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Financial Services UK
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May 09, 2025
Brothers Plead Guilty To FCA Insider Dealing Charges
Two brothers admitted on Friday to using inside information to profit from dealing in shares over four years, following a prosecution brought at a criminal court in London by the Financial Conduct Authority, the watchdog said.
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May 09, 2025
EU Fund Managers Call To Simplify EU Sustainability Package
Europe's fund managers on Friday backed the European Union's bid to streamline the bloc's sustainability regulations, but warned "excessive" reductions in reporting requirements could limit investors' access to crucial environmental, social, and governance data.
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May 09, 2025
FCA Relaxes Asset Manager Investment Research Rules
The Financial Conduct Authority relaxed its rules on Friday to give U.K. fund managers greater freedom in decisions on how to finance investment into research on public capital markets, part of a wider push to improve international competitiveness in the sector.
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May 09, 2025
'Bargain Hunt' Art Expert Pleads Guilty To Terrorist Financing
An art gallery founder and reality TV art expert pleaded guilty to terrorist financing offenses at a London criminal court Friday.
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May 08, 2025
Court Upholds CMA's £99M Thyroid Drug Price Fines
A U.K. appellate court has not only upheld a finding that drug company Advanz excessively inflated the price of its thyroid tablets for the National Health Service but also reimposed fines against the company's former owner that a lower tribunal had cut by almost a third.
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May 08, 2025
'Bargain Hunt' Art Dealer Charged Under Terror Financing Law
Police charged an art dealer who featured in a hit BBC show under laws against financing terrorism on Thursday, making him the first person ever to face charges in the U.K. for allegedly failing to make obligatory regulatory disclosures.
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May 08, 2025
UK Watchdog Fines Fuel Trader For Ignoring Info Request
The U.K. government body responsible for implementing and enforcing financial sanctions said Thursday that it has fined a British shipping company for ignoring a request to provide information relating to a "large and complex investigation" involving Russia's largest shipping company.
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May 08, 2025
Crypto Traders Seek To Revive Part Of £10B Binance Claim
A group of investors asked the Court of Appeal on Thursday to revive their claims against Binance on the basis that its delisting of a cryptocurrency caused them damage, saying a lower tribunal was wrong to toss out its "loss of chance" argument.
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May 08, 2025
FCA Names Payments And Digital Finance Head Amid Merger
The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday that it has appointed a single executive to the positions of permanent executive director for payments and digital finance and managing director of the Payment Systems Regulator, months after the government disclosed plans to merge the two authorities.
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May 08, 2025
Trump, Starmer Announce Limited Deal To Cut Tariffs
The U.S. and U.K. governments have agreed to reduce tariffs and avoid counter-tariffs in a limited trade deal announced Thursday by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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May 08, 2025
McCann FitzGerald-Led AIB €1.2B Buyback Set In Motion
Dublin-based lender AIB Group PLC said Thursday it has agreed to repurchase €1.2 billion ($1.35 billion) worth of its shares from the Irish state as it moves to further reduce the government's stake from its crisis-era financial bailout.
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May 08, 2025
Aon Sued For $1.3M By Ex-Exec Over 'Unpaid' Bonus, Stock
Aon's former insurance consulting chief has sued for more than $1.3 million worth of bonus and stock options, accusing the company of failing to live up to the original deal he negotiated when he joined from Willis Towers Watson.
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May 08, 2025
FCA Flags Risky Investment Practices At Small Asset Firms
The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday that many small asset managers have ineffective arrangements to manage conflicts of interest and inadequate processes to offer high-risk investments.
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May 08, 2025
FRC Bans Former Finance Head Of Bankrupt Local Council
The audit watchdog said Thursday it has banned the former chief financial officer of a bankrupt English local authority from the accounting profession for five years for overseeing a risky investment strategy worth £1 billion ($1.3 billion).
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May 07, 2025
Finance Trade Body Warns AI Can Amplify Misconduct Risk
A U.K. trade body for financial firms warned a group of members of Parliament at a hearing Wednesday that artificial intelligence amplifies the risk that banks could screen out unwanted customers without anyone knowing, in defiance of the Consumer Duty.
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May 07, 2025
UK Supreme Court Boosts Creditor Protection In Fraud Cases
Britain's highest court has handed administrators more power to pursue businesses that turn a blind eye to fraud, with a ruling on Wednesday that will bolster protection for creditors and could raise the stakes for companies flying too close to the wind, lawyers say.
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May 14, 2025
Squire Patton Adds To EY Law's Woes With 5-Lawyer Hire
Squire Patton Boggs LLP said Wednesday that it has hired a team of five specialists in financial regulation from EY's legal services arm in Britain, adding to the division's woes as it continues to go through a period of turbulence.
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May 07, 2025
EU Agrees Position On One-Day Securities Settlement
The executive arm of the European Union approved its plan to halve the time it takes to settle transactions in transferable securities to one business day on Wednesday, as the bloc seeks to strengthen its financial sector and align it with international markets.
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May 07, 2025
FCA Seeks Industry Input To Simplify UK Mortgage Rules
The Financial Conduct Authority launched a consultation with lenders on Wednesday to examine how the watchdog can help simplify its mortgage framework to make homeownership in the U.K. "easier, faster and cheaper."
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May 07, 2025
EU Watchdog To Advise Tightening Insider Dealing Rules
The EU markets watchdog specified on Wednesday in advice to the European Commission on insider dealing rules for companies listing shares that profit warnings must be disclosed immediately rather than delay until accounts are produced.
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May 07, 2025
Accounting Firm MHA To Buy Baker Tilly Unit For €24M
Accounting company MHA PLC said Wednesday that it plans to buy the southeast Europe subsidiary of tax adviser Baker Tilly in a cash and shares deal worth up to €24 million ($27.3 million) as it eyes growth in the region.
