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Financial Services UK

  • July 14, 2025

    Wealth Manager Sues For £4.5M Over Failed Investment Deal

    A Swiss wealth manager has sued a U.K. company for 5 million Swiss francs ($6.3 million), saying that it failed to return its investment after a share purchase deal went sideways.

  • July 14, 2025

    HSBC Becomes Latest Bank To Quit Net Zero Finance Group

    HSBC has become the latest bank to quit a global banking coalition focused on mitigating climate change in alignment with the Paris Agreement, following multiple recent departures by lenders.

  • July 14, 2025

    Investment Association Urges Better Support For UK Retirees

    The Investment Association has said Britain can do more to help its savers use their money more wisely once they retire, mapping out a string of proposals it said would support better outcomes in later life.

  • July 14, 2025

    Gov't Reforms Needed To Unlock FCA's Targeted Support Plan

    The financial watchdog's planned "targeted support" program for consumers requires government legislation or guidance to remove legal obstacles to direct marketing — and regulatory experts expect the first step to come at the Mansion House address by Chancellor Rachel Reeves late on Tuesday.

  • July 14, 2025

    Crédit Agricole Seeks ECB Approval To Buy 20% BPM Stake

    French lender Crédit Agricole said Monday that it is seeking approval from the European Central Bank to increase its stake in Italian rival Banco BPM to more than 20%.

  • July 11, 2025

    Deceased Financiers' Assets Tapped To Cover Thai Bank Debt

    The liquidators of a collapsed Thai lender can be paid from the English assets of two deceased financiers convicted over an embezzlement scheme, after a judge held Friday the funds can go to partially cover a judgment debt totaling £60 million ($81 million).

  • July 11, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen HS2 hit with a defamation claim by two ex-employees who blew the whistle on alleged under-reporting of costs, Craig Wright and nChain face legal action brought by its former chief financial officer over a fraud scheme, and pro-footballer Axel Tuanzebe bring a clinical negligence claim against his former club Manchester United F.C. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • July 11, 2025

    City Group Asks Gov't For Light-Touch Carbon Market Regs

    A financial services trade body said Friday it has asked the government for light-touch regulation of voluntary carbon and nature markets in the U.K., using existing watchdogs.

  • July 11, 2025

    ESMA Warns Crypto Firms To Clarify Unregulated Products

    The European Union's financial markets watchdog said Friday that regulated crypto-asset service providers must make it clear to consumers which of the products and services they offer are unregulated. 

  • July 11, 2025

    Ex-Insurance CEO's Wife Can't Ax £15M Asset Freeze

    A London appeals court upheld a £15 million ($20.3 million) asset freeze on Friday against the wife of a former insurance company executive who is accused of cashing in on money her husband siphoned off from the business.

  • July 11, 2025

    Staley Tribunal Decision Could Fuel Challenges To FCA Fines

    A landmark tribunal ruling that upheld the Financial Conduct Authority's ban of ex-Barclays CEO James "Jes" Staley from banking — but slashed his fine — could ultimately lead other executives with back-loaded pay packages to fight the watchdog's decisions, lawyers say.

  • July 10, 2025

    Rusal Can Serve Claim On Abramovich Via Oligarch's Lawyers

    A London judge on Thursday approved Russian aluminum giant Rusal to serve a claim on Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich via his lawyers over alleged breaches of an agreement setting out the governance of a Russian mining company.

  • July 10, 2025

    UK Watchdog Investigating Deloitte, Azets Over Stenn Audits

    The U.K. accounting watchdog said Thursday it has started investigations into accounting firms Azets Audit Services Ltd. and Deloitte LLP over their audit of U.K. invoice financing firm Stenn Assets, which collapsed in 2024 after a lender found suspicious transactions.

  • July 10, 2025

    Swiss PE Group To Buy Stake In Indian Lender For $228M

    Swiss private equity shop Partners Group said Thursday that it has agreed to acquire a "significant majority stake" in Infinity Fincorp Solutions, a non-bank lender in India, for 19.5 billion Indian rupees ($228 million).

  • July 10, 2025

    Aegon Urges Bold Pension Reforms In Anticipated UK Review

    The U.K. government should launch its pensions adequacy review as part of its annual financial services strategy announcement next week, an insurer said Thursday.

  • July 10, 2025

    FCA Plans Investor Rule Overhaul To Boost Capital Markets

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday that it will amend its client categorization rules in a bid to encourage wealthy and experienced investors to plow more cash into London's ailing equity capital markets.

  • July 10, 2025

    BoE Head Bailey Opposes Gov't Pension Investment Mandate

    The governor of the Bank of England has said he disagrees with the idea of requiring pension funds by law to invest in U.K. assets, in an intervention that experts say could have a knock-on effect for flagship legislation for the sector.

  • July 10, 2025

    Clifford Chance Guides Jupiter's £100M CCLA Deal

    London-listed Jupiter Fund Management PLC said Thursday that it will buy ethical investment company CCLA for £100 million ($136 million) in a bid to break into managing assets in the non-profit sector.

  • July 09, 2025

    Sweden Wins €60M Pension Fraud Case Against Financier

    A London court has ruled that a financier defrauded the Swedish government by setting up an illegitimate investment fund that took €60.7 million ($71.1 million) from savers' pension accounts.

  • July 09, 2025

    British Airways Pensions Biz Unfairly Sacked Investment Exec

    An employment tribunal has ruled that British Airways' pensions unit botched an investigation into a senior investment specialist over a confidential email he sent to himself during a workplace restructuring dispute, even though the employee was partly responsible for his ultimate dismissal.

