Financial Services UK

  • March 04, 2024

    Most UK Pension Schemes Offering Below-Inflation Increases

    Most defined benefit pension schemes are offering their members increases below inflation levels, prompting calls for discretionary payment boosts in light of funding improvements, pensions consultancy Broadstone said on Monday.

  • March 04, 2024

    Funds Seek €46M Debt Payment From Swedish Property Giant

    Three New York hedge funds have hit Nordic property company SBB with a €46 million ($50 million) claim, alleging that it has defaulted on debt that is now "immediately due" following a dip in its profits.

  • March 04, 2024

    Associate Of Ex-Dechert Partner Says Settlement Ends Claims

    A British-Canadian businessman accused of conspiring with former Dechert partner Neil Gerrard to hack aviation tycoon Farhad Azima told an English judge on Monday that Azima's settlement with the law firm brings the claims against him to an end. 

  • March 04, 2024

    FCA Warns Asset Managers To Follow Sustainability Rules

    The Financial Conduct Authority has warned chief executives of asset management companies that it will focus on their compliance with rules on sustainability disclosure that come into force this year.

  • March 04, 2024

    5 Questions For Peter Carter On Insider Dealing Prosecutions

    The Financial Conduct Authority's successful prosecution of a former Goldman Sachs analyst for insider dealing provides new insights into what a determined criminal will do to get around compliance procedures and break the law. Here Peter Carter KC at Doughty Street Chambers, who led the prosecution for the FCA, talks to Law360 about the intricacies of tackling these kinds of cases.

  • March 04, 2024

    Gov't To Require Pensions To Disclose UK Investments

    The U.K. government said it will require pension schemes to disclose how much they invest in U.K. businesses, as part of a wider effort to tap into the sector for economic growth.

  • March 04, 2024

    BNP Paribas Kicks Off €1B Share Buyback Program

    BNP Paribas SA launched a share repurchase program on Monday worth up to €1.055 billion ($1.1 billion) aimed at lowering its outstanding share capital and rewarding investors.

  • March 04, 2024

    KPMG Fined £1.46M For Ad Agency Accounting Breaches

    The Financial Reporting Council said on Monday that it has fined KPMG £1.46 million ($1.85 million) for a string of "serious failings" during the audit of advertising group M&C Saatchi PLC.

  • March 01, 2024

    WealthTek Case Paused For FCA To Weigh Bringing Charges

    A judge on Friday delayed the Financial Conduct Authority's enforcement proceedings against a wealth manager over an £80 million ($101 million) shortfall, finding the watchdog should prioritize deciding whether to charge the company's founder over one of the "most significant frauds" it ever investigated.

  • March 01, 2024

    Wright Blames Enemies For Forged Email In Satoshi Trial

    Craig Wright hit back on Friday at accusations that he forged an email amid a trial over his claims that he is the inventor of bitcoin, telling a London court that an enemy could have doctored the message to sabotage his case.

  • March 01, 2024

    SPAC New Energy One To Wind Up Amid UK Deal Drought

    Blank-check company New Energy One said Friday it has decided to dissolve itself as it could not acquire a target business since it listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2022, because of "challenging U.K. public equity market conditions."

  • March 01, 2024

    Greenwashing Risk Warning As EU Plans Benchmark Change

    European asset managers warned on Friday that expected revisions to the rules on benchmarks would remove transparency, hindering the explanations about sustainability that they need to give investors to fight against greenwashing.

  • March 01, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen a legal battle between confectionary heavyweight Mars Wrigley UK and a frozen food manufacturer, a trademark infringement claim by Abbott Diabetes Care over glucose monitoring meters, Mercedes-Benz Group hit with two commercial fraud disputes, and the Mediterranean Shipping Company tackle a cargo claim by an insurance company. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • March 01, 2024

    Spanish Lender BBVA Progresses With €781M Share Buyback

    Spanish lender BBVA on Friday unveiled the details of its up to €781 million ($845.7 million) share repurchase program aimed at lowering its outstanding share capital after regulators gave the green light for the scheme.

