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Financial Services UK
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March 21, 2024
FCA Tells Consumer Lenders To Detect Financial Crime Better
The City watchdog has warned chief executives of consumer lending firms that they must improve on their detection of financial crime.
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March 21, 2024
ECJ Adviser Rejects Taxing Foreign Pension Funds Differently
Taxing dividends paid to foreign public pension funds while exempting dividends paid to the source country's general retirement savings funds contravenes European Union law, an adviser to the bloc's highest court said Thursday, backing Finnish pension funds' challenge of a Swedish law.
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March 21, 2024
Nationwide Agrees To Buy Virgin Money For £2.9B In Cash
Nationwide Building Society said Thursday that it will buy Virgin Money UK for £2.9 billion ($3.7 billion) in cash, in a deal backed by the boards of both companies.
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March 20, 2024
Spanish Investment Co. Beats Slovak TM Opposition In EU
A Spanish investment company has won an appeal to revive its trademark application, as European officials ruled that buyers of financial services paid a "high degree of attention" and wouldn't think that the sign was linked to a Slovak company.
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March 20, 2024
Investor Seeks To Toss €10M Case Over Share Deal Row
An investment company urged a London court on Wednesday to throw out a €10.2 million ($11 million) claim by an asset management firm, arguing that it had not consented to the terms of the sale of shares in a luxury Greek resort.
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March 20, 2024
Russian F1 Driver's EU Sanctions Over Oligarch Father Lifted
A Formula One racing driver and son of a Russian oligarch has won his fight to lift European Union sanctions, with a court ruling Wednesday there was insufficient evidence to prove that his business interests were benefiting from his fathers' wealth.
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March 20, 2024
Health And Safety Top Risk For Directors, Global Survey Says
Health and safety is the top risk for directors and officers worldwide, according to a survey published Wednesday, in a "surprise" result partly attributed to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses and increasing mental health considerations.
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March 20, 2024
Ex-Russian Minister Fails To Renew Bid To Jail Deripaska
The Court of Appeal dismissed on Wednesday an attempt by Vladimir Chernukhin, a former Russian minister, to have his ex-business associate Oleg Deripaska jailed for contempt of court, finding that a judge had been entitled to conclude the case had not met the criminal standard of proof.
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March 20, 2024
Bank of Cyprus Eyes €137M Investor Return After ECB Nod
The Bank of Cyprus Group said Wednesday it intends to boost shareholder returns to €137 million ($149 million) by launching a share buyback and ramping up dividends, after receiving the green light for both payouts from the regional banking watchdog.
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March 20, 2024
Swiss Watchdog To Inspect UBS Closely For Merger Impact
The Swiss financial markets regulator said Wednesday it plans 40 on-site supervisory reviews at UBS AG in Switzerland and abroad and two in-depth stress tests in 2024 to assess the result of the bank's merger with Credit Suisse last year.
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March 20, 2024
AI Misuse Will Drive Cyber Insurance Demand, Actuary Says
The use of artificial intelligence by criminals and other evolving threats will boost demand for cyber-insurance for at least the next decade, according to analysis published Wednesday by actuarial consultancy OAC.
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March 20, 2024
British Bank CEOs Shift Blame For Pay Fraud To Social Media
Britain's largest banks told a cross-party group of MPs Wednesday they blamed social media and telecommunications companies for a rise in authorized push payment fraud in the banking sector, calling for mandatory requirements to help prevent it.
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March 20, 2024
EU Insurers Warn Regulators Of Gaps In Greenwashing Rules
European insurers have urged the bloc's insurance and pensions watchdog to be consistent and clear with its greenwashing rules for investment products, pointing to discrepancies between jurisdictions and inconsistencies with other sustainability frameworks.
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March 20, 2024
Dentons AML Ruling Deals Blow To SRA's Enforcement Plans
The failure by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to secure a sanction against Dentons over the firm's handling of anti-money laundering checks on a former client is a blow to the regulator's enforcement ambitions which – if upheld – could prompt caution in future prosecutions, lawyers say.
