Financial Services UK

  • August 30, 2024

    Couple Accused Of £29B Fraud Forced To Disclose Wealth

    A Chinese couple could be forced to divulge how they built a multimillion-pound property business in the U.K. after a London judge ruled Friday that investigators had reason to suspect their money came from an alleged £29 billion ($38 billion) banking fraud.

  • August 30, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen television property developer Kambiz Babaee hit with a fraud claim, a Bitcoin podcaster reignite a dispute with Australian computer scientist Craig Wright and football club owner Massimo Cellino's company file a claim against ClearBank. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • August 30, 2024

    Swiss Banks Face Legal Issues On Instant Payments

    The Swiss Banking Association has warned that the requirement for the largest banks to offer instant payments from August is raising challenges around legal requirements like verifying the recipient's identity and sanctions checks.

  • August 30, 2024

    Widow Alleges Stake To $3B Oligarch Fortune Is Made Up

    The widow and daughter of a Russian cement tycoon have argued that his family "invented" a business partnership agreement to rob them of inheritance, in the latest development of a fight over more than $3 billion in assets.

  • August 30, 2024

    Standard Life Named 'Safe Haven' For Defrauded Pensioners

    Insurer Standard Life has been appointed as a "safe haven" pension provider for members of retirement schemes that have lost out to fraud, the company said.

  • August 29, 2024

    Fight Against Dirty Money Should Target Lawyers, Report Says

    Britain's use of foreign aid to fund the fight against dirty money overseas falls short of what is needed, an anti-corruption charity warned Thursday, as it urged law enforcement authorities to take action against those who help perpetrators.

  • August 29, 2024

    Feds Say Ex-BigLaw Atty Can't Shake OneCoin Conviction

    Federal prosecutors have told the Second Circuit that former Locke Lord LLP partner Mark S. Scott has "greatly exaggerate[d]" the importance of testimony from a government witness, some of which was later shown to be perjury, in a bid to have his money laundering conviction reversed.

  • August 29, 2024

    Oil Execs Get 13 Years For $1.8B 1MDB Fraud

    Two former PetroSaudi executives have been sentenced at a Swiss court to a combined 13 years in prison for embezzling more than $1.8 billion from Malaysia's state-backed investment fund in what prosecutors said was one of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated.

  • August 29, 2024

    Pension Consolidator Would Be Useful, Broadstone Says

    Proposals put forward by the previous government to launch a public sector consolidator of retirement savings plans run by the pensions lifeboat fund would be a "welcome addition" to the market, Broadstone said Thursday.

  • August 29, 2024

    EU Warns That Greenwashing Risk Could Hit Investment

    The European Union's markets watchdog said Thursday in its latest risk monitoring report that greenwashing and related malpractices are undermining investor trust and the credibility of green finance.

  • August 29, 2024

    Another British Steel Pension Adviser Declared In Default

    A financial adviser connected to the British Steel pension scandal has been declared in default by the U.K.'s lifeboat scheme.

  • August 29, 2024

    UK Teetering On Pensions Crisis, Mercer Warns

    The U.K. needs pension reform to avert a looming crisis that threatens a secure retirement for pensioners, according to a report by American consultancy firm Mercer LLC released Thursday.

  • August 29, 2024

    Ombudsman Reports 70% Surge In Financial Complaints

    Users of financial products lodged 70% more complaints in the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year compared with the corresponding previous period, the Financial Ombudsman Service reported on Thursday, a jump from almost 44,000 to approximately 75,000.

  • August 29, 2024

    Law Firm Can Use Client Comms To Fight Conspiracy Claim

    A commercial law firm and its solicitor can fully plead their defenses against claims of conspiracy, a London court has ruled, finding that details of communication with clients are not limited by legal professional privilege because of a recently clarified legal exception.

