Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Financial Services UK
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.Â
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.Â
-
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.
-
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
-
Tax Directive Marks Milestone In Harmonizing EU System
The Council of the European Union’s recently adopted tax directive is a significant step toward streamlining and modernizing procedures for member states, and will greatly reduce administrative burden and compliance costs for cross-border investors, says Martin Phelan at Simmons & Simmons.
-
Why Nonfinancial Misconduct Should Be On Firms' Radar
Following a recent Financial Conduct Authority survey showing an increase in nonfinancial misconduct, the regulator has made clear that it expects firms to have systems in place to identify and mitigate risks, says Charlotte Pope-Williams at 3 Hare Court.
-
What New UK Code Of Conduct Will Mean For Directors
The Institute of Directors’ new voluntary code of conduct is intended to help directors make better decisions and enable U.K. businesses to win back eroded public trust, although, with no formal means of enforcement, its effectiveness could be limited, says Sarah Turner at Eversheds Sutherland.
-
Russian Bankruptcy Ruling Shows Importance Of Jurisdiction
The U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision not to assist a Russian receiver in Kireeva v. Bedzhamov will be of particular interest in cross-border insolvency proceedings, where attention must be paid to assets outside the jurisdiction, and to creditors, who must consider carefully where to apply for a bankruptcy order, say lawyers at McDermott.
-
Decoding Arbitral Disputes: UK Awards Versus EU Judgments
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales' recent refusal to enforce a €855 million Spanish judgment inconsistent with earlier binding arbitral awards in England provides crucial guidance for practitioners navigating the complexities of cross-border disputes involving arbitration agreements and sovereign states, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.
-
How Listing Act Measures Will Modernize EU Capital Markets
The new European Union Listing Act, in line with the capital markets union initiative, aims to simplify market access for small and midsize enterprises, laying a foundation for a more integrated framework and representing a modernization milestone, say lawyers at Cleary.
-
Insider Info Compliance Highlights From New FCA Guidance
The Financial Conduct Authority's recent guidance to companies on identifying inside information clarifies the regulator's expectation of case-by-case assessment, helpfully highlighting that abuse of U.K.-regulated markets can arise earlier than some might think, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.
-
A Look At PCAOB's Record-Breaking Enforcement In 2024
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in 2024 brought more enforcement actions against auditors and imposed increasingly higher monetary penalties, showing that it was not afraid to exercise its power to fine and reprimand firms, a trend that will likely continue in 2025, say attorneys at Briglia Hundley.
-
2 Cases May Enlighten UK Funds' Securities Litigation Path
Following recent nine-figure settlements in securities class actions against Apple and Under Armour, U.K. pension funds may increasingly lead U.S. shareholder derivative suits, advocating for transparency, better risk management and stronger governance practices, say lawyers at Labaton Keller.
-
Interpreting Newly Released Consumer Fraud Complaints Data
The Financial Ombudsman Service’s latest complaint data focuses on scams and customer service, and demonstrates that as fraud is becoming rapidly more complex, financial regulators need to acknowledge that technology is here to stay and work together with firms to protect consumers, say lawyers at RPC.
-
Applying New FCA Guidance On Control Of Financial Firms
Buyers seeking to acquire or increase their stakes in U.K. financial services firms can streamline prudential review of their transactions by understanding the Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published guidance on updated change-in-control regulations, says Mark Chalmers at Davis Polk.
-
Anticipating The UK's Top M&A Trends In 2025
Conversations with market participants are focusing on five key questions about 2025's transactional markets, ranging from issues of artificial intelligence, to the boom in takeovers and increased regulatory scrutiny, says Layla D’Monte at King & Spalding.
-
Businesses Should Expect A Role In Tackling Fraud Next Year
If one word sums up a key trend in financial crime enforcement in 2024, it would be fraud, as enforcement agencies clamped down on consumer-focused crime — and businesses will need to be prepared to play a part in 2025 with the coming of the "failure to prevent fraud" offense, says Jessica Parker at Corker Binning.
-
What FCA's 2024 Changes Suggest For Enforcement In 2025
Though the Financial Conduct Authority is likely to enter 2025 hungry for enforcement wins after fielding intense criticism in 2024 over proposed policy amendments, firms can glean ideas for mitigating their risk from heightened scrutiny by studying the regulator's changing behavior from the year just past, says Imogen Makin at WilmerHale.
-
How The Wirecard Judge Addressed Unreliability Of Memory
In a case brought by the administrator of Wirecard against Greybull Capital, High Court Judge Sara Cockerill took a multipronged and thoughtful approach to a common problem with fraudulent misrepresentation claims — how to assess the evidence of what was said at a meeting where recollections differ and where contemporaneous documentation is limited, says Andrew Head at Forsters.