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Financial Services UK

Cryptocurrency coming out of a man's hand

FCA's Crypto Ban Reversal Unleashes Consumer Harm Risk

The Financial Conduct Authority's proposed reversal of its ban on crypto exchange-traded notes for retail investors has paved the way for immeasurable consumer harm, U.K. and U.S. lawyers have warned.

Pedestrians walk past the sign outside the headquarters of the white-collar agency in London.

SFO's Growth Push A 'Difficult Line To Tread' For Prosecutor

The Serious Fraud Office's recent promise to assist UK PLC with growth has raised eyebrows among former officials who question the optics of adopting political talking points that, on the surface, appear to distract from investigating and prosecuting economic crime.

Compliance in the workplace concept: photo of keyboard and cardboard files.

UK Growth Push Puts FCA Enforcement On Unfamiliar Footing

The government's demand that regulators should prioritize growth is "largely incompatible" with their duty to deter misconduct, say lawyers who are warning clients not to interpret the political messaging as a green light to engage in risky behavior.

American and Russian flags fly together in a breeze.

From Russia With Love? UK Lawyers Mull Sanctions U-Turn

Finance companies are enlisting white-collar lawyers to draw up plans for tapping back into Russia if the U.S. breaks with its Western allies and eases sanctions, although experts warn that unpredictable political winds mean there are as many risks as opportunities.

June 25, 2025
Sanctioned Co. Director Convicted Of Failing To Give Info

A sanctioned company director was convicted in a criminal court in London on Wednesday of failing to adequately respond to a request for information by the U.K.'s sanctions agency.
June 25, 2025
EU Watchdog Pushes To Expand Digital Asset Program

The European Union's market watchdog advised lawmakers Wednesday to make a pilot scheme for tokenizing securities on digital ledger technology more flexible for investors and permanent.
June 25, 2025
EU Insurers Push For Simplified Cybersecurity Regulation

A trade body for European insurers urged the European Commission on Tuesday to streamline the bloc's potentially counter-productive聽rule book on cybersecurity and digital resilience to help reduce duplication as the compliance burdens on the sector increase.
June 25, 2025
EFG Unit To Buy 75% Stake In NZ Investment Firm For $41M

Global private banking group EFG International AG said Wednesday that its Australian subsidiary Shaw and Partners Financial Services has agreed to acquire 75% of New Zealand-based investment firm Investment Services Group for 67.5 million New Zealand dollars ($40.6 million).
June 25, 2025
FCA Floats Mortgage Rule Changes To Aid Homebuyers

The Financial Conduct Authority suggested changes to its mortgage rules on Wednesday to make it easier to lend to first-time homebuyers and others, in a drive to boost property ownership.
June 25, 2025
Adviser Wren Sterling Expands In Scotland With Acquisition

Financial and pensions advisory business Wren Sterling said Wednesday that it has acquired City Financial (Aberdeen) Ltd., expanding its presence in Scotland.
June 25, 2025
Sweden Fines Diagnostics Co. $1.25M For Market Abuse

Sweden's financial watchdog has fined a medical diagnostics company 12 million Swedish kronor ($1.25 million) for breaching European Union regulations on market abuse following an investigation into its handling of insider information, the company revealed on Wednesday.
June 25, 2025
ECB Clears Monte Dei Paschi's 鈧�13.3B Mediobanca Deal

Italian lender Monte dei Paschi said Wednesday that the European Central Bank has waved through its 鈧�13.3 billion ($15.4 billion) proposed takeover of rival Mediobanca SpA, ramping up consolidation in the country's banking sector.
June 24, 2025
Irwin Mitchell Can't Ax Pension Fraud Negligence Claim

A London court on Tuesday denied Irwin Mitchell's bid to scrap a professional negligence suit against a firm it merged with in 2015, but ruled Irwin Mitchell itself is not liable for the advice given to a pensioner in the wake of alleged fraud.
June 24, 2025
Solicitor Denies Inducing Trust To Invest 拢5.8m In His Firm

A solicitor has denied fraudulently inducing a family trust into investing 拢5.75 million ($7.84 million) into a company he part owned that became insolvent, arguing the trust made its own assessment to become involved in the "low risk" project.
June 24, 2025
VietJet Air Loses Bid To Ax $181M Plane Lease Dispute Ruling

A Vietnamese budget airline聽lost its fight to overturn a decision that it is liable to pay an investment company $181 million for failing to make aircraft leasing payments when a London court ruled Tuesday that the notices served to terminate the leasing deals were valid.
June 24, 2025
Fintech Accuses JP Morgan Of Waging 'Proxy War' In Greece

Fintech company WeRealize accused J.P. Morgan on Tuesday of waging a legal "proxy war" against its directors in Greece to prevent it from purchasing the investment bank's stake in a聽payments startup joint venture.
June 24, 2025
Broker's Costs Cut By 拢3M Over 'Vague' Trade Secrets Case

A London court has slashed an investment broker's recoverable costs by half to 拢3.3 million ($4.5 million) despite previously upholding its claim that a hedge fund and consultant took its trade secrets, ruling that the firm increased costs "at every turn."
June 24, 2025
Groups Urge EU To Trim Sustainable Finance Reporting Rules

Top global financial services industry trade bodies have urged European lawmakers in its review of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation to cut duplication with other sustainability reporting rules and reflect derivatives more clearly.
June 24, 2025
Treasury Official Tapped As Interim Pensions Regulator Chair

The government has revealed Civil Service veteran Kirstin Baker as the next interim chair of Britain's retirement savings watchdog.
June 24, 2025
Danish Pensions Fintech Biz Expands Into UK Market

Festina Finance, a Danish financial technology company, said it has begun fully operating its retirement savings platform for administrators of British pension plans.
June 23, 2025
Trafigura Beats Dubai Bank Unit's 'Cynical' $21M Fraud Case

Trafigura on Monday defeated a claim by a subsidiary of Dubai's Rasmala Investment Bank alleging that the commodities trader tricked it into providing $21 million to pay off another company's debts, with a London court ruling the trader was not part of the deception.
June 23, 2025
Luxembourg Lender Sues Urbas For 鈧�189M Over Unpaid Debt

A credit provider has alleged that a Spanish real estate development group owes it more than 鈧�189 million ($218 million) over an unpaid loan, and said the group's companies have deliberately misrepresented their payment and debt obligations.
June 23, 2025
EU Fund Managers Could See Simplified Data Reporting

The European Union's financial watchdog on Monday released proposals to simplify how asset managers report data to regulators.
June 23, 2025
Investors Say Hargreaves Ignored Woodford Fund's Problems

Thousands of investors who lost out when Neil Woodford's fund collapsed in 2019 have sued asset manager Hargeaves Lansdown, saying the firm kept the fund on its prestigious Wealth List long after it should have known it was headed for administration.
June 23, 2025
EU Proposes Cutting Transaction Reporting Rules For Firms

The European Union's markets watchdog proposed Monday to simplify rules for financial firms on reporting transactions to national regulators.
June 23, 2025
LCP Hits Milestone With Pensions Dashