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Financial Services UK

  • September 24, 2025

    SEC Gets $7M Default Insider Trading Win Against UK Trader

    A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday ordered a British-Lebanese trader to pay over $7.7 million, stemming from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's insider trading allegations, months after the defendant avoided extradition from the U.K. on parallel criminal charges.

  • September 24, 2025

    Dentons Hires Dublin Disputes Partner From Maples Group

    Dentons has added an experienced commercial litigator from offshore law firm Maples Group to its Dublin office, saying his arrival will strengthen its ability to advise both domestic and multinational clients on arbitrations, complex disputes and regulatory investigations.

  • September 24, 2025

    Bank Trade Body Urges EU To Simplify Digital And AI Rules

    A trade body for European banks urged the European Commission on Wednesday to clarify or cut some rules on digital finance for capital markets in its Digital Omnibus in late 2025, including rules on cyber incidents and artificial intelligence.

  • September 24, 2025

    Commerzbank To Kick Off €1B Buyback After Winning Approval

    German lender Commerzbank AG said Wednesday that it has received approval to buy back up to €1 billion ($1.17 billion) of its shares to return surplus cash to its shareholders.

  • September 24, 2025

    FCA Faces Legal Challenge Over Bond Data Contract Award

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday that it has received a legal challenge to its decision to award a contract for the bond consolidated tape provider, delaying the regulator's contract with the successful bidder.

  • September 24, 2025

    Gowling Guides Trustees On £160M Portakabin Pension Deal

    U.K.-based modular building provider Portakabin Ltd. has completed a £160 million ($215.5 million) full-scheme buy-in of its pension plan with Aviva PLC, the insurance giant said Wednesday.

  • September 24, 2025

    Tokio Marine Updates Cyber-Products Amid Evolving Threat

    Global insurer Tokio Marine Kiln said it has expanded the range of cyber-insurance products it offers to meet what it called the evolving threat of digital criminals.

  • September 23, 2025

    Privy Council Backs Undoing Fund's $230M Madoff Claim Sale

    The top appeals court for U.K. overseas territories has endorsed a successful U.S. appeal brought by the liquidator of an overseas Bernard L. Madoff feeder fund to undo its allegedly imprudent sale of its $230 million claim against the Ponzi schemer's defunct firm to a hedge fund.

  • September 23, 2025

    UK Pension Deal Market Set To Top £40B For Third Year

    The U.K. pension insurance market is set for another record year, with transaction numbers expected to hit 350 and total buy-in and buy-out volumes forecast to exceed £40 billion ($54 billion), consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock said Tuesday.

  • September 23, 2025

    Mayer Brown Steers £61M Royal London Pension Deal

    Mutual life insurer Royal London said Tuesday it has taken on retirement scheme liabilities worth £61 million ($82.5 million) from a pension plan sponsored by a renewable products company, in a deal guided by Mayer Brown LLP and Burges Salmon LLP.

  • September 23, 2025

    UBS Settles Long Tax Dispute With France For An €835M Fine

    UBS has resolved its long-running tax dispute with France over cross-border transactions, agreeing to pay a fine of €835 million ($985 million), the company said Tuesday.

  • September 23, 2025

    UK Lifeboat Fund Halts Levy On Pension Schemes

    The Pension Protection Fund said Tuesday that in 2025-2026 it will not charge a levy to defined benefit pension schemes to help it pay out to retired employees if the sponsoring employer should become insolvent.

  • September 23, 2025

    UK Lender Settles £5M Claim Over Alleged Asset Shielding

    Castle Trust Capital has settled its £4.7 million ($6.3 million) dispute with three British businessmen after it accused them of moving assets to avoiding repaying a loan, according to a court order.

  • September 23, 2025

    UK Pension System Faces Overhaul Call To Prevent Poverty

    Millions of Britons could face poverty in later life unless the government-appointed Pensions Commission comes up with a bold plan for reform, a pension provider warned Tuesday.

  • September 23, 2025

    Fintech's Pledge Brings Finance Sector Investment To £110B

    HM Treasury said Tuesday that financial technology company Revolut will invest £3 billion ($4 billion) into the U.K., bringing investment from major financial services companies to £110 billion in a week, after the government cut red tape to promote economic growth.

  • September 23, 2025

    Shareholder Objection Delays Ocean Wilsons' Buy Of Rival

    Bermudian investor Ocean Wilsons said Tuesday that an ongoing court hearing to sanction its all-stock merger with local rival Hansa Investment Co. Ltd. has been adjourned after one of its shareholders objected to the transaction.

  • September 23, 2025

    Swiss, UK Regulators Team Up To Boost Investor Protection

    Britain's financial regulators will work more closely with Switzerland's financial markets watchdog under an agreement to improve mutual market access and consumer protection.

  • September 23, 2025

    EU Enforcers Arrest 5 Over €100M Cryptocurrency Scam

    Five people have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out a €100 million ($118 million) cryptocurrency fraud in a joint international operation by law enforcement agencies across Europe, a European Union law authority said Tuesday.

  • September 23, 2025

    Sullivan & Cromwell Helps Fnality Raise $136M From Investors

    London-based wholesale payment systems operator Fnality said Tuesday that it has raised $136 million from investors including Bank of America and Citi during a fundraising program to extend its network to more countries.

  • September 22, 2025

    UK, US To Collaborate On Capital Markets, Crypto Policy

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the United Kingdom's financial ministry on Monday announced the formation of a joint taskforce to explore ways to collaborate on digital asset policy and "improve links" between the two countries' capital markets.

  • September 22, 2025

    Havilland Ex-Staffer Denies Wiping Phone Amid Qatar Scandal

    A former employee of Banque Havilland SA denied wiping his iPhone during a scandal over an alleged plan to de-peg Qatar's currency from the dollar during a trade embargo, in cross-examination at a London tribunal on Monday.

