Financial Services UK

  • April 04, 2024

    Financial Ombudsman Braces For Bigger Caseload

    The U.K. Financial Ombudsman Service said Thursday that it had upped its estimate of how many complaints it expects to receive in the coming financial year to 210,000 from 181,000 due to increased everyday financial concerns.

  • April 04, 2024

    Standards Setter Warns Of Conflicts Of Interest In Exchanges

    A global standards setter for regulators warned Thursday of the risk of conflict of interests in stock exchanges, including in situations where exchanges also run data or technology services.

  • April 04, 2024

    Standard Life Bags Insurer's Pension Plan In £95M Deal

    Standard Life has completed a £95 million ($120 million) buy-in of a pension scheme sponsored by Brit Insurance in a deal guided by Burges Salmon LLP.

  • April 04, 2024

    Money Was Siphoned To Former Exec's Wife, Insurer Says

    A Liechtenstein insurer suing two of its former directors for allegedly funneling millions of pounds to accounts they had ties to has now accused one of the men's wives of also benefiting from unauthorized payments.

  • April 03, 2024

    OneCoin Atty Gets 4 Years For Role In $4B Crypto Fraud

    The former head of legal and compliance at OneCoin on Wednesday was sentenced to four years in prison for her role in the $4 billion cryptocurrency scheme that defrauded millions of investors around the world.

  • April 03, 2024

    UK Billionaire Lewis Agrees To $1.64M Insider Trading Penalty

    British billionaire Joseph Lewis has agreed to pay $1.64 million to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's civil claims he fed confidential tips to his personal pilots and then-girlfriend after pleading guilty to related criminal charges earlier this year.

  • April 03, 2024

    Forex Broker Wins Deceit Claim Over TV Transactions

    A forex broker has won in his 7.9 billion Nigerian naira ($5.9 million) deceit claim over an English brokerage's alleged failure to pay out dollars for naira after a London judge ruled that the firm would not be able to defend against it.

  • April 03, 2024

    More Pension Schemes Considering Running On, LCP Says

    An increasing number of pensions schemes are considering running on their retirement savings plans as funding levels continue to strengthen in the U.K., a consultancy has said.

  • April 03, 2024

    UK Regulators Propose Special Regime For Digital Securities

    Britain's finance regulators proposed on Wednesday a special regulatory regime to allow firms to use new technology to issue, trade and settle digital shares and bonds, a move they hope will boost the country's global competitiveness.

  • April 03, 2024

    Single Pensioner Income Inequality Found To Be Widening

    Government data shows income disparity between rich and poor single pensioners is widening in the U.K. due to low earnings growth and rising housing costs, according to research by consultancy Broadstone published Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2024

    Watchdog Bans 'Misleading' Advertisements By UK Lender

    The advertising watchdog said Wednesday that it has banned "misleading" promotions by Nationwide Building Society that boasted of its record of keeping branches open amid closures by competitors, pointing out that the lender has shut just over 150 branches in a decade.

  • April 03, 2024

    EU Watchdog To Set ESG Rules For Credit Rating Agencies

    The European Union's markets regulator has proposed rule changes to clarify how credit rating agencies should use environmental, social and governance factors in their ratings amid continued concerns that their approaches lack clarity.

  • April 03, 2024

    Fintech Alpha Pushes Plan To List On London's Main Market

    Alpha Group International PLC on Wednesday confirmed its plan to shift its shares to the London Stock Exchange's main market to boost its reputation and its business prospects.

  • April 03, 2024

    Kirkland-Led Goldman Sachs Unit Buys Stake In Credit Fund

    Goldman Sach's private equity unit has acquired Italian asset manager Azimut's 20% stake in private credit fund Kennedy Lewis for $225 million, the companies said Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2024

    Insurer Lands Battery Brand Pension Scheme In £44M Deal

    Insurer Just Group said Wednesday it has completed a £44 million ($55.3 million) buy-in of a pension scheme sponsored by battery and lighting brand Energizer Group Ltd.

