Financial Services UK

  • April 23, 2024

    FCA Charges Man With Fraud In £2.7M Investment Scheme

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday that it had charged a British man with fraud after he hid "significant losses" from investors as part of a £2.67 million ($3.33 million) scheme trading on foreign exchange markets.

  • April 23, 2024

    Bank Of Ireland Used Deceit To Loan Millions, Investor Claims

    Bank of Ireland allegedly deceived a real estate investment business into borrowing millions from it by giving inflated property evaluations based on old estimates that were £1.2 million ($1.5 million) higher than up-to-date figures, according to a London court filing.

  • April 23, 2024

    Investment Fund Accuses Repository Of Dishonesty

    A U.K. investment fund has accused a registered securitization repository of acting dishonestly and unlawfully when it repeatedly refused to provide the fund's subsidiary access to data critical to help it make informed decisions about future investments.

  • April 23, 2024

    FCA Clarifies Greenwashing Rule, Extends ESG regime

    The Financial Conduct Authority has published clarifying final guidance on its anti-greenwashing rule for all regulated firms, saying on Tuesday that it will also extend its broader sustainability regime to include portfolio managers.

  • April 23, 2024

    Top UK Court Blocks Gazprom Unit's Russian UniCredit Claim

    Britain's highest court upheld an injunction on Tuesday barring a Gazprom subsidiary from pursuing a €450 million ($480 million) claim against UniCredit Bank AG in Russia after the German lender withheld financing for the construction of gas processing plants because of sanctions.

  • April 22, 2024

    Finance Biz. Sues Ex-Contractor For £1.6M Over Stolen Clients

    A finance company has accused a self-employed adviser of breaching obligations after exiting the company and taking more than a hundred customers worth £1.6 million ($1.9 million) of future income with her to a competitor. 

  • April 22, 2024

    Freshfields-Led CVC Unveils Range On $1.7B Amsterdam IPO

    European private equity giant CVC Capital Partners PLC, represented by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, on Monday set a price range on initial public offering estimated to raise about €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion), mostly benefiting selling shareholders.

  • April 22, 2024

    Trader Behind £1.4B Tax Fraud Thought Trades Were Valid

    A British trader accused of being the mastermind of a fraudulent trading scheme that cost Denmark's tax authority £1.4 billion ($1.7 billion) genuinely believed that the trades worked, his lawyer told a London court on Monday.

  • April 22, 2024

    Med Tech Founder Denies Deceiving Investors For $20M Sale

    The co-founder of a medical technology business has denied concealing his financial interest in a $20 million deal to purchase shares in his company, claiming he was never told it was important to reveal the seller's identity to the investment company.

  • April 22, 2024

    Leaked Doc Undermines Court's Libor Findings, Hayes Says

    A leaked document from Britain's former banking trade association casts doubt over a key finding in the Court of Appeal's decision to uphold the convictions of two traders jailed for rigging interest rate benchmarks, one of the men claimed Monday.

  • April 22, 2024

    Commerzbank Did Not Pay Analyst Less Due To His Gender

    Commerzbank did not pay an axed compliance analyst a lower salary than his female colleagues based on his sex, a London tribunal has held, ruling that the bank based its pay offers on salary expectations among other benchmarking factors.

  • April 22, 2024

    Complaints Of Closed Bank Accounts To Ombudsman Surge

    Customer complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service about closure of or refusal to open bank accounts have risen sharply in the last year, particularly from businesses, according to figures recently released by a select group of members of Parliament.

  • April 22, 2024

    FCA To Consider Big Tech Data-Sharing With Finance Firms

    The Financial Conduct Authority said on Monday it will examine how Big Tech's access to data could be valuable to firms in the finance sector if it reveals consumers' preferences, and will consider setting out incentives to encourage information-sharing.