  • March 01, 2024

    Simmons & Simmons Hires Banking Pro From DLA Piper

    Simmons & Simmons LLP has bolstered its Dublin office by hiring Kate Curneen as a new banking partner from DLA Piper where she worked for four years.

  • March 01, 2024

    Mike Ashley Widens Claims In £10M Loan Fight With Financier

    Former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has added fresh allegations to his legal claim against financier Amanda Staveley over a £10 million ($12.6 million) loan, claiming she breached the deal by using proceeds earmarked to help fund the takeover of the club to pay a consultant.

  • February 29, 2024

    Judge Nixes Enforcement Of 'Fabricated' $88M Award

    An English judge on Thursday set aside his order enforcing a £70 million ($88.4 million) arbitral award against a Kuwaiti bank after concluding the award was a "fabrication" that included "substantial" passages lifted directly from a 2022 decision issued by the High Court.

  • February 29, 2024

    Morgan Stanley Exec Denies 'Snobbery' In Frasers Fight

    A senior Morgan Stanley banker has denied hitting Frasers with a $1 billion margin call because of "snobbery," telling a London court Thursday that he had "no personal animus" toward the former CEO of the British retailer.

  • February 29, 2024

    HMRC Uncovers Complex Offshore Tax Avoidance Scheme

    The U.K. tax authority said Thursday that it had exposed a complex tax avoidance scheme operating through a Singapore-based company.

  • February 29, 2024

    Drax May Face Group Litigation Over Greenwashing Claims

    Drax Group PLC shareholders could launch a group legal action against the energy company over claims it faked its environmental credentials to secure £6.5 billion ($8.2 billion) in U.K. government subsidies, the law firm helming the action said.

  • February 29, 2024

    Mozambique President Beats 'Tuna Bonds' Immunity Appeal

    Mozambique's president cannot be sued in England by shipbuilder Privinvest in the country's wide-ranging litigation over the $2 billion "tuna bonds" corruption scandal as a London appellate court on Thursday upheld a ruling that he has immunity as a sitting head of state.

  • February 29, 2024

    FCA Says Market For Credit Ratings Data Must Improve

    The markets for credit ratings, benchmarks and data vendor services lack competition and this is driving up the price of information, according to a report published Thursday by the Financial Conduct Authority.

  • February 29, 2024

    Global Regulator Seeks Stronger Swiss Bank Safeguards

    A global standards setter recommended on Thursday that the Swiss authorities introduce tougher rules for the country's biggest banks as it learns from the crisis that led to the rushed UBS-Credit Suisse merger in 2023.

  • February 29, 2024

    FCA Plan To Name Suspect Firms Early Alarms Finance Sector

    Plans put forward by the Financial Conduct Authority to name companies under investigation early might unfairly cause "catastrophic" damage to reputations, even if the regulator later drops the case, according to lawyers.

  • February 29, 2024

    £1.84B Of Gov't-Backed COVID Loans Suspected Fraudulent

    Some £1.84 billion ($2.32 billion) of U.K. government-backed COVID-19 loans granted to help businesses through the pandemic are suspected to be fraudulent, the Department for Business and Trade said Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Examining PayPal's Venture Into The Stablecoin Market

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    PayPal’s recent release of a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar may represent a groundbreaking innovation or could fail as others have before it, and policymakers in the U.K. and the EU will be watching the impact of this new crypto token with a keen eye, say Ben Lee and Dion Seymour at Andersen.

  • High Court Dechert Ruling Offers Litigation Privilege Lessons

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    While the recent High Court ruling in Al Sadeq v. Dechert LLP, which concerned torture conspiracy allegations against the firm, held that litigation privilege can be claimed by a nonparty to proceedings, the exact boundaries of privilege aren't always clear-cut and may necessitate analyzing the underlying principles, says Scott Speirs at Norton Rose.

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