  • April 03, 2024

    Alleged Water Investment Fraudsters Appear In Court

    Three men who allegedly defrauded investors out of £3.9 million ($4.9 million) through an unregulated water investment scheme appeared at a London criminal court Wednesday.

  • April 02, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy Exec Denies He Blew Whistle To Deflect Scandal

    Autonomy's former U.S. chief financial officer denied under cross-examination Tuesday in the California criminal fraud trial of ex-CEO Michael Lynch that he brought whistleblower concerns about alleged accounting irregularities to the software company's Deloitte auditors to "cover" himself after a payroll scandal emerged in his department.

  • April 02, 2024

    Feds Seek Leniency For UK Billionaire Lewis In Trading Case

    Prosecutors have told a Manhattan federal judge that 87-year-old British billionaire Joe Lewis should serve less than 18 months in prison after he pled guilty to insider trading, citing his age and health and arguing he "has otherwise lived a law-abiding life."

  • April 02, 2024

    UK Reaches Landmark AI Risk Testing Agreement With US

    The U.K. government said Tuesday it had reached a landmark agreement with the U.S. to share the testing of advanced models for artificial intelligence, after highlighting in a report its increasing use by cybercriminals to attack financial institutions and business.

  • April 02, 2024

    Accountant Fined And Banned For Triple Loan Fraud

    The former director of a management consultancy has been banned from running a company for 12 years and agreed to pay back £75,000 ($94,000) after having claimed five times the amount his firm was entitled to under a government-backed COVID-19 loan program, the U.K. Insolvency Service said Tuesday.

  • April 02, 2024

    Luxembourg's Deduction Rules Flout EU Law, Bloc Tells Court

    The European Commission asked the European Union's Court of Justice to rule that Luxembourg is breaking EU law by including securitized entities among financial undertakings that are allowed deductibility of interest payments, the EU's Official Journal said Tuesday.

  • April 02, 2024

    Cost Of COVID Fraud Crackdown Leaves Authorities In A Bind

    As British authorities dial back their worst fears about the scale of fraud linked to COVID-19 relief loans, legal experts say the initial crackdown to prosecute rogue directors has faltered as the costs start to outweigh the benefits.

  • April 02, 2024

    UK Makes 2027 Commitment To 1-Day Securities Settlement

    HM Treasury has said that Britain will start a one-day cycle for securities trade settlement by December 2027, bringing the country into harmony with other markets to reduce the risk that those involved will fail to meet their obligations.

  • April 02, 2024

    Small UK Cos. 'Freed' From VAT Payments By Threshold Rise

    Some 28,000 businesses have been "freed" from paying value-added tax as the registration threshold rose from £85,000 ($106,000) to £90,000 in revenue, HM Treasury has said.

  • April 02, 2024

    Insurers Say Pension Models Could Undercut Auto-Enrollment

    Government plans to introduce new pension pot models risk undermining the success of automatic enrollment and could have a negative impact on retirement saver outcomes, the Association of British Insurers has warned.

Expert Analysis

  • Accountability Is Key To Preventing Miscarriages Of Justice

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    The wrongful conviction of Andrew Malkinson and other recent cases show that in order to avoid future miscarriages of justice, there needs to be a fundamental reevaluation of how investigators, prosecutors and the Criminal Cases Review Commission operate, prioritizing stronger penalties and increased funding, say Thomas Walford at Expert Evidence International and policy analyst Gerald Frost.

  • 4 Compliance Considerations Under FCA Consumer Duty

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    Following the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority's recent introduction of the new consumer duty regime, firms will need to be mindful of data protection implications when managing their compliance with the duty and data protection legislation, say lawyers at Bird & Bird.