  • April 22, 2024

    FCA Defends Response To British Steel Pension Scandal

    The Financial Conduct Authority on Monday said it took "appropriate regulatory action" amid complaints over its handling of the British Steel Pension Scheme transfer scandal and would not uphold any of the grievances it has received over its approach.

  • April 29, 2024

    Clifford Chance Adds Private Capital Pro From Paul Hastings

    Clifford Chance LLP has recruited an investments expert to join its London office as a partner, as the firm looks to add "firepower" to its global financial markets team.

  • April 22, 2024

    Fund Administrator Eyes $21M Deal For JPMorgan Chase Biz

    Jersey-based fund administrator JTC PLC said Monday it has offered to buy a trust administration business owned by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA for $21 million, a move it believes will strengthen its presence in the U.S.

  • April 22, 2024

    Kirkland-Led Blackstone Bids $1.2B For Music Biz Hipgnosis

    Private equity firm Blackstone has tabled an enhanced $1.2 billion bid for U.K. music royalties investment company Hipgnosis, countering an offer from U.S. royalties firm Concord Chorus.

  • April 22, 2024

    FCA Urged To Halt Plan To Publicize Enforcement Probes

    The Financial Conduct Authority's plan to name the firms it probes and publish information about investigations at an earlier stage risks an unjustified departure from the "fundamental principle" of being innocent until proven guilty, a House of Lords committee warned in a letter published Monday.

  • April 19, 2024

    Reed Smith Can't Escape £21M Suit Says Shipping Co.

    A United Arab Emirates shipping company suing Reed Smith LLP for £21 million ($26.1 million) has accused the law firm of "surreptitiously" telling Barclays Bank that the shipping company was sanctioned by the U.S. resulting in its funds being frozen.

  • April 19, 2024

    Verifone Gets Manager's Victimization Claim Tossed

    Electronic payment tech company Verifone convinced an appellate judge Thursday to overturn an employment tribunal's ruling that it victimized a senior manager when it denied her the chance to appeal her dismissal.

  • April 19, 2024

    Sudan Granted Two-Year Grace Period In £1.5B Debt Row

    Long-standing creditors of Sudan were granted a two-year stay of their claim against the nation on Friday, with a London judge agreeing with the creditors that the country should be given time to stabilize its financial situation in the wake of political turmoil.

  • April 19, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen U.K. holiday resort chain Butlins target Aviva and a huddle of insurers, Meta and WhatsApp tackle a patents claim by telecommunications company Semitel, an ongoing construction dispute between Essex County Council and Balfour Beatty, and Formycon AG hit a pharmaceutical company for infringing medical products. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • April 19, 2024

    Bank Of Cyprus Rolls Out €25M Share Buyback

    Bank of Cyprus Holdings PLC on Friday launched a share buyback program worth up to €25 million ($26.6 million) aimed at lowering its outstanding share capital.

  • April 19, 2024

    Gov't Urged To Drop Plans For Small UK Pension Pots

    The government must abandon its controversial plans to tackle the proliferation of small pension pots and instead revisit a solution that was passed into law a decade ago, a consultancy said Friday.

  • April 19, 2024

    EU Firms Say Strict ESG Rules Risk Chasing Off Clients

    Large banks have warned the European Union's banking regulator that its proposed guidelines for managing sustainability risks are too demanding and could drive clients away to banks outside the bloc.

Expert Analysis

  • Russia Ruling Shows UK's Robust Jurisdiction Approach

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    An English High Court's recent decision to grant an anti-suit injunction in the Russia-related dispute Renaissance Securities v. Chlodwig Enterprises clearly illustrates that obtaining an injunction will likely be more straightforward when the seat is in England compared to when it is abroad, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • How New Loan Origination Regime Will Affect Fund Managers

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    Although the recent publication of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive II represents more of an evolution than a revolution, the leverage limitations applicable to loan-originating funds are likely to present practical challenges for European credit fund managers, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • How EU Sustainability Directive Will Improve Co. Reporting

