Ƶ

Financial Services UK

  • July 10, 2025

    Weil Rehires Private Funds Partner From A&O Shearman

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP said Thursday that an expert in private investment funds is returning to the firm in London from Allen Overy Shearman Sterling as part of the Weil's growth plan.

  • July 03, 2025

    UK Insurance Agency M&A Down 35% In 1st Half

    The pace of domestic mergers and acquisitions in the U.K. insurance market slowed down considerably in the first half of 2025, making it the slowest six-month period for M&A activity in the sector since the first half of 2019, a financial services consultancy said Thursday.

  • July 03, 2025

    EU Regulators Close Ranks To Fight Money Laundering

    Europe's financial regulators said on Thursday they would work with the bloc's new central anti-money laundering watchdog to ensure the effective exchange of information to combat white-collar crime.

  • July 03, 2025

    Man Denies FCA £3.9M Water Investment Fraud Charges

    A man denied that he took part in a £3.9 million ($5.3 million) water investment scam when he appeared at a criminal court in London on Thursday.

  • July 03, 2025

    Ex-Perfume Boss Can't Ax Claim Over Russia Sales

    A London judge refused Thursday to throw out a claim that accused the former boss of a luxury perfume group of damaging the reputation of his business after he admitted to exporting high-value products to Russia.

  • July 03, 2025

    Nigerian Bank Owner Plots $100M Share Offer, London Listing

    Guaranty Trust Holding Co., the parent of Nigerian lender GTBank, said Thursday that it aims to raise $100 million in a sale of new shares to recapitalize the bank to a level required by regulation, and to list the shares on the London Stock Exchange.

  • July 03, 2025

    Pinsent Masons-Led Chesnara To Buy HSBC Life For £260M

    British pensions company Chesnara PLC said Thursday it has agreed to acquire the specialist life protection and investment bond provider of banking giant HSBC for £260 million ($355 million) to give the group a "material step up in scale."

  • July 03, 2025

    Italy Clears Monte Dei Paschi's €13.3B Mediobanca Deal

    Italian lender Monte dei Paschi has said that the country's competition authority has given the green light to its €13.3 billion ($15.7 billion) proposed takeover of rival Mediobanca SpA.

  • July 02, 2025

    UK Investor Sues Accounting Firm Over £633K Tax Bill

    A U.K. investor accused an accounting firm of giving negligent tax planning advice and keeping him in the dark about correspondence with HM Revenue & Customs, which ultimately assessed nearly £633,000 ($863,000) in liabilities, according to a claim filed with the High Court.

  • July 02, 2025

    Oil Biz Seeks To Toss Ex-Directors' Sanctions Breach Defense

    A Singaporean oil company urged a judge Wednesday to throw out allegations that it breached U.S. sanctions on Iran made by its alleged former chief executive, whom it has accused of embezzling €143.8 million ($169.2 million).

  • July 09, 2025

    MoFo Bags HSF Kramer Leveraged Finance Partner In London

    Morrison Foerster has hired a borrowing specialist as a partner to join its finance and private equity groups team in London as the firm responds to "building momentum" in the market.

  • July 02, 2025

    EU Finance Watchdog Sets Guidelines To Avoid Greenwashing

    European financial services businesses must ensure any claims they make about the sustainability of their financial products or services are accurate, accessible, substantiated and up to date, according to guidance from the bloc's financial watchdog.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Takeaways From Upcoming Payment Fraud Delay Legislation

    Author Photo

    Lawyers at Hogan Lovells discuss what to know about new legislation that will allow payment service providers to delay payments when third-party fraud is suspected, and share pointers for providers to consider ahead of the Oct. 30 effective date.

  • Modernizing UK Trade Settlement Standard: The Road Ahead

    Author Photo

    Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP consider the rationale and challenges of a potential U.K. trade settlement acceleration, part of an initiative to modernize the financial market infrastructure, and suggest that incorporating distributed ledger technology as a synchronized recording system would facilitate the move.