  • What Could Come Of CFPB, EU Consumer Finance Collab

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    A recent joint statement from the European Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau focused on how technology is affecting consumers of financial services, potentially recognizing that legal protections are lacking because tech regulations lag behind its development, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • 6 Key Factors For Successful Cross-Border Dispute Mediation

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    The European landscape of cross-border disputes diverges markedly from the U.S. experience and presents unique challenges, including the amalgamation of diverse cultures and legal systems, but there are several practical steps that practitioners can take to effectively navigate the process, says Peter Kamminga at JAMS.

  • Operational Resilience Considerations In Financial Services

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    A recent letter from the Financial Conduct Authority reminds CEOs of U.K. wholesale banks of their role in the safety and soundness of markets, but all firms can draw lessons and consider their own operational resilience for longer-term security and commercial benefit, says Richard Tall at Faegre Drinker.

  • UK Tech Cases Warn Of Liability Clause Drafting Pitfalls

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    The recent U.K. High Court cases Drax Energy Solutions v. Wipro and EE v. Virgin Mobile Telecoms indicate a more literal judicial approach to construing limitations of liability, even when this significantly limits a claimant's recoverable damages, highlighting the importance of carefully drafted liability provisions, say Helen Armstrong and Tania Williams at RPC.

  • How The UK Investment Screening Regime Is Taking Shape

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    A recent order imposing remedies on an acquisition by EDF Energy highlights emerging trends in the U.K. government's national security reviews of transactions under the U.K. National Security and Investment Act, and shows how the U.K. remedy landscape compares to the U.S. regime, say lawyers at Arnold & Porter.

  • Consultations Underpin Mandatory Fraud Victim Repayment

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    The U.K. Payment Systems Regulator’s recent consultations on authorized push payment fraud reinforce its June policy expectation, which said that unless there is evidence of gross negligence and the consumer standard of caution has not been followed, providers must reimburse fraud victims, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.

  • Swiss Privacy Law Reforms Present Divergences From GDPR

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    The differences between Switzerland’s recently reformed Federal Act on Data Protection and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, particularly around data breach reporting and the liability of company officers, will need to be carefully managed by multinationals that may have competing obligations under different laws, say Kim Roberts and Vanessa Alarcon Duvanel at King & Spalding.

  • New Legislation May Not Be Needed For Recovery Of Crypto

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    The recent seizure of cryptocurrency under a civil recovery order raises the issue of whether extended powers under the forthcoming Economic Crime Bill are necessary, with the ability to seize crypto-related items that may be the subject of a search order more likely to be of assistance, says Nicola McKinney at Quillon Law.

  • Opinion

    Russia Ruling Should Lead UK To Review Sanctions Policy

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    The High Court's recent dismissal of the first-ever court challenge to Russian sanctions in Shvidler v. Secretary of State sets a demanding standard for overturning designation decisions, highlighting the need for an independent review of the Russia sanctions regime, says Helen Taylor at Spotlight on Corruption.

  • German Competition Law May Herald New Enforcement Trend

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    The recent amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition is expected to significantly expand the powers of the German Federal Cartel Office, and could signal a global trend toward greater direct intervention by national competition authorities and political interference in competition law, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.

  • New Financial Services Act Leaves Few Firms Untouched

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    The recently published Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, which replaces retained EU law with U.K. legislation, is one of the most significant pieces of post-Brexit regulation, with key practical implications for actors such as investment firms and crypto-asset and payment service providers, say Tim Cant, Emma Tran and Bisola Williams at Ashurst.

  • FCA 'De-Banking' Clampdown May Need Gov't Backing

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    The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s recent clampdown on unfair bank account closures will give customers greater transparency, but with terms usually skewed in the bank’s favor, it is a policy matter for the government to enact further protections for businesses and consumers, say Stephen Rosen and Jean-Martin Louw at Collyer Bristow.

  • UK Securitization Reform Opts For Modest Approach, For Now

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    Recently published consultation papers from the U.K. Prudential Regulation and Financial Conduct Authorities on new securitization rules mainly restate retained EU law, but there are some targeted adjustments being proposed and further divergence is to be expected, say Alix Prentice and Assia Damianova at Cadwalader.

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