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March 20, 2024
Slaughter And May Cuts Partner Promotions By Half In 2024
Slaughter and May said on Wednesday that it is adding to its bench of up-and-coming leaders by promoting five lawyers to its partnership — only half the number it elevated in 2023.
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March 20, 2024
Ex-LC&F Chief Says SFO And FCA 'Wrecked' His Career
A former director of London Capital & Finance had his career "wrecked" by the finance regulator and fraud investigation agency when they forced the investment company into administration without reason, his lawyers said at his trial Wednesday.
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March 20, 2024
Woman Guilty Of Laundering Proceeds Of £5B Bitcoin Fraud
A British-Chinese woman has been convicted of money laundering in London over allegations that she helped a fugitive Chinese national launder bitcoin converted from a £5 billion ($6.3 billion) investment fraud, it can now be reported.
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March 20, 2024
HMRC Makes U-Turn On Helpline Cuts After Backlash
The U.K. tax authority backtracked Wednesday on plans to close down several helplines for taxpayers from April through September after facing criticism from politicians and industry groups.
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March 20, 2024
Imprisoned Money Laundering Boss Ordered To Pay £3.5M
The imprisoned ringleader of a money laundering network that smuggled tens of millions of pounds in criminal cash out of the U.K. to the United Arab Emirates has been ordered to repay £3.5 million ($4.4 million), the National Crime Agency has said.
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March 20, 2024
Wise Hits Back At Bad Faith TM Allegations From Tech Rival
Payments firm Wise has hit back at a counterclaim from software company WithWise, urging the High Court to reject WithWise's claim that Wise's trademark is invalid because it is overbroad and being used as a legal weapon.
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March 20, 2024
FCA Warns Pension Advisers Over Treatment Of Customers
The Financial Conduct Authority urged pension advisers on Wednesday to look at how well they are considering the needs of their clients after a sweeping review of the sector found significant shortfalls at some companies.
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March 19, 2024
Aspiring Atty Should Be Off HP Jury, Ex-Autonomy Execs Say
Counsel for former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch and another defendant accused of deceiving HP into buying Autonomy at an inflated price of $11.7 billion urged a California federal judge Thursday to dismiss a juror who contacted a federal prosecutor during voir dire seeking law career advice.
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March 19, 2024
Indian National Loses Tax Evasion Extradition Appeal
A London judge ruled against Indian national Sanjay Bhandari's bid to challenge the U.K. Home Secretary's decision to order his extradition Tuesday, saying he can presume that India will not breach its extradition treaty with the U.K. by prosecuting him for additional offenses.
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March 19, 2024
Financial Adviser 'Siphoned' Fees In Legal Fund Fraud Case
A former financial adviser allegedly siphoned £5.8 million ($7.4 million) from an investment fund via secret commission payments as part of a legal financing fraud, prosecutors told a London jury at the start of his criminal trial Tuesday.
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March 19, 2024
NMC Healthcare And Dubai Islamic Bank Settle Global Suits
United Arab Emirates hospital operator NMC Healthcare and Dubai Islamic Bank announced on Tuesday that they have reached an out-of-court settlement resolving all litigation between them and associated third parties.
Expert Analysis
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How The FCA Is Using Its New Powers To Make Changes
The recent sentence of the former London Capital CEO is the latest development in the firm's scandal that prompted a damning report on the Financial Conduct Authority's regulatory conduct, leading the regulator to much soul-searching and a continuing clamp down on firms that misuse their approvals, says Ben Rees at Keller Postman.
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How The US And UK Differ On Crypto Regulation
While the U.K. and U.S. share strong economic ties, their approaches to crypto regulation differ wildly, with the U.K. setting bespoke rules through legislation and the U.S. taking a fragmented, and arguably hostile, approach to regulating crypto-assets, most often happening through enforcement, say attorneys at BCLP.