  • July 09, 2025

    Authorities Urged To Stagger Local Gov't Pension Fixes

    The U.K. government should stagger the raft of proposed fixes to the Local Government Pension Scheme so as not to overwhelm administrators, Hymans Robertson has warned, calling for expectations to be realistic.

  • July 09, 2025

    BoE Flags Cyber Risk Blind Spots In Stress Test

    The Bank of England's regulatory arm has warned companies that financial firms are ill-prepared for a cyberattack that threatens timely settlements.

  • July 09, 2025

    Crédit Agricole Nets €183M In Exit From Loto Owner

    French insurer Crédit Agricole said Wednesday that it has sold its remaining stake in FDJ United for approximately €183.3 million ($215 million), marking its exit from the international lottery gaming operator.

  • July 09, 2025

    Mastercard Unit Fined £12M Over Compliance Failures

    The Bank of England said Wednesday that it has slapped an £11.9 million ($16.2 million) fine on Mastercard's U.K. payment systems operator Vocalink, in what the central bank called a first for a financial infrastructure company.

  • July 16, 2025

    Forsters Debuts Real Estate Funds Practice With New Hire

    Forsters LLP has recruited an investment funds partner from Shoosmiths LLP to establish a new real estate funds practice in the U.K. to tap into rising client demand.

Expert Analysis

  • UK Refusal Of US Extradition Request May Set New Standard

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    The recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling in El-Khouri v. U.S., denying a U.S. extradition request, overturns a long-held precedent and narrows how U.K. courts must decide such requests, potentially signaling a broader reevaluation of U.K. extradition law, say lawyers at Dechert and Kingsley Napley.

  • Insights On ESMA's Alternative Investment Fund Consultation

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    Aaron Mulcahy at Maples Group discusses key points from the European Securities and Markets Authority’s recent consultation on open-ended loan-originating alternative investment funds, highlighting the growth in semi-liquid evergreen funds and explaining ESMA’s proposed standards.

  • How UK Supreme Court May Assess Russia Sanctions Cases

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    In two recent U.K. Supreme Court cases challenging the U.K. Russia sanctions regime, the forthcoming judgments are likely to focus on proportionality and European Convention on Human Rights compatibility, and will undoubtedly influence how future challenges are shaped, says Leigh Crestohl at Zaiwalla.

  • New UK Order Offers Welcome Clarity To Crypto Staking Rules

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    The recently effective Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Amendment Order clarifies that arrangements for qualifying crypto-asset staking do not amount to a collective investment scheme, and by addressing an issue that curtailed staking activities in the U.K., facilitates the use of that practice, says Andrew Henderson at Goodwin.

  • How EU's Anticoercion Tool May Counter New US Tariffs

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    The never-before-used anticoercion instrument could allow the European Union to respond to the imposition of U.S. tariffs, potentially effective March 12, and gives EU companies a voice in the process as it provides for consultation with economic operators at different steps throughout the procedure, say lawyers at Crowell & Moring.

  • Takeaways From BoE Progress Updates On UK Digital Pound

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    The Bank of England’s recent update on a decision concerning a digital pound indicates that there is scope for innovation in the payments landscape that can help to boost economic growth, while keeping the U.K. firmly in the global conversation on digital currency development, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.

  • Key Themes From New PRA Supervisory Letters

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    Two recent supervisory letters from the Prudential Regulation Authority outline priorities for international banks and U.K. deposit takers for the year ahead, including the need to strengthen risk culture, manage credit risk and govern data integrity, all of which indicate that banks will face greater regulatory interest in their internal controls, say lawyers at Skadden.

  • Banker Remuneration Proposals Could Affect More Than Pay

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    The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority’s pending proposals to reduce banker remuneration restrictions bring obvious personal financial advantages for bankers, but may have repercussions that result in increased scrutiny of bonus payments and wider changes to workplace culture and overall accountability, say lawyers at Fox Williams.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • EU Report May Influence Regulation Of Decentralized Finance

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    The European supervisory authorities’ recent report on decentralized finance highlights the major regulatory challenges and increased cybersecurity risks of this ecosystem, and will likely provide useful guidance on how the market could be regulated to limit potential risks for investors, say Hubert de Vauplane and Hugo Bordet at Morgan Lewis.

  • Market Infrastructure Regs Aim To Reinvigorate EU Trading

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    The recently amended European Market Infrastructure Regulation, imposing a requirement on certain financial and nonfinancial institutions to maintain an active EU counterparty account, hopes to incentivize the central clearing of trades, although there are concerns that higher compliance costs will lead to a decrease in competitiveness, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Equal Rights Limit State Immunity

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    The Court of Appeal of England and Wales' recent determination that Spain’s London embassy could not dodge a former U.K.-based employee’s discrimination claims by invoking sovereign immunity reaffirms its position that employment and human rights should come before the privileges of foreign powers, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray’s Inn.

  • How Proposed Private Share Trading System May Benefit Cos.

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    The government's proposal for a private securities and capital exchange system intends to enhance market practices and risk tolerances, offering a significant way for firms to free up liquidity by allowing investors to trade existing private company shares, say lawyers at Mishcon de Reya.

  • Nonfinancial Misconduct Lessons From Rail Worker's Win

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    While financial services firms wait for the Financial Conduct Authority’s final policy statement on nonfinancial misconduct, an Employment Tribunal’s recent award to a railroad worker targeted by a hostile human resources team provides guidance on developing even-handed and inclusive company policies, say attorneys at Shoosmiths.

  • Important Changes To Note In Accountant Ethics Code Update

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    The Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales' forthcoming code of ethics will bring a number of significant updates to raise standards within the profession, but also risks of professional indemnity claims that could lead to challenges for firms, say lawyers at RPC.

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