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Close-up of folded flags of Russia and the United Kingdom side by side.

OFSI Overhauls Its Powers, But Lawyers Doubt Impact

Moves to double the fining powers of Britain's sanctions watchdog would have little impact on enforcement, lawyers fear, although they say that a proposed program for agreeing settlements with companies could be just enough to speed up the regulator's cases.

Name sign outside one of the government's main ministries in Westminster.

New 'British FBI' Plan Missing Vital Detail, Lawyers Say

Plans by the government to merge several fraud enforcement agencies give little detail about how the largest policing overhaul in 200 years will operate in practice, although lawyers say the Serious Fraud Office appears to be safe — for now.

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FCA Urged To Clarify AI Rules For Senior Managers

The Financial Conduct Authority is facing calls from legal experts for it to plug gaps in its rules that could leave senior managers on the hook for failings in artificial intelligence under existing accountability regulations.

Signage on the outside of the London building that is home to the U.K. agency for fighting white-collar crime.

SFO Director's Surprise Exit Reignites Debate Over Its Future

Nick Ephgrave's surprise retirement from the Serious Fraud Office could turn up the heat on a simmering debate about the future of the agency and a potential merger with other law enforcement authorities such as the National Crime Agency, lawyers say.

February 10, 2026
Arc Pensions Steers £12M UK University Pension Deal

An arts-based university in the U.K. has finalized a £12 million ($16 million) bulk purchase annuity buy-in with Just Group, consultancy First Actuarial said Tuesday.
February 10, 2026
Ex-Clifford Chance Pro Says £8M Libel Claim Is SLAPP

Legal commentator Dan Neidle asked a court on Tuesday to use new powers to throw out an £8 million ($11 million) libel claim accusing the former Clifford Chance partner of engaging in a vendetta against a barrister, arguing that the claim was launched to silence him.
February 10, 2026
FCA Hits 2 With Fines For Insider Trading In Ad Tech Biz

The Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday that it has hit a former interim financial director and a trader with a combined fine of £108,731 ($148,800) for insider dealing in shares in an advertising technology company.
February 10, 2026
UK Employers Risk Regulatory Fines For 'Pension Pitfalls'

Businesses should carry out a "clear, organization-wide review" of their company's pension processes to avoid falling foul of evolving regulatory obligations on retirement savings, Hymans Robertson said Tuesday.
February 10, 2026
Lender IPF Delays £543M Takeover Vote As Investor Objects

Credit provider International Personal Finance said Tuesday that it will delay a vote by shareholders on its proposed takeover for £543 million ($742 million) by U.S. specialist finance group BasePoint Capital after an investor voiced opposition to the deal.
February 09, 2026
Deutsche Bank Escapes FDIC's RMBS Underwriter Claims

A brokerage and investment banking arm of Deutsche Bank ducked a lawsuit the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. had brought against it over investment losses suffered by now-failed Citizens National Bank, after a New York federal judge determined Monday it did not have a relevant role in underwriting residential mortgage-backed securities Citizens bought more than two decades ago.
February 09, 2026
Lloyds Beats Bias Claims Over Anti-Zionist Staff Posts

A London tribunal has ruled that Lloyds did not discriminate against two Muslim staffers after they faced disciplinary action for making anti-Zionist statements in 2021 amid Israel's conflict with the Palestinians.
February 09, 2026
Gov't Issues Gender Pension Gap Reporting Guide For LGPS

The Government Actuary's Department has published guidance designed to help administering authorities within the Local Government Pension Scheme meet their new gender pension gap reporting obligations.
February 09, 2026
€306M Money Laundering Network Sting Leads To 13 Arrests

Law enforcement agencies in the European Union have arrested more than a dozen people in several raids after an investigation into a €306 million ($364.5 million) international money laundering scheme with links to drug trafficking and tax fraud.
February 09, 2026
Boohoo Investors Battle Over Split £177M Sweatshop Trial

Investors argued on Monday that the question of whether misleading statements by Boohoo on its use of sweatshops induced them to invest in the fast fashion giant should be determined at the second stage of their £177 million ($242 million) claim.
February 09, 2026
Broker Wins Fight For $2M Gold Mine Financing Deal Fee

A finance broker has won a fight to force a mining company to pay its $2.25 million fee for working to secure funding for a gold mine, with a London court ruling Monday that the broker carried out the required tasks.
February 09, 2026
Slaughter And May Leads NatWest £2.7B Wealth Manager Buy