  • September 22, 2025

    Barings Private Finance Boss Can't Strike Out Poaching Claim

    A London court refused Monday to strike out Barings' £6.3 million ($8.5 million) claim that its former private finance boss allegedly surreptitiously helped to establish a competitor during the last year of his employment and eventually joined the rival himself.

  • September 22, 2025

    Axis Bank Denies Misleading Marine Co. In Loan Scheme

    The Dubai branch of India's Axis bank has hit back against a marine energy company's $41.7 million claim, denying it induced it to participate in a loan to a now-defunct shipping company.

  • September 22, 2025

    BoE Proposes Removal Of Legacy EU Bank Reporting Rules

    The Bank of England's regulatory arm set out proposals on Monday to cut some legacy European Union financial reporting requirements for banks, to reduce business costs.

  • September 22, 2025

    Oberon Investment To Buy WH Ireland Wealth Biz For £1M

    Oberon Investment Group PLC said Monday that a subsidiary has conditionally agreed to buy the business and some assets of WH Ireland's wealth management division for £1 million ($1.35 million) in cash.

Expert Analysis

  • UK Supreme Court Dissent May Spark Sanctions Debate

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    While the recent U.K. Supreme Court's rejection of Eugene Shvidler’s appeal determined that sanctions decisions are primarily the government’s preserve, Justice Leggatt’s dissenting view that judges are better placed to assess proportionality will cause ripples and may mark a material shift in how future appeals are approached, say lawyers at Seladore.

  • What EBA Report Means For Non-EU Financial Firms

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    In a recent report concerning unregulated third country banks, the European Banking Authority decided not to extend a bank-to-bank exemption under the Capital Requirements Directive, raising a number of compliance issues for cross-border services, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.

  • HMRC's Automation Shift Likely To Alter Tax Adviser Role

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    HM Revenue & Customs’ recently released digital transformation road map promises greater efficiency and a modernized compliance regime, but the increased automation could also mean that the tax adviser role will become more proactive and more defensive, say lawyers at RPC.

  • How AI May Have Made A Difference In Monzo Bank Breaches

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    Artificial intelligence tools have the capabilities needed to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated threats, and such tools might have helped prevent the anti-money laundering failures that led to the recent £21.1 million fine against Monzo Bank, says Alexander Vilardo at Howard Kennedy.

  • Charting A Course For The UK's Transition From Paper Shares

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    The recent report from the U.K.'s Digitisation Taskforce, recommending modernization of how shares in U.K.-listed companies are held, makes it clear that while moving from paper shares to an intermediated system is a positive step, the transition will not be without complications, say lawyers at HSF Kramer.

  • Return-To-Office Policy Considerations For UK Employers

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    As the Financial Conduct Authority reviews its hybrid working policy and other organizations increasingly require employees to return to the office, employers should weigh the costs and benefits of these decisions while considering the nuances of work-from-home rights in the U.K., say lawyers at Shoosmiths.

  • Catching Up On Simplified EU Sustainability Disclosure Rules

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    A recent proposal to streamline implementation of the EU’s Taxonomy Regulation contains measures that would reduce companies’ sustainable investment reporting and compliance requirements, and better support the EU’s climate and environmental goals, say lawyers at Proskauer.

  • Fraud Law Puts Fund Managers Under Compliance Spotlight

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    The new failure to prevent fraud offense, effective Sept. 1, may not represent a material departure from most managers’ duties to exercise due care in preventing loss to the assets they manage, but the prospect of criminal liability should sharpen their compliance focus, says Andrew Henderson at Goodwin Procter.

  • CMA Pricing Guide Signals Shift In UK Consumer Protection

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    The Competition and Markets Authority’s recent draft price transparency guide, as part of a wider reform introduced by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, represents a significant change in U.K. consumer protection by targeting unfair trading practices and strengthening enforcement mechanisms, says Felicity Forward at Shoosmiths.

  • 8 Compliance Team Strategies To Support Business Agility

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    Amid new regulatory requirements across the globe, compliance functions must design thoughtful guardrails that help business leaders achieve their commercial objectives lawfully — from repurposing existing tools to using technology thoughtfully — instead of defaulting to cumbersome protocols that hinder legitimate business, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • What To Note From FCA, Gov't Financial Growth Proposals

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    Recent Financial Conduct Authority and government proposals for financial services reform are positive developments for firms, signaling a drive to push forward growth and a willingness to be flexible in areas of regulation that the industry has long raised as barriers, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.

  • What Gov't Report Tells Lawyers About Continuing AML Risks

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    The U.K. government’s recent national money laundering risk assessment maintains conveyancing, company service work and misuse of client accounts as key threats, underscoring that law firms should expect renewed scrutiny and higher expectations in these high-risk areas, says Harriet Holmes at Thirdfort.

  • Petrofac Ruling Shifts Focus To Fairness In Restructurings

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    The recent Court of Appeal overturning of Petrofac's restructuring plans demonstrates a change of direction that will allow previously ignored out-of-the-money creditors a share in the benefits, and means companies must review the fair treatment of different creditor classes, say lawyers at King & Spalding.

  • Europe's New Defense Push Creates Investment Prospects

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    Recent increases in European defense expenditure and governments' desire to innovate are creating a compelling environment for investment and merger and acquisition activity, especially for small and midsize enterprises at the forefront of emerging technologies, say lawyers at Skadden.

  • Key Considerations For Issuers In FCA Prospectus Reform

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s forthcoming reform of the U.K. prospectus regime should be attractive to both debt and equity issuers because it limits the circumstances in which a costly prospectus is required, making it easier and cheaper for listed companies to raise capital, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.

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