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    The need for organizations to make nonfinancial disclosures under the recently adopted EU Sustainability Reporting Standards will significantly change workforce and human rights reporting, and with the objective of fostering transparency, should bring about an increased focus on risks, policies and action plans, say Philip Spyropoulos and Thomas Player at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • PPI Ruling Spells Trouble For Financial Services Firms

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    The Supreme Court's recent decision in Canada Square v. Potter, which found that the claimant's missold payment protection insurance claim was not time-barred, is bad news for affected financial services firms, as there is now certainty over the law on the postponement of limitation periods, rendering hidden commission claims viable, say Ian Skinner and Chris Webber at Squire Patton.

  • What Lawyers Can Learn From FDI Screening Report Findings

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    The recent European Commission report on the screening of foreign direct investments into the EU reveals how member states need to balance national security concerns with openness, and with more cross-border transactions subject to screening, lawyers must be alert to jurisdictional variances, says Jonathon Gunn at Faegre Drinker.

  • UK Review May Lead To Lower Investment Screening Burden

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    The government’s current review of national security investment screening rules aims to refine the scope of mandatory notifications required for unproblematic deals, and is likely to result in much-needed modifications to minimize the administrative burden on businesses and investors, say lawyers at Simpson Thacher.

  • Economic Crime Act Exposure: What Companies Can Expect

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    The intention of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is to make it easier to attribute criminal liability to companies if a senior manager has committed an offense, but the impact on corporate criminal convictions depends on who qualifies as a senior manager and the evidential challenges in showing it, say Hayley Ichilcik and Julius Handler at MoFo.

  • FCA Promotions Review Sends A Strong Message To Firms

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    The recent FCA review into firms' compliance with the rules on promoting high-risk investments to retail clients clarifies that it expects the letter and the spirit of the rules to be followed, and given the interplay with the consumer duty, there are wider implications at stake, say Marina Reason and Chris Hurn at Herbert Smith.

  • When Can Bonuses Be Clawed Back?

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    The High Court's recent decision in Steel v. Spencer should remind employees that the contractual conditions surrounding bonuses and the timing of any resignation must be carefully considered, as in certain circumstances, bonuses can and are being successfully clawed back by employers, say Merrill April and Rachael Parker at CM Murray.

  • The State Of UK Litigation Funding After Therium Ruling

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    The recent English High Court decision in Therium v. Bugsby Property has provided a glimmer of hope for litigation funders about how courts will interpret this summer's U.K. Supreme Court ruling that called funding agreements impermissible, suggesting that its adverse effects may be mitigated, says Daniel Williams at DWF Law.

  • UK Shareholding Report A Missed Opportunity For New Tech

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    The recommendations in the U.K. Digitization Taskforce's recent report on digitizing and improving the U.K. shareholding framework are moderate but not revolutionary, and its failure to recommend digital ledger technology will impede a full transformation of the system, say Tom Bacon and Andrew Tsang at BCLP.

  • Tools M&A Deal Makers Can Use To Bridge Valuation Gaps

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    As macroeconomic headwinds reset valuation expectations, parties to merger and acquisition are increasingly looking to methods such as earnouts, vendor financing and minority transactions to bridge the valuation gap and get deals done, says Philip Herbst at Cleary.

  • Navigating The Novel Challenges Facing The Legal Profession

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    The increasing prominence of ESG and AI have transformed the legal landscape and represent new opportunities for lawyers, but with evolving regulations and the ever-expanding reach of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, law firms should ensure that they have appropriate policies in place to adapt to these challenges, say Scott Ashby and Aimee Talbot at RPC.

  • Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint

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    In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.

  • Economic Crime Act Brings Changes For Limited Partnerships

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    The recently passed Economic Crime Act introduces significant financial transparency obligations for new and existing U.K. limited partnerships, and with criminal consequences for noncompliance, a degree of advance consideration is strongly advised, say Amelia Stawpert and Alex Jones at Hogan Lovells.

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