NatWest said Monday that it has agreed to acquire British wealth manager Evelyn Partners from Permira, a global investment company, and private equity firm Warburg Pincus for £2.7 billion ($3.7 billion) to boost its private banking and wealth management business.
February 09, 2026
EY Swerves Tribunal Claim From India-Based Ex-Employee

A London judge has tossed several claims against EY from a former employee who was based in India, ruling that the tribunal does not have the jurisdiction to hear his case against the consulting giant.
February 09, 2026
Schroders, Apollo Team Up On Wealth, Retirement Products

British investment manager Schroders PLC and U.S. private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc. said Monday that they will team up to provide investment and retirement products to wealthy clients on both sides of the Atlantic.
February 09, 2026
Audit Watchdog Floats Rule Change For 'Third Way' Pensions

Britain's audit watchdog floated revisions to the actuarial rules used for collective defined contribution pension programs on Monday in the wake of government legislation designed to allow more businesses to join the new plans.
February 08, 2026
HMRC Nets £246M In Evasion-Focused Inheritance Tax Probes

Britain's tax authority has recovered an additional £246 million ($336 million) in inheritance tax secured by investigations, according to data released Sunday.
February 06, 2026
Taxation With Representation: Gibson Dunn, S&C, Wachtell

In this week's Taxation With Representation, Elon Musk announces SpaceX's acquisition of his artificial intelligence company xAI, Devon Energy and Coterra Energy agree to merge, and Banco Santander SA acquires Webster Financial Corp.
February 06, 2026
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London saw a unit of Johnson & Johnson sue the U.S. government in a patent dispute, Southampton Football Club file a claim against Aviva Insurance, and an events business face a claim by Live Nation (Music) over potential licensing issues for Chelmsford City Live, a music festival that featured Justin Timberlake last year. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
February 06, 2026
Tech Biz Can Sue German Rivals Over Software Secrets In UK

A London judge said Friday that a software company can sue two German companies in the U.K. for allegedly misusing its trade secrets, ruling that the case is promising enough to justify stretching the court's jurisdiction outside of England.
February 06, 2026
Ex-Barclays Pro Rapped For Locking Up Colleague Can't Sue

Barclays Bank has defeated a British worker's bid to claim that he was unfairly fired for accidentally locking a colleague in a room during an end-of-day closedown.
February 06, 2026
Gowling, CMS Steer £45M Local Authority Pension Deal

A local port authority has offloaded £45 million ($61.2 million) of its retirement savings liabilities to pension insurer Royal London, in a deal steered by Gowling and CMS, advisers on the transaction announced Friday.
February 06, 2026
Treasury Poised To Sign MoU On CCP Equivalence With China

The U.K. government said Friday that the Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England agreed in a meeting with Chinese counterparts to progress a memorandum on central counterparty supervision that supports mutual equivalence.
February 06, 2026
Car Finance Complaints Fall Sharply After FCA Redress Plan

The Financial Ombudsman Service has reported a huge drop in motor finance commission complaints in its latest three-month figures, after the Financial Conduct Authority proposed a redress scheme.
February 06, 2026
US Investor Gets 19.1% Backing So Far For £340M Idox Buy

U.S. investment firm Long Path Partners said Friday that it has so far won backing from 19.12% of shareholders in Idox PLC for its £339.5 million ($461 million) buyout of the U.K. government software company.
February 05, 2026
Billionaire Lewis' Pilots Ink SEC Deals Over Insider Trading

Two private-jet pilots for British billionaire Joseph Lewis have agreed to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission a total of more than $233,300, resolving the regulators' civil claims accusing them of trading on confidential information, according to filings in New York federal court.

Editor's Picks

5 Questions For Spencer West Partner Karl Foster

The Financial Conduct Authority's approach to enforcement and consumer protection has come up against government economic growth priorities and resistance from the sector to its proposals to "name and shame" companies early on during regulatory probes.
UK Draft Pay Fraud Rules Open Tricky Legal Liabilities

The government's new draft legislation, which will give banks longer to investigate suspicions of fraud before they send payments instructed by customers, will create a wave of new legal liabilities and lead to regulatory hurdles, according to lawyers.
FCA Fires Warning Shot Over City's Consumer Duty Failings

The Financial Conduct Authority has sent out a fresh warning to financial services companies highlighting how some of them are failing to comply with its Consumer Duty regime. But experts have told Law360 that the expectations are unclear.

