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Financial Services UK
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August 28, 2025
Barclays To Sell Nordic JV Stake To Swedbank For $273M
Swedbank AB said Thursday that it has agreed to acquire Barclays PLC's stake in Entercard, their jointly owned consumer credit group in the Nordic region, for 2.6 billion Swedish kronor ($273 million), as the Stockholm-based lender moves to strengthen its regional presence.
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August 28, 2025
Pensions Body Urges Rethink On Pension Investment Powers
The largest trade body for the U.K. retirement sector has hit out at plans by the government that will effectively allow it to direct investment of pension funds.
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August 28, 2025
FCA Names Pensions Exec As New Chair For Small Biz Panel
The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday that it has appointed pensions executive Will Self as chair of its advisory panel for small business matters as the regulator help the sector explore new technology.
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August 28, 2025
FCA Probes Drax Over Biomass Sourcing Allegations
The Financial Conduct Authority confirmed on Thursday that it has opened an investigation into Drax Group PLC, which the renewable energy group said is linked to its compliance with the Listing and Disclosure rules when it made statements about the sourcing of its biomass products.
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August 27, 2025
UK Broker Says Sanctions Barred Completion Of VTB's Trades
A British financial broker has denied claims it owes VTB Capital PLC $3.4 million for failing to settle trades in Russian securities, arguing that sanctions on the investment bank's parent company rendered the transactions illegal.
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August 27, 2025
FCA Clarifies Its Rules For Workplace Savings Accounts
The Financial Conduct Authority warned Wednesday that employers who encourage employees to open workplace savings accounts must comply with its regime on financial advertising, according to a statement clarifying the rules.
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August 27, 2025
The Top Corporate Crime Cases To Watch In The Rest Of 2025
The crackdown by the Serious Fraud Office on dirty money could dominate the attention of white collar lawyers in the second half of 2025 as the agency pursues two cases that could define the circumstances in which it can seize suspected criminal money.
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August 27, 2025
Nigeria Halts $15M Judgment Enforcement Over Fraud Claims
Nigeria has blocked the enforcement of a $15 million judgment in favor of a businessman targeted in an undercover operation by the country's security service to await a trial of its case that he obtained the judgment by fraud.
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August 27, 2025
UK Gov't Warned Against Insurance Tax Hikes In Fall Budget
The government could inadvertently pile additional pressure on public healthcare if it decided to raise the insurance premium tax rate in the coming budget, a consultancy warned Wednesday.
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August 27, 2025
Call For More Clarity In Pensions To Aid Neurodiverse Adults
Improving the clarity of communication and language used for savers in the pensions sector would improve accessibility for neurodiverse adults, a U.K. trade body has said.
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August 27, 2025
Finance Biz Gets More Time For £490M Bid For UK Lender
The U.K. merger authority has given U.S. specialist finance group BasePoint extra time to make a £490 million ($658 million) bid for International Personal Finance, the British credit provider said Wednesday.
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August 26, 2025
FCA Warns Of Scammers Posing As Watchdog Staff
The Financial Conduct Authority urged consumers on Wednesday to be on the lookout for scammers, revealing that it had received almost 4,500 reports of people posing as employees of the watchdog in the first half of 2025.
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August 26, 2025
Exchanges Body Warns EU Of Risk Of US Share Digitalization
A London-based global exchange group said Tuesday that it has warned the European Union's financial markets watchdog of growing risks to investors posed by U.S. shares that have been digitalized by unregulated brokers and crypto-asset trading platforms.
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August 26, 2025
UK Regulator Saves Pension Scheme From Insolvency
The U.K.'s retirement savings watchdog said Tuesday it was able to secure £7 million ($9.4 million) in backing for a beleaguered staff pension scheme, after the plan's original sponsor went bust.
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August 26, 2025
Google Beats Gazprom's 'GPAY' TM In EU
Google has persuaded European officials to block Russian energy firm Gazprom from registering "GPAY" as a trademark, as consumers might confuse it with the technology giant's payment services application known as GPay.
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August 26, 2025
Pension Funds Join £3B Funding For Infrastructure Project
A coalition of U.K. pension funds has backed a £3 billion ($4 billion) funding package for a major utilities project in northwest England following a government-led initiative to get the sector to invest more in the economy.
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August 26, 2025
UK Savers Mull Crypto-Investment For Retirement, Aviva Says
More than a quarter of British savers would consider investing in cryptocurrency as part of their retirement planning, insurance giant Aviva said Tuesday.
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August 26, 2025
LSE Wins Green Light To Be Private Stock Market Operator
The Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday that it has approved the London Stock Exchange Group PLC as a regulated operator of a market to trade shares in private companies, as the U.K. seeks to provide investors with an alternative to an initial public offering.
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August 26, 2025
Squire Patton Guides Textiles Co. On £11M Pension Deal
The pension plan of bedding manufacturer John Cotton Group Ltd. has agreed an £11 million ($15 million) full-scheme buy-in with Just Group, the financial services company said on Tuesday.
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August 22, 2025
HMRC Tightens Pension Tax Relief Claims By Higher Earners
The U.K. is restricting pension tax relief claims for higher earners in a change coming into effect next month, Britain's tax authority said.
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August 22, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen football manager Bruno Lage sue the owner of Olympique Lyonnais and Botafogo football clubs, luxury fashion brand Christian Dior Couture target a jewelry business trading under the same name, and a Russian motorsports promoter take action against Formula One after it canceled its Russian Grand Prix in 2022.
