligence regulation and the EU AI Act, there is also notable divergence between them, and it appears that the U.K. will remain a less regulatory environment for AI in the foreseeable future, say lawyers at Steptoe.

  • Lessons On Using 3rd-Party Disclosure Orders In Fraud Cases

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    The expansion of the gateway for service out of jurisdiction regarding third-party information orders has proven to be an effective tool against fraud since it was introduced in 2022, and recent case law offers practical tips on what applicants should be aware of when submitting such orders, says Rosie Wild at Cooke Young.

  • A Look At The Latest EU Alternative Investment Regulation

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    Recent amendments to the EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive governing a range of alternative investment funds reflect a growing regulatory focus on nonbanking financial institutions, which expand credit to support economic growth but carry a commensurate risk, say Juliette Mills and Alix Prentice at Cadwalader.

  • Unpacking The Law Commission's Digital Assets Consultation

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    The Law Commission recently published a consultation on recognizing a third personal property category to accommodate the development of digital assets, highlighting difficulties with current models of property rights and the potential consequences of considering digital assets as personal property, say Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP.

  • Unpacking The FCA's Approach To AML Compliance Failures

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    In light of the upward trend of skilled-person reviews by the Financial Conduct Authority, including the latest investigation into Lloyds' anti-money laundering controls, financial firms should familiarize themselves with the mechanisms of FCA supervision and enforcement investigations, says Kathryn Westmore at RUSI.

  • New Russia Sanctions Reveal Int'l Enforcement Capabilities

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    Significant new U.K., U.S. and EU sanctions imposed on Russia notably target Europe-based individuals and entities accused of sanctions evasion, and with an apparent political will to enhance capabilities, the rhetoric is translating into international enforcement activity, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • What COVID Payout Ruling Means For Lockdown Loss Claims

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    While the High Court's recent COVID-19 payout decision in Gatwick v. Liberty Mutual, holding that pandemic-related regulations trigger prevention of access clauses, will likely lead to insurers accepting more business interruption claims, there are still evidentiary challenges and issues regarding policy limits and furlough, say Josianne El Antoury and Greg Lascelles at Covington.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • EEA Equivalence Statement Is Welcomed By Fund Managers

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    The recent statement confirming European Economic Area equivalence to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities for U.K. overseas funds regime purposes removes many managers’ concerns in the wake of Brexit, giving a clear pathway out of temporary marketing permissions and easing the transition from one regime to another, says Catherine Weeks at Simmons & Simmons.

  • In Int'l Arbitration Agreements, Be Clear About Governing Law

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    A trilogy of recent cases in the English High Court and Court of Appeal highlight the importance of parties agreeing to explicit choice of law language at the outset of an arbitration agreement in order to avoid costly legal skirmishes down the road, say lawyers at Faegre Drinker.

  • Crypto As A Coin Of The Corporate Realm: The Pros And Cons

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    The broadened range of crypto-assets opens up new possibilities for employers looking to recruit, incentivize and retain employees through the use of crypto, but certain risks must be addressed, say Dan Sharman and Sunny Mangatt at Shoosmiths.

  • Comparing UK And EU's View On 3rd-Party Service Providers

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    The U.K. is taking welcome steps to address the lack of direct oversight over critical third-party service providers, and although less onerous than that of the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act, the U.K. regime's proportionate approach is designed to make providers more robust and reliable, say lawyers at Shearman.

  • Key Points Of BoE Response To Digital Pound Consultation

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    Lawyers at Hogan Lovells analyze the recent Bank of England and U.K. government response to a consultation on the launch of a digital pound, finding that the phased approach to evaluating the issues makes sense given the significant potential impact on the U.K. economy.

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