Expert Analysis

Where PCAOB Goes Next After A Year Of Uncertainty

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board will likely bring fewer enforcement matters in 2026, reflecting a notable change in board priorities following the change in administrations, say Robert Cox and Nicole Byrd at Whiteford Taylor and Matthew Rogers at Bridgehaven Consulting.
Consolidation Of Lloyd's Bylaws Will Be Useful For Members

Lloyd’s of London’s recent consolidation of its bylaws will make the rules governing its market more accessible, providing immediate results as well as the necessarily flexible framework to address the future needs of its participants, say lawyers at Skadden.
How EU Prospectus Rule Changes May Boost Market Access

The European Union Listing Act’s forthcoming changes to EU prospectus requirements aim to reduce the regulatory burden for issuers of securities, facilitating more efficient transaction execution and reducing market risk, of particular relevance to small and midsize enterprises, say lawyers at Covington.
4 Securities Trends For Pension Trustees To Watch In 2026

With the U.K. signaling it will soon demand more active fiduciary stewardship from pension trustees, British and EU fund managers must follow key trends in mass securities litigation, investment disclosures, and U.S. enforcement that could require intervening for their investors in 2026, say lawyers at Labaton Keller.
Exploring The Rise In European Private Credit Loan Portability

The increasing use of portability mechanics in loan documentation can make sales processes more attractive to buyers and brings cost savings to sellers, but there are concerns over the portability's impact on competition and differences in sponsors’ goals, say lawyers at King & Spalding.
Sanctions Spotlight: Compliance Insights After OTSI's 1st Year

The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation's recent report on its first year of operation offers insights into OTSI's interpretation of its mandate as the U.K.'s civil enforcement body for trade sanctions and efforts to operationalize its enforcement powers, giving businesses a compliance road map for areas it will prioritize in 2026, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.
A Look At ESMA's New Governance Framework For EU Boards

The European Securities and Markets Authority's recently finalized supervisory expectations for management bodies mark a shift toward improved board oversight across culture, risk, strategy and accountability that firms should view as a benchmark, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
Digital Assets Act Allows Courts To Cater For New Tech

The recently enforced Property (Digital Assets etc) Act confirms in law that digital assets can be recognized as personal property, while leaving intentional gaps, which allow courts the flexibility to adapt traditional legal rules to new innovative technology, say lawyers at Dechert.
How To Navigate AI M&A Risks, Compliance In Europe

As the artificial intelligence industry continues to witness substantial M&A transactions in Europe, parties should be mindful of the unique challenges posed by the acquisition of intangible AI technologies, monitor the evolving regulatory landscape, and establish optimal mechanisms for risk allocation, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.
What To Expect From UK Prospectus Regime Changes

The new U.K. prospectus regime for trading on regulated markets, effective Jan. 19, aims to streamline processes and reduce costs, but a significant shift in structuring and disclosure obligations will increase pressure on practitioners to manage risk under tighter timelines, say lawyers at Baker Botts.
10 Financial Regulatory Changes To Prepare For In 2026

A number of changes in the financial regulatory sphere are due this year, from targeted support to payment safeguarding and a new consumer composite investments regime, and firms should plan to address the policies and regulatory strategies relevant to them, say lawyers at Womble Bond.
How Gov't AML Supervision Reform Will Affect Law Firms

In confirming that the Financial Conduct Authority will become the single supervisor for professional services, HM Treasury’s planned reform of the U.K.’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing supervision regime marks a significant change for the legal profession, signaling a greater emphasis on evidence and accountability, says Harriet Holmes at Thirdfort.
EU Financial Regulation Trends Cos. Need To Watch In 2026

An ever-increasing number of initiatives on the European Union regulatory agenda, with simplification and consistent implementation being priorities, means financial services businesses with a footprint in the EU or seeking to establish one will face significant challenges and strategic opportunities, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.
What To Expect From UK, EU Crypto Regime Changes In 2026

With 2025 marking the first operational year of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation and the U.K.’s rules reaching their final legislative form, the two jurisdictions are converging in focus, but structural design differences mean firms active in both markets will require dedicated documentation to ensure compliance, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.
What Cos. Can Expect From CMA Consumer Protection Drive

The Competition and Markets Authority’s recently launched consumer protection drive targeting banned online sales practices focuses on supporting compliance rather than on enforcement, although firms should expect this to change once businesses have had time to adapt to the regulator's new regime, say lawyers at Baker Botts.