  • August 28, 2024

    Businessman Can't Force $1B Gramercy Suit Into Arbitration

    A Wyoming federal judge has ruled that Gramercy Funds Management will not have to arbitrate its racketeering lawsuit accusing a Ukrainian businessman of fraudulently transferring more than a billion dollars from his agricultural business, a debtor of the Connecticut-based hedge fund.

  • August 28, 2024

    Collapsed Forex Broker To Pay Whistleblowing Exec £564K

    A compliance director at a foreign exchange brokerage who reported the firm to the financial services watchdog over its alleged illicit activities has won more than £560,000 ($740,000) after a tribunal ruled the company had unlawfully sacked him.

  • August 28, 2024

    BoE To Widen Checks On How Finance Absorbs Disruption

    The Bank of England has said it will develop its approach to assessing how financial markets deal with disruption to cover new technologies and more risks, potentially extending its scrutiny beyond the payments sector.

  • August 28, 2024

    LDI Managers Urged To Influence Gov't Climate Policy

    Liability-driven investment managers ought to be doing more to influence climate policy to protect members' pensions as government debt plays an increasingly large role in retirement savings portfolios, Lane Clark & Peacock LLP said.

  • August 28, 2024

    Swiss Life To Acquire Green Hydrogen Biz For $106M

    The asset management arm of insurer Swiss Life will buy Everfuel AS of Denmark in a deal that values the green hydrogen producer at $106 million and will take it off of the Euronext Growth market, the companies said Wednesday.

  • August 27, 2024

    Money Laundering Cases Surge At Crown Courts, KPMG Says

    The overall value of fraud cases involving money laundering heard at crown courts has risen nearly fourfold in the first half of this year, according a report issued by KPMG on Wednesday.

  • August 27, 2024

    Ex-Barclays Exec Loses Appeal Over FCA Ban On Senior Job

    Former Barclays wealth boss Thomas Kalaris has lost his appeal against the Financial Conduct Authority's decision banning him from holding a regulated senior management position at the firm he founded, as a London tribunal found in a judgment made public Tuesday he had given false evidence during interviews with the regulator. 

  • September 03, 2024

    Kirkland Hires German Restructuring Pair From Gleiss Lutz

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP said on Tuesday that it has recruited two restructuring and insolvency specialists from German outfit Gleiss Lutz, as the firm continues to expand after unveiling plans to open a new office in Frankfurt.

  • August 27, 2024

    Hong Kong Woman's Asset Freeze Extended Over Fraud Case

    A London judge on Tuesday allowed a freezing order to be extended against a woman accused of defrauding her former employers of 164 million Hong Kong dollars ($21 million).

  • August 27, 2024

    Starmer Warns Of 'Painful' Budget As UK Braces For Tax Hikes

    U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Tuesday of "painful" decisions to plug budget gaps, including tax increases and spending cuts, looming in the Oct. 30 budget statement.

  • August 27, 2024

    25 Banks To Adopt Tool For Survivors Of Economic Abuse

    Twenty-five banks and building societies have committed to working with a new tool designed to help survivors of economic abuse, Britain's banking trade body said on Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • FCA Case Failures Highlight Value Of Robust Investigation

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    The recent U.K. upper tribunal judgment in Seiler, Whitestone and Raitzin v. The Financial Conduct Authority, criticizing the regulator for accepting a narrative advanced by the firm, makes clear that such admissions must not get in the way of a proper investigation to enable agencies to target the correct individuals, say Tom Bushnell and Olivia Dwan at Hickman & Rose.

  • UK Shares-Tax Proposals Offer Long-Awaited Modernization

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    The U.K. government's recent consultation on the introduction of a new tax on transactions in securities raises detailed legal and practical issues, but the prospect of a single digital stamp tax offering both streamlined legislation and administration will be welcomed, say Zoë Arnautov and Mark Sheiham at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Directors Should Beware Reinvigorated UK Insolvency Service

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    The recent lengthy disqualification of Carillion directors serves as a salutary lesson to executives on the level of third-party scrutiny to which their actions may be exposed, and a reminder that the directors’ fiduciary duty to creditors is paramount once a company is irretrievably insolvent, says Ben Drew at Fladgate.