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August 22, 2025
Pension Body Opposes UK Gov't Plan For Mandated Investing
The government must drop its plan to introduce a "reserve power" that will allow it to force pension funds into making U.K. investments, a trade body said Friday.
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August 22, 2025
UK State Pension Could Rise 4.6% Under Triple Lock Pledge
The state pension could rise by £551 ($746) a year for Britons in 2026 under the so-called triple lock, piling additional costs on taxpayers, a consultancy warned on Friday.
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August 22, 2025
FCA Revises Controls After Poor Oversight Of Payments Firm
The Financial Conduct Authority said it has changed its internal systems and controls and is introducing new rules for the payments sector, after the Complaints Commissioner found it failed to properly regulate a collapsing payments firm.
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August 22, 2025
Insurers Face Rising Tide Of Claims From AI-Driven Fraud
Insurers in Britain could be on the hook for far higher losses because of the rising use by criminals of artificial intelligence tools to invent or inflate claims, lawyers have warned.
Expert Analysis
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What New UK Stub Equity Rules Will Mean For PE Bidders
The U.K. Takeover Panel’s recent guide to making stub equity offers, for the first time formally harmonizing the approach to be taken, should be helpful for both private equity bidders and practitioners, and not unduly restrictive, say lawyers at Davis Polk.
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What To Expect As FCA Preps To Launch AI Testing Service
The Financial Conduct Authority’s forthcoming artificial intelligence live testing service will provide participants with access to appropriate regulatory expertise, but to gauge the tool’s potential utility, it is important to understand how it fits in with what the regulator is already doing, says Omar Salem at Fox Williams.
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New Interpol Silver Notice Could Be Tool For Justice Or Abuse
Interpol has issued dozens of Silver Notices to trace and recover assets linked to criminal activity since January, and though the tool may disrupt organized crime and terrorist financing, attorneys must protect against the potential for corrupt misuse, say attorneys at Clark Hill and Arktouros.
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Weighing PE Transaction Risks As EU AI Act Rolls Out
As the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act becomes effective in stages, legal practitioners involved in private equity deals should consider the transactional risks resulting from this measure, including penalties, extraterritorial reach and target-firm applicability, say lawyers at Covington.
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EU Banking Watchdog Regulations Herald New AML Era
The European Banking Authority’s forthcoming anti-money laundering package will set a framework for compliance across the European Union by redefining the rules of engagement between financial institutions and supervisors, setting a new standard for transparency and accountability, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.
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What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies
While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.
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What Insurers Can Do To Prepare For PRA 'Solvent Exit' Rules
With less than a year until the Prudential Regulation Authority's new solvent exit rules for insurers come into force, it is critical that firms prepare to meet the imminent deadline by outlining an execution plan and establishing clear governance arrangements, say lawyers at Holman Fenwick.
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Decoding Arbitral Disputes: UK Injunctions Across Borders
A recent High Court of Justice decision allowing JPMorgan Chase Bank to block VTB Bank from bringing suit in a Russian court provides a seminal reflection on the power of English courts to issue antisuit injunctions when global banking disputes increasingly straddle multiple jurisdictions, says Josep Galvez of 4-5 Gray's Inn.
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Identifying Data Center Investment Challenges, Opportunities
The role of data centers is expanding, as are new opportunities for private capital investors, but there are issues to consider, including finance models and contract complexity, as well as power supply, cyber threat resilience and data sovereignty, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
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What EU Bank Regulator's Letter Means For Crypto Providers
A recent letter from the European Banking Authority notes a need to avoid dual authorization for e-money token transactions under European Union payment services and cryptocurrency regulations, which could result in a high regulatory burden for crypto-asset service providers and leaves open questions for future political negotiations, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.
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How Regulators Want Online Platforms To Fight Finance Fraud
Recent statements from the International Organization of Securities Commissions and the European Securities and Markets Authority make clear that online platform providers are expected to adopt proactive measures to prevent the promotion of unauthorized financial services and related misconduct, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.
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FCA Notes Industry Criticism But Keeps Transparency Focus
The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently updated enforcement guide finally gives up the "naming and shaming" public interest test, demonstrating that the regulator has recognized the industry's serious concerns while maintaining less contentious aspects of its proposals to improve transparency in investigations, say lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.
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Anticipating A Shift In CMA Merger Control Enforcement
As the Competition and Markets Authority outlines plans to put the U.K. government's growth objectives into action, the changes may well pave the way for a more permissive outlook for review of mergers and acquisitions in the U.K., say lawyers at A&O Shearman.
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Court Backing Of FCA Pensions Ruling Sends Key Message
The Upper Tribunal’s recent upholding of the Financial Conduct Authority's decisions against CFP Management directors serves as a judicial endorsement of the regulator’s approach to defined benefit transfers, underscoring that where the advisory model is fundamentally flawed, the consequences for those in control can be severe, say lawyers at RPC.
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Saxon Woods Ruling Tightens Rules On Director Good Faith
The recent Court of Appeal judgment in Saxon Woods v. Costa departs from the High Court's ruling, clarifying that a director's sincere belief they have acted in the company’s best interests is not sufficient to satisfy the statutory requirement to act in good faith, say lawyers at Covington.