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May 07, 2025
Top UK Court Expands Fraud Liability In Carbon Credits Case
Britain's highest court ruled Wednesday that a major brokerage firm can be held liable for millions of pounds owed to Britain's tax collector from a carbon credits tax fraud, a decision that could expand the reach of insolvency proceedings.
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May 06, 2025
Trade Body Calls For Swift Action On Pension Surplus Plan
The U.K. must act swiftly in developing a new regime to allow businesses to tap into well-funded pension plans to invest in themselves or the wider economy, a trade body urged Tuesday.
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May 06, 2025
Financial Complaints Skyrocket After Motor Finance Ruling
The U.K.'s financial complaints watchdog said Tuesday that it received more than 140,000 reports about financial businesses in the last six months of 2024, up almost 49% on the same period a year earlier, after a landmark ruling that requires motor finance lenders to disclose commissions.
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May 06, 2025
HSBC Settles Reporting Whistleblowing Fight With Ex-Exec
HSBC Bank PLC on Tuesday settled its dispute with a former senior employee who had accused the retail banking giant of firing him for making protected disclosures about the lender's alleged capital reporting failings.
Expert Analysis
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Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint
In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.
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Economic Crime Act Brings Changes For Limited Partnerships
The recently passed Economic Crime Act introduces significant financial transparency obligations for new and existing U.K. limited partnerships, and with criminal consequences for noncompliance, a degree of advance consideration is strongly advised, say Amelia Stawpert and Alex Jones at Hogan Lovells.
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ESMA Report Offers A Glimpse At EU's Securitization Future
The European Securities and Markets Authority’s recent overview of the EU securitization sector suggests a growing market for both investors and businesses and offers useful insight into future regulatory priorities, says Alan Bunbury at Matheson.
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What The Auto-Enrollment Law Means For UK Workforce
In a welcome step to enhance retirement savings, the U.K. government is set to extend the automatic enrollment regime by lowering the eligibility age and reducing the lower qualifying earnings limit, but addressing workers' immediate financial needs remains a challenge, says Beth Brown at Arc Pensions.
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UAE Bank Case Offers Lessons On Enforcing Foreign Rulings
The High Court recently clarified in Invest Bank v. El-Husseini that foreign judgment debts may be enforceable in England, despite being unenforceable in their jurisdiction of origin, which should remind practitioners that foreign judgments will be recognized in England if they are final and conclusive in their court of origin, say lawyers at Macfarlanes.
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Revised OECD Guidelines Key In Shaping Business Standards
The OECD’s recent revised guidelines on responsible business conduct, supported by a domestic government agencies’ grievance referral mechanism, have already influenced EU due diligence standards, and enterprises engaging in the unique procedure will benefit from case-specific nuances, parallel proceedings and the availability of confidentiality protections, say lawyers at Debevoise.
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Libor Fallback To Prime May Increase Corporate Loan Costs
Despite preparations and legislative actions related to the transition away from Libor earlier this year, there remains a contingent of corporate borrowers that have fallen through the cracks and could face increased costs if their loans default to prime rates, say Nathan Moore and Dana Bradley at WilmerHale.
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Report Can Aid With Sustainable Finance Disclosure Filings
The European Supervisory Authorities recently issued a report on companies' consideration of the principal adverse impacts of their investment decisions on sustainability factors, providing examples of good and bad disclosure practices under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, which firms should note in their future reporting, say lawyers at Debevoise.
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Protecting The Arbitral Process In Russia-Related Disputes
Four recent High Court and Court of Appeal rulings concerning anti-suit injunction claims illustrate that companies exposed to litigation risk in Russia may need to carefully consider how to best protect their interests and the arbitral process with regard to a Russian counterparty, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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Audit Reform Takeaways After Record KPMG Fine
The Financial Reporting Council’s recent £21 million fine against KPMG for its Carillion audit work failures is representative of the agency’s increasing proactivity in policing audit quality, and brings to light the U.K. government’s slow-moving but ongoing efforts to majorly reform audit sector regulations, says Paul Brehony at Signature Litigation.
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RSA Insurance Ruling Clarifies Definition Of 'Insured Loss'
A London appeals court's recent ruling in Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance v. Tughans, that the insurer must provide coverage for a liability that included the law firm's fees, shows that a claim for the recovery of fees paid to a firm can constitute an insured loss, say James Roberts and Sophia Hanif at Clyde & Co.
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Putin Ruling May Have Unintended Sanctions Consequences
By widening the scope of control, the Court of Appeal's recent judgment in Mints v. PJSC opens the possibility that everything in Russia could be deemed to be controlled by President Vladimir Putin, which would significantly expand the U.K.'s sanctions regime in unintended ways, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.
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Navigating The New Framework On Nature-Related Reporting
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures’ recently published disclosure framework represents a significant step toward the coalescence of nature-related disclosure standards for corporates and financial institutions, and has the potential to influence investor expectations and future regulation, say lawyers at Kirkland.
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FCA Engagement Signals New Direction In ESG Disclosures
The Financial Conduct Authority recently published a response to a consultation on sustainability-related standards, highlighting the regulator's priorities for the U.K.'s green transition, including an early indication that it may turn its attention to nature-based disclosures, say Ferdisha Snagg and Andreas Wildner at Cleary.
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New Policies Will Aid UK Cos. Accessing US Capital Markets
The U.K. government's recent adoption of regulations permitting the use of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and announcement of measures to remove a 1.5% tax on certain share issues and transfers, should help ensure that England remains an attractive holding company jurisdiction for companies seeking a listing on U.S. stock exchanges, say lawyers at Davis Polk.