  • Analyzing The Implications Of 1st FCA Crypto ATM Crackdown

    Author Photo

    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent criminal prosecution of Olumide Osunkoya, its first enforcement action against a crypto-asset trading firm's owner, is an unambiguous sign of the regulator’s commitment to actively pursue transgressors, but may be a hindrance to the U.K. crypto industry, says Asim Arshad at Lawrence Stephens.

  • Draft Merger Control Guidance Allows CMA To Cast Wide Net

    Author Photo

    The Competition and Markets Authority's recent draft merger control guidance, reflecting the regulator's strengthened powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act, introduces extensive change and potential procedural improvements, specifically concerning reviews of private equity firms, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • Key Points From Cayman's Beneficial Ownership Regime

    Author Photo

    While recent expansion of the Cayman Islands Beneficial Ownership Act's scope means it now encompasses many entities with previously minimal obligations, the changes ensure a welcome level playing field with workable alternative routes to compliance, says Lucy Frew at Walkers Global.

  • HMRC Transfer Pricing Guide A Vital Resource For Businesses

    Author Photo

    HM Revenue & Customs' recent guidelines on common transfer pricing compliance risks should be required reading for affected businesses in indicating HMRC's expected benchmark for documents and policies, say Tomoko Ikawa and Kapisha Vyas at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Insights From FRC's Report On Good Corporate Governance

    Author Photo

    Although the Financial Reporting Council’s recent report on private companies opting to follow the Wates principles has identified improvements, it is important for organizations to provide transparent disclosures and avoid boilerplate, tickbox filings, says Tessa Hastie at BCLP.

  • What To Know About The UK Overseas Funds Regime

    Author Photo

    The U.K.’s overseas funds regime is now open for applications, providing a simplified way of offering a foreign fund to U.K. retail investors, and the Financial Conduct Authority's clear policy statement on implementation should ease the transition process from the existing scheme, say lawyers at Dechert.

  • Takeaways From SRA Consumer Protection Review

    Author Photo

    While the Solicitors Regulation Authority prepares to announce its findings later this year following its consumer protection consultation, the topic of handling client funds is very much alive in the legal industry, with polarizing views on what should happen as a result of the review, says Claire Van Der Zant at Shieldpay.

  • Reflecting On 12 Months Of The EU Foreign Subsidy Regime

    Author Photo

    New European Commission guidance, addressing procedural questions and finally providing clarity on “distortion” in merger control and public procurement, offers an opportunity to reflect on the year since foreign subsidy notification obligations were introduced, say lawyers at Fried Frank.

  • What Updated Guide Means For Jersey's Private Funds

    Author Photo

    The Jersey Financial Services Commission's recent updates to the Jersey Private Fund Guide clarify existing provisions and introduce new requirements for fund managers, service providers and investors, demonstrating a clear commitment to maintaining Jersey's reputation as an attractive jurisdiction for investment, say lawyers at Walkers Global.

  • The Road Ahead For Tokenized Investment Funds In The UK

    Author Photo

    With an HM Treasury working group expected to release the final phase of a road map for tokenized investment funds by the end of the year, Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP discuss the advantages for investors and fund administrators, the proposed model for implementation, and what the regulatory landscape may look like.

  • Review Of EU Cross-Border Merger Regs' Impact On Irish Cos.

    Author Photo

    Looking back on the year since the European Union Mobility Directive was transposed into Irish law, enabling Irish and European Economic Area limited liability companies to participate in cross-border deals, it is clear that restructuring options available to Irish companies with EU operations have significantly expanded, say lawyers at Matheson.

  • A Look At UK, EU And US Cartel Enforcement Trends

    Author Photo

    The European Union, U.K. and U.S. competition agencies' recently issued joint statement on competition risks in generative artificial intelligence demonstrates increased cross-border collaboration on cartel investigations, meaning companies facing investigations in one jurisdiction should anticipate related investigations in other jurisdictions, say lawyers at Latham & Watkins.

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

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Financial Services UK archive.