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Judicial Review Lessons From Financial Ombudsman Case
Even though the judicial review claim was dismissed in the recent High Court decision Shawbrook Bank v. Financial Ombudsman Service, it has important legal and practical takeaways for lenders who can obtain real value by challenging FOS decisions, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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Understanding ESG Considerations In Social Lending
In light of recent updates to sustainable finance guidance by loan market associations, lenders should ensure they request compliance information for projects intended to provide social benefits in order to encourage borrowers to hold environmental, social and corporate governance factors as a priority, says Jasmine Robinson at Taylor Wessing.
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How To Approach Different Data Types In E-Disclosure Matters
The High Court's recent decision in Terre Neuve v. Yewdale highlights the importance of practitioners adequately approaching e-disclosure obligations, including understanding their data landscapes and the nuances of different data types, say Fiona Campbell at Fieldfisher and Alejandro Gomez-Igbo at Forensic Risk Alliance.
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Why FCA Proposals For UK Listing Rules May Need Tweaking
Although many of the Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published proposals for listing rules reform are to be welcomed, a few further changes are needed if the regulator's objective of making the U.K. public markets more attractive is to be achieved, says Nigel Gordon at Fladgate.
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Exploring UK Regulatory Reform Amid Global Bank Failures
In light of recent high-profile bank failures and the publication of a feedback statement to a U.K. regulatory review, the concern that banks are overly reluctant to use their stock begs the question whether regulators now need to rethink the operation of the liquidity coverage ratio, say Alix Prentice and Carl Hey at Cadwalader.
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Key Takeaways From Recent UK Insolvency Disputes
As recent insolvency statistics show that U.K. registered company insolvencies are up 16% compared to last year, having a strong understanding of recent key U.K. decisions and how insolvency disputes operate is more important for companies now than it has ever been, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Why The Draft UK Fraud Offense May Not Be A Game Changer
Although the U.K.’s proposed "failure to prevent fraud" offense will generate a need for large businesses to reassess their existing processes, given the long lead-in times for prosecutions and the Serious Fraud Office's current success rate, it seems unlikely that the corporate fraud landscape will be immediately transformed, say Charles Kuhn and Charlotte Gill at Clyde & Co.
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A Review Of The EU FDI Screening Regulation And Its Scope
The EU advocate general’s recent broad interpretation of the EU Foreign Direct Investment Screening Regulation takes account of some of the geopolitical challenges faced by the bloc, and may foreshadow a revision of the regulation and widen the scope of investments screened, say Vassilis Akritidis and Jean-Baptiste Blancardi at Crowell & Moring.
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Key Takeaways From EU Proposal For Greenwashing Rules
If the proposal for a Green Claims Directive, with its enhanced rules on claims about a product or trader's environmental impact, is adopted, it will affect all businesses selling their products in the EU and bring major changes to the way those products are packaged and advertised, say attorneys at Shearman.
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How EU ESG Regs Affect US Financial Market Participants
The European Commission recently confirmed that the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation applies to all funds marketed in the EU, so affected U.S. financial market participants will need to consider the new guidance on principal adverse impacts, sustainable investments and promotion of carbon emissions reductions, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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UK Plan For AI Rules Raises Compliance Questions For Cos.
The U.K. government's proposal for a new, clear and pro-innovation regulatory framework on artificial intelligence diverges from the European Union's approach, which may create incoherence and compliance burdens for businesses operating in both jurisdictions, says attorneys at Akin Gump.
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UK Investment Screening Inches Closer To US Regime
The recent agreement between the U.K. Cabinet Office and House of Commons concerning parliamentary scrutiny of the Investment Security Unit represents a step toward greater transparency of intervention in investments that may raise national security concerns, and underscores increasing alignment with the U.S. regime, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
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UK Ruling May Affect 3rd-Party Fraud Liability Post-Insolvency
While the recent Court of Appeal decision in Tradition Financial Services v. Bilta could make Section 213 of the Insolvency Act a powerful tool for liquidators, it also heightens the risk of companies tangentially involved in fraud being subject to claims following insolvency, say attorneys at Dechert.