  • The New Accountability Landscape For Financial Regulators

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    The preliminary-stage success of a group of U.K. lawmakers in a case against the Financial Conduct Authority highlights the significant hurdles for review of regulatory actions, but the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 creates additional visibility into the regulators' decision making, which may lead to an increase in judicial review activity, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Director Responsibilities Amid Russian Asset Seizures

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    Following Russia's recent takeover of several companies, shareholders may argue that directors failed to properly guard the companies' assets and choose to bring derivative claims or unfair prejudice petitions, say lawyers at Collyer Bristow.

  • Investors Should Prepare For Possible EU Energy Treaty Exit

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    Following the European Commission’s recent call for the European Union and Euratom to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty, investors in the energy sector should assess the legal structure of their existing investments and consider restructuring to ensure adequate protections, says Philipp Kurek at Kirkland.

  • EU Raw Materials Initiative Vital For Sustainable Value Chains

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    The European Commission’s recent steps toward developing partnerships with the U.S. and Argentina to ensure a secure supply of critical raw materials are a welcome recognition of the importance of mining to the European Union's sustainable transition, say lawyers at Watson Farley.

  • UK Top Court Ruling Spells Uncertainty For Litigation Funders

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    The U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision in Paccar Inc. v. Competition Appeal Tribunal has called litigation funding agreements impermissible, causing astonishment in the legal industry and raising questions over how funders should now approach litigation, say Mohsin Patel at Factor Risk Management and Imran Benson at Hailsham Chambers.

  • Gender Diverse Boards May Reduce Corporate Fraud Risk

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    Following the recently proposed "failure to prevent fraud" offense, companies should focus on diversity in leadership as research shows that an increase in women's representation on boards is associated with a decreased probability of fraud, say Anoushka Warlow and Suzanne Gallagher at BCL Solicitors.

  • Trustees Should Take Caution After UK Pension Tap Plan

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    The U.K. government's recent plan to boost technology startups by tapping into pension sector funds may risk the hard-earned savings of members, so trustees need to be mindful of the proposals in light of their fiduciary duties, say Beth Brown and Riccardo Bruno at Arc Pensions.

  • Factors Driving Increased Litigation Against European Cos.

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    European government regulation and enforcement, economic inflation and litigation funding are driving an increase in litigation, especially class actions, against corporations in Europe, a trend that seems to be here to stay, says Henning Schaloske at Clyde & Co.

  • New UK Offense Will Help Law Firms Tighten AML Compliance

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    By allowing for larger fines and introducing a failure to prevent fraud offense, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, currently passing through Parliament, will further motivate law firms to improve their anti-money laundering compliance process, says Richard Simms at AMLCC.

  • What Venezuelan Gold Fight Means For UK One Voice Doctrine

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    The Court of Appeal's judgment in Deutsche Bank v. Central Bank of Venezuela clarifies the application of the "one voice" doctrine to foreign court judgments, highlighting that the reasoning depends on the recognition or nonrecognition of a head of state or government that is contrary to the U.K. government's position, say lawyers at Latham.

  • Report On UK Investment Act Offers Welcome Insights

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    The U.K. government's recent report on the National Security and Investment Act's first full year of operation is to be applauded for disclosing more information on the act's notification system than was required, enabling a better understanding of what has taken place and what the next year may hold, say Andrea Hamilton and Ajal Notowicz at Milbank.

  • Preparing For M&A Under The Foreign Subsidies Regulation

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    The EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation introduces requirements that companies operating in the region must consider in M&A transactions, and any foreign financial contributions received by a target should be checked during the due diligence stage, with specific provisions for commission approval if a notification requirement is triggered, say Hendrik Viaene and Stéphane Dionnet at McDermott.

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