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Financial Services UK

  • July 02, 2025

    Ex-UBS CFO Wins £112M Divorce Fight At UK Supreme Court

    Britain's highest court rejected an attempt on Wednesday by the former wife of a UBS banker to get an equal split of their £112 million ($152 million) family wealth, in a ruling that clarified how assets should be considered matrimonial.

  • July 02, 2025

    'Decisive' Reform Needed To Fix Pension Issues, IFS Says

    The government should widen the age range for employees being automatically included in a work-based pension, one of a raft of proposals that would address a series of risks to the future of Britain's pensioners, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said Wednesday.

  • July 02, 2025

    FCA Extends Bullying, Harassment Misconduct Across Sector

    The Financial Conduct Authority released new rules on Wednesday that extend its regulatory powers to cover "toxic" workplace behavior such as bullying and harassment to non-banking firms.

  • July 02, 2025

    Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust Considers Wind-Down

    Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust PLC said Wednesday that it may wind down its business soon as the ethical investment arm of Schroders PLC battles with attracting new investors and growing its assets, citing "challenging market conditions over recent years."

  • July 02, 2025

    Private Stock Market Plan Could Disrupt London IPO Goals

    A world-first regulated market for private company shares might harm the U.K.'s objective of stimulating the market for initial public offerings in London if it offers corporate founders a new alternative to the scrutiny of flotations.

  • July 02, 2025

    Regulator Calls For Open Banking-Style Reforms In Pensions

    The U.K. retirement watchdog has called for a shakeup in data-sharing by pension providers similar to that practiced in the banking sector.

  • July 02, 2025

    Euronext Considers €399M Athens Stock Exchange Deal

    Euronext is in negotiations to acquire the Athens Stock Exchange SA in an all-share transaction worth €399 million ($470 million) as it aims to add another European bourse to its portfolio

  • July 01, 2025

    Deutsche Faces Investor Bid To Renew UK Bond-Rigging Case

    An Oklahoma pension fund moved Monday to revive its New York federal court case over alleged price-fixing of U.K. government bonds, citing newly obtained chat transcripts and other material that it says bolster its claims against Deutsche Bank.

  • July 01, 2025

    Spain's Santander To Buy TSB From Sabadell For $3.6B

    Spain's Banco Santander said Tuesday it has agreed to buy British bank TSB from Banco de Sabadell in a £2.65 billion ($3.64 billion) all-cash deal, a move that would expand Santander's footprint in the U.K. retail banking market as Sabadell faces a hostile takeover attempt.

  • July 01, 2025

    Creditors Accuse Shipping Biz Of Trying To Evade $309M Debt

    The Norwegian government and three finance companies have sued two Guernsey-based companies and a shipping businessman in a London court, accusing them of fraudulently transferring real estate assets to evade liability for loan defaults.

  • July 01, 2025

    Bank Of Ireland Denies £60M Property Loan Fraud Claim

    Bank of Ireland has denied a £60 million ($83 million) claim that it deceived a real estate investment business into borrowing millions of pounds by giving inflated property evaluations and said the borrower would have taken out the loan anyway because it was such a generous financial package.

  • July 01, 2025

    HMRC Can Collect Tax In Disputed Avoidance Schemes

    A London court ruled that HM Revenue & Customs can collect disputed income tax owed by a group of companies that took part in tax avoidance schemes, even though the authority previously promised to postpone the requests until the disputes were settled.

  • July 01, 2025

    FCA Can Drop £6M Fine In Cum-Ex Case After Danish Pleas

    The Financial Conduct Authority can reverse its decision to fine a cum-ex trader £5.9 million ($8.1 million) to avoid prejudicing Denmark's attempts to claw back the proceeds from an alleged sham trading scheme, a London tribunal has ruled.

  • July 01, 2025

    Traders Banned And Fined For 'Spoofing' Market Manipulation

    A London tribunal has approved fines and bans for three traders totaling £381,000 ($523,000) for market abuse after upholding claims from the Financial Conduct Authority that they dishonestly placed bogus bond orders to manipulate the market.

