ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ

Financial Services UK

  • July 30, 2025

    HSBC Unveils $3B Share Buyback Scheme

    HSBC said Wednesday that it will reward investors with a share repurchase program of up to $3 billion, despite posting a drop in its pre-tax profits.

  • July 30, 2025

    Santander To Reward Shareholders With €1.7B Buyback

    Banco Santander SA said on Wednesday that it will soon kick off a share buyback worth up to €1.7 billion ($1.97 billion), which is expected to lower the Spanish lending giant's share capital.   

  • July 30, 2025

    Finance Biz Eyes £490M Acquisition Of UK Lender IPF

    British credit provider International Personal Finance said Wednesday that it is in talks to be bought by U.S. specialist finance group BasePoint Capital in a proposed £490 million ($656 million) cash deal.

  • July 30, 2025

    PrivatBank Wins $1.9B Fraud Case Against Ex-Owners

    The former owners of PrivatBank are liable to pay the Ukrainian lender for a fraud that cost the bank billions, a London judge ruled on Wednesday almost two years after the trial over sham loans linked to fictitious commodity trades concluded. 

  • July 30, 2025

    FCA Rule Change May Put Firms At Risk Of Fraud Prosecution

    The Financial Conduct Authority's proposed partial relaxation of the approval process under its senior managers regime as the U.K. pushes for deregulation could increase exposure among companies to fraud prosecution under another regulatory snag — the offense of failure to prevent fraud, which goes live in September.

  • July 29, 2025

    DOJ Drops Challenge Of Amex GBT's $570M Deal For CWT

    The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that enforcers have agreed to drop their case challenging American Express Global Business Travel Inc.'s planned $570 million purchase of corporate travel management rival CWT Holdings LLC.

  • July 29, 2025

    JV Partner Found To Have Inflated Costs In London Project

    A Dubai-based businessman has largely succeeded in a complex dispute over a joint venture after a London judge ruled that other parties to the deal had inflated costs in invoices to pocket part of the payments as profit.

  • July 29, 2025

    Forex Biz Can't Avoid Liability For Deceit In $10M Deal

    A foreign exchange business lost its fight on Tuesday to challenge a ruling that it could not defend claims that its employee deceived a Nigerian broker in a $10 million transaction, despite winning challenges over lesser deals worth $6 million.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ex-JPMorgan Trader Drops Bid For Remedy Over Unfair Firing

    A former JPMorgan Chase metals trader has told an employment tribunal that he won't be pursuing his case for compensation any further despite winning his unfair dismissal claim against the bank over a faulty "spoofing" investigation. 

  • July 29, 2025

    Bridgehaven Buys Irish Insurer To Enter EU Market

    British insurance company Bridgehaven said it is poised to enter the European market after penning an agreement to buy the Irish insurer SureStone Insurance DAC.

  • July 29, 2025

    Tech Pro Says Alleged Software Copying Was 'Obvious' Joke

    A payments company's former head of technology has denied copying the company's software to help build a rival platform, telling a London court that his ex-employer has taken a joke about pinching the code "out of context."

  • July 29, 2025

    EU Watchdog Finds Failings In AML Defenses At Crypto-Firms

    The banking watchdog of the European Union has warned that many crypto-asset companies lack effective anti-money laundering systems, reporting that abuse of services in the sector for financial crime is a major concern.

  • July 29, 2025

    FCA Sues Property Biz Over £23M Investment Scheme

    The City watchdog said Tuesday that it has taken Concept Capital Group to a London court over an alleged unauthorized £23 million ($30 million) investment scheme related to static homes.

  • July 29, 2025

    Barclays Plans £1B Share Buyback To Reward Investors

    Barclays PLC confirmed on Tuesday plans to reward investors with a share buyback worth up to £1 billion ($1.3 billion), in line with its multibillion-pound capital returns program.

  • July 29, 2025

    Shvidler Loses Landmark UK Sanctions Challenge

    Britain's highest court upheld sanctions against billionaire oil tycoon Eugene Shvidler in a landmark ruling on Tuesday that backs the U.K. government's authority to impose the restrictions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

  • July 28, 2025

    Fraud Claims 'Smaller Slice' As Crypto Litigation Booms

    As litigation involving cryptocurrency significantly increases, fraud cases represent a lesser share of the total number of crypto disputes, according to a report published Monday by CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP.

  • July 28, 2025

    Investment Firm Beats Ex-Risk Chief's Long COVID Bias Claim

    An asset management firm did not discriminate against its former risk chief based on his long COVID when it required him to interview for a new post after eliminating his old job, a tribunal has ruled.

  • July 28, 2025

    FCA Flags AI Risks In Benchmark Administrators' Controls

    The City watchdog warned Monday that administrators of companies that set benchmarks lack consistency in how they manage data, saying there was inadequate evidence that their controls are evolving to cover risks from new technology such as AI.

  • July 28, 2025

    Citigroup Defends $16M VTB Russian Securities Sale Losses

    Citigroup has denied claims that it caused a VTB Bank subsidiary to lose almost $16 million by taking an irrational approach to liquidating securities after the Russian lender defaulted on a demand for collateral amid market volatility following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

  • July 28, 2025

    UK Man Denies Making Crypto Transfers To Russian Militias

    A British-Russian national who allegedly funded pro-Russian militia groups in occupied eastern Ukraine through bitcoin payments on Monday denied breaching the U.K. sanctions regime.

  • July 28, 2025

    Investment Boss Told To Pay Back £170K From £37M Fraud

    A director of an ethical investment scheme imprisoned for defrauding investors out of £37 million ($50 million) was ordered by a court on Monday to pay back £170,000 or have two years added to his sentence.

  • July 28, 2025

    Dentons-Led Bermuda Investment Biz Signs £900M Merger

    Bermudian Investor Hansa said Monday that local rival Ocean Wilsons Holdings Ltd. has agreed to accept its all-stock merger offer that will create a company with total net assets of more than £900 million ($1.2 billion).

  • July 28, 2025

    Veteran Banker Named Interim Chair Of Financial Ombudsman

    The City watchdog said Monday that it has appointed Liam Coleman as interim chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service, following a long career in banking and the public sector.

  • July 28, 2025

    Britons Fear Impact Of Inheritance Tax Change On Pensions

    Four out of 10 people in Britain are concerned about the government's decision to bring pensions within the scope of inheritance tax, according to a survey by a consultancy on Monday.

  • July 28, 2025

    SocGen Settles €140M Clifford Chance Negligence Claim

    Société Générale SA and Clifford Chance LLP have settled their €140 million ($163.3 million) dispute over the bank's allegations that the law firm gave negligent advice that caused its claim in a multimillion-dollar dispute over gold bullion to be struck out as an abuse of process.

Expert Analysis

  • High Court Elects Substance Over Form In Arbitration Dispute

    Author Photo

    The High Court recently found that an arbitral tribunal has jurisdiction over the dispute in Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority v. India, underscoring the importance of aligning treaty interpretation with the goal of fostering investment, while rejecting interpretations that unduly limit investor protections, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • What New UK Stub Equity Rules Will Mean For PE Bidders

    Author Photo

    The U.K. Takeover Panel’s recent guide to making stub equity offers, for the first time formally harmonizing the approach to be taken, should be helpful for both private equity bidders and practitioners, and not unduly restrictive, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • What To Expect As FCA Preps To Launch AI Testing Service

    Author Photo

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s forthcoming artificial intelligence live testing service will provide participants with access to appropriate regulatory expertise, but to gauge the tool’s potential utility, it is important to understand how it fits in with what the regulator is already doing, says Omar Salem at Fox Williams.

  • New Interpol Silver Notice Could Be Tool For Justice Or Abuse

    Author Photo

    Interpol has issued dozens of Silver Notices to trace and recover assets linked to criminal activity since January, and though the tool may disrupt organized crime and terrorist financing, attorneys must protect against the potential for corrupt misuse, say attorneys at Clark Hill and Arktouros.

  • Weighing PE Transaction Risks As EU AI Act Rolls Out

    Author Photo

    As the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act becomes effective in stages, legal practitioners involved in private equity deals should consider the transactional risks resulting from this measure, including penalties, extraterritorial reach and target-firm applicability, say lawyers at Covington.

  • EU Banking Watchdog Regulations Herald New AML Era

    Author Photo

    The European Banking Authority’s forthcoming anti-money laundering package will set a framework for compliance across the European Union by redefining the rules of engagement between financial institutions and supervisors, setting a new standard for transparency and accountability, say lawyers at A&O Shearman.

  • What To Expect As UK, US Gov'ts Develop Stablecoin Policies

    Author Photo

    While the U.K. and U.S. governments’ policies both suggest that fiat-backed stablecoins can improve efficiency and safety in payments systems, a perception that crypto-assets remain high risk means consumers are unlikely to use them in significant volume anytime soon, say lawyers at Cadwalader.

  • What Insurers Can Do To Prepare For PRA 'Solvent Exit' Rules

    Author Photo

    With less than a year until the Prudential Regulation Authority's new solvent exit rules for insurers come into force, it is critical that firms prepare to meet the imminent deadline by outlining an execution plan and establishing clear governance arrangements, say lawyers at Holman Fenwick.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: UK Injunctions Across Borders

    Author Photo

    A recent High Court of Justice decision allowing JPMorgan Chase Bank to block VTB Bank from bringing suit in a Russian court provides a seminal reflection on the power of English courts to issue antisuit injunctions when global banking disputes increasingly straddle multiple jurisdictions, says Josep Galvez of 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Identifying Data Center Investment Challenges, Opportunities

    Author Photo

    The role of data centers is expanding, as are new opportunities for private capital investors, but there are issues to consider, including finance models and contract complexity, as well as power supply, cyber threat resilience and data sovereignty, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.

  • What EU Bank Regulator's Letter Means For Crypto Providers

    Author Photo

    A recent letter from the European Banking Authority notes a need to avoid dual authorization for e-money token transactions under European Union payment services and cryptocurrency regulations, which could result in a high regulatory burden for crypto-asset service providers and leaves open questions for future political negotiations, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Regulators Want Online Platforms To Fight Finance Fraud

    Author Photo

    Recent statements from the International Organization of Securities Commissions and the European Securities and Markets Authority make clear that online platform providers are expected to adopt proactive measures to prevent the promotion of unauthorized financial services and related misconduct, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.

  • FCA Notes Industry Criticism But Keeps Transparency Focus

    Author Photo

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently updated enforcement guide finally gives up the "naming and shaming" public interest test, demonstrating that the regulator has recognized the industry's serious concerns while maintaining less contentious aspects of its proposals to improve transparency in investigations, say lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

  • Anticipating A Shift In CMA Merger Control Enforcement

    Author Photo

    As the Competition and Markets Authority outlines plans to put the U.K. government's growth objectives into action, the changes may well pave the way for a more permissive outlook for review of mergers and acquisitions in the U.K., say lawyers at A&O Shearman.

  • Court Backing Of FCA Pensions Ruling Sends Key Message

    Author Photo

    The Upper Tribunal’s recent upholding of the Financial Conduct Authority's decisions against CFP Management directors serves as a judicial endorsement of the regulator’s approach to defined benefit transfers, underscoring that where the advisory model is fundamentally flawed, the consequences for those in control can be severe, say lawyers at RPC.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here