Expert Analysis

• FCA Consumer Duty Shows Shift In Retail Financial Services

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority’s newly published guidance on consumer duty sets higher expectations of the standard of care that financial firms give retail customers, meaning boards and senior management should expect to be held accountable for embedding a culture in which consumers' needs come first, say Claire Carroll and Sumitra Subramanian at Eversheds Sutherland.

• Pandemic Rent Ruling Is A Blow To Commercial Tenants

  

  The recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in London Trocadero v. Picturehouse demonstrates that even exceptional COVID-19-related circumstances will not induce courts to interfere with a previously considered allocation of risk between parties or imply terms in a contract, says Gurpreet Sanghera at Simkins.

• Building Inspector Insurance And Its New Relaxed Rules

  

  The U.K. government recently opened up the market for approved building inspector insurance in the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy, but it does not appear to have considered the impact this may have on homeowners and developers, say Alan Stone and Jonathan Carrington at RPC.

• New Corporate Insolvency Data Reveals Unexpected Results

  

  For a variety of reasons there has been a slower than anticipated increase in U.K. corporate insolvency figures in recent months, although there may be a time lag between economic difficulties and sentiment among investors, lenders and business owners, and it is likely that numbers will rise in the autumn, says Jeremy Whiteson at Fladgate.

• How The Latest Trends In Litigation Funding Are Developing

  

  With investors looking for alternative assets that can achieve returns and claimants likely to be cash poor in the current economic downturn, the signs are that the litigation funding market is not only here to stay, but is set to expand, says Simon Thomas at Baker & Partners.

• Pros And Cons Of Regulating Finance Sector's Third Parties

  

  Recent proposals by the U.K. Treasury could lead to regulation of those designated as critical third parties in finance, and legislation will be needed to ensure technology suppliers are not deterred from participating in the financial services markets, say attorneys at Addleshaw Goddard.

• UK Online Safety Bill Delayed, But Firms Should Still Prepare

  

  Despite delays and content providers' concerns regarding the impact on their profitability, it appears certain that the Online Safety Bill will be enacted in one form or another, mirroring proposals in the EU and U.S., so tech firms must prepare for a new regulatory framework that will require them to tackle illegal and harmful content on their services, say attorneys at Dechert.

• A Look At The Solvency II Insurance Sector Proposed Reforms

  

  It is hoped that the proposed reforms of Solvency II will not only ensure policyholder protection and a successful insurance industry, but that released capital will be invested in long-term infrastructure and green projects, yet there are questions and even concerns surrounding potential changes and what their impact might be, says Dónal Clark at Kennedys.

• 4 Ways M&A Deals Are Changing

  

  There are signs that the market may be cooling, but recent trends in M&A transactions reflect more than just market strength and indicate that there has been a more general change in deal approach, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

• The Digital Markets Act: Key Implementation Issues To Watch

  

  The success of the Digital Markets Act, intended to regulate online services and protect consumers in the digital economy, and the most significant addition to the European Commission's regulatory toolbox in decades, will depend on how it is implemented by the commission, would-be gatekeepers, other market participants and national regulators, say attorneys at Linklaters.

• New FCA Listing Rules May Start Regulatory Shift On Diversity

  

  Listed companies that fail to meet new Financial Conduct Authority rules for minimum executive board diversity currently risk reputational damage mainly through social scrutiny, but should prepare for potential regulatory enforcement actions, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

• Examining UK Commission's Corporate Crime Reform Ideas

  

  The Law Commission of England and Wales' recent recommendation of changes to corporate criminal law is a pragmatic attempt to address the practical shortcomings with the existing identification doctrine, and is likely to be welcomed by both companies and the agencies that would be enforcing it, say Alun Milford and Matthew Burn at Kingsley Napley.

• FCA Review Offers 'Challenger Banks' Advice On Crime Risks

  

  Challenger banks should take heed of concerns arising from the Financial Conduct Authority's review of their crime control practices, and thus prove to insurers that they have taken adequate measures to improve their risk profile, say James Wickes and Amber Oldershaw at RPC.

• New Anti-Modern Slavery Bill Unlikely To Accomplish Goals

  

  A new bill has been introduced to increase the accountability of organizations to tackle modern slavery, but without requiring the establishment of a corporate strategy and imposing sanctions for noncompliance, the U.K.'s response to modern slavery in general is unlikely to meaningfully improve, says Alice Lepeuple at WilmerHale.

• Opinion

  FCA Proposal Fails British Steel Pension Scandal Victims

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed redress scheme for victims of the British Steel pension misselling scandal fails to ensure those affected are compensated in full, and with many advisory firms being forced into insolvency, looks set to create further problems rather than resolve them, say Ben Rees and Alessio Ianiello at Keller Lenkner.