  • July 01, 2025

    Swedbank To Buy Digital Mortgage Biz Stabelo For $37M

    Swedish multinational banking group Swedbank AB said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire mortgage lender Stabelo to reach more prospective homeowners for an initial price of 350 million Swedish krona ($37 million) from Avanza Bank AB and other owners.

  • July 01, 2025

    Gov't Structural Reform Urged To Boost Participation In LSE

    The government must unify the fragmented departments involved in oversight of retail participation in public markets in order to encourage Britons to invest in companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, City experts said Tuesday.

  • July 01, 2025

    Barclays Car Finance Appeal Must Wait For Top Court Ruling

    Barclays' bid to overturn a ruling by the Financial Ombudsman on motor finance commissions was delayed on Tuesday, as the Court of Appeal adjourned the case to await a high-stakes judgment from the U.K. Supreme Court.

  • July 01, 2025

    British-Russian Man Charged With Paying Bitcoin To Militia

    A British-Russian national alleged to have funded pro-Russian militia groups in occupied eastern Ukraine through bitcoin payments made his first appearance at a London court on Tuesday accused of breaching the U.K. sanctions regime.

  • July 01, 2025

    SIX Finalizes Aquis Deal, Boosts European Market Reach

    SIX Exchange Group AG said on Tuesday it has successfully closed its acquisition of London's challenger stock exchange Aquis, which the Swiss bourse group believes will boost its position in European trading.

  • July 01, 2025

    BNP Paribas Seals €5.1B Axa Investment Management Buy

    BNP Paribas Cardif said on Tuesday that it has finalized its purchase of the investment management business of French insurer Axa for an estimated €5.1 billion ($6 billion).

  • June 30, 2025

    UK Supreme Court Denies Russia Immunity In $63B Yukos Case

    Russia has been denied permission to challenge an appellate court ruling in Britain dismissing its attempt to use state immunity to block former investors in Yukos Oil Co. from enforcing more than $63 billion in arbitral awards they won nearly 11 years ago, the investors said Monday.

  • June 30, 2025

    HMRC Investigated Avoidance Scheme Enough, Court Rules

    HM Revenue & Customs didn't need to investigate further before determining that nearly 50 consultants owed taxes on income routed through offshore entities on the Isle of Man, the High Court of Justice said in declining to review the British tax authority's decision.

  • June 30, 2025

    Software Startup Says Ideagen Trademark Use Not Deceptive

    A software startup founded by the former directors of a company acquired by Ideagen has hit back at claims it lured customers away through deception, telling a court that it has every right to compete with Ideagen.

  • June 30, 2025

    UBS Launches $2B Buyback To Trim Share Capital

    UBS Group AG revealed on Monday the imminent launch of a $2 billion share repurchase program, a move expected to lower the Swiss banking giant's outstanding share capital.

  • June 30, 2025

    EU Watchdog Pushes For Stronger Greenwashing Controls

    The European Union's markets watchdog warned national regulators Monday to supervise better how investment managers disclose sustainability-related factors of funds.

Expert Analysis

  • Testing The Limits Of English Courts' Pro-Arbitration Stance

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    Although the Court of Appeal recently upheld a $64 million arbitration award in Eternity Sky v. Zhang, the judgment offers rare insight into when the English courts’ general inclination to enforce arbitral awards may be outweighed by competing policy interests such as consumer rights, say Declan Gallivan and Peter Morton at K&L Gates.

  • What Green Claims Directive Proposal Means For Businesses

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    With the European Union’s recent adoption of a general approach to the proposed Green Claims Directive, which will regulate certain environmental claims and likely be finalized next year, companies keen to publicize their green credentials have even more reason to tread carefully, say Marcus Navin-Jones and Juge Gregg at Crowell & Moring.

  • £43M Legal Bill Case Shows Courts' View On Exchange Rates

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    A recent Court of Appeal decision declined to change the currency used for payment of the Nigerian government's legal bill, aligning with British courts' consensus that they should not be concerned with how fluctuating exchange rates might benefit one party over another, says Francis Kendall at Kain Knight.

  • Examining The EU's New Payments Services Package

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    Following recent European Parliament elections, the spotlight is turning to the highly anticipated payments services package expected in September, marking a pivotal moment in the legislative process that will reshape the payment services ecosystem in the European Union, says Kristýna Tupá and Karolína Hlavinková at Schoenherr.

  • Examining The State Of Paccar Fixes After General Election

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    Following the U.K. Supreme Court's Paccar decision last year, which made many litigation funding agreements for opt-out collective actions in the Competition Appeal Tribunal unenforceable, the judiciary will likely take charge in implementing any fixes — but the general election has created uncertainty, says Ben Knowles at Clyde & Co.

  • EU Reports Signal Greenwashing Focus For Financial Sector

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    Reports from the European Supervisory Authorities on enforcement of sustainability information, plus related guidance issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority, represent a fundamental change in how businesses must operate to maintain integrity and public trust, say Amilcare Sada and Matteo Fanton at A&O Shearman.

  • Opinion

    Without Change, Fighting Fraud Is A Losing Battle For The UK

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    To successfully fight fraud cases in the U.K. — like the Russian Coms scam recently shut down by the National Crime Agency — it is clear there needs to be significant investment in recruiting and training expert investigators, and meaningful engagement between the country’s intelligence platforms, says Anthony Hanratty at Howard Kennedy.

  • Embedding Consumer Duty: 6 Areas Firms Should Prioritize

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    The Financial Conduct Authority has repeatedly emphasized that complying with the Consumer Duty is not a tick-box exercise but an ongoing responsibility, so firms need to show that the duty is at the heart of their practices by staying compliant in areas from cultural change to customer vulnerability, say Nicola Higgs and Becky Critchley at Latham.

  • 2 UK Rulings Highlight Persistent Push Payment Fraud Issues

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    Two recent High Court decisions, Larsson v. Revolut and Terna DOO v. Revolut, demonstrate that authorized push payment fraud continues to cause headaches for consumers and financial institutions alike, and with forthcoming mandatory reimbursement requirements, more APP fraud litigation can be expected, say lawyers at Charles Russell.

  • Open Questions 3 Years After 2nd Circ.'s Fugitive Ruling

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    The Second Circuit’s 2021 decision in U.S. v. Bescond, holding that a French resident indicted abroad did not meet the legal definition of a fugitive, deepened a circuit split on the fugitive disentitlement doctrine, and courts continue to grapple with the doctrine’s reach and applicability, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.

  • Key Points From UK Prospectus Regime Reform Consultation

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    The Financial Conduct Authority's current consultation on U.K. prospectus regime reform proposals, including when a prospectus will be required and the requirements concerning content, is designed to enhance the attractiveness of the U.K.'s capital markets, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Why NCA's 1st Seizure Of Sanctioned Funds Is Significant

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    The National Crime Agency’s recently secured forfeiture of a Russian oligarch's sanctioned funds was a landmark achievement, and is particularly notable because it was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act, illustrating how U.K. authorities can coordinate their respective powers to confiscate assets, says Lindsey Cullen at WilmerHale.

  • Takeaways From New FCA Rules On Research Payments

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published final rules on payment optionality for investment research, which involve a client disclosure obligation option, will be welcome news for U.K. managers who buy investment research from U.S. brokers, and for global asset management groups, says Anna Maleva-Otto at Schulte Roth.

  • What To Expect From Labour's Pension Schemes Bill

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    The Labour government’s recently announced Pension Schemes Bill, outlining key policy areas affecting the retirement savings sector, represents a positive step forward for both defined contribution scheme members and defined benefit superfunds, but there are some missing features, says Sonya Fraser at Arc Pensions.

  • Int'l Treaties May Aid Investors Amid UK Rail Renationalization

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    The recently introduced Passenger Railway Services Bill seeks to return British railways to public ownership without compensating affected investors, a move that could trigger international investment treaty protections for obligation breaches, says Philipp Kurek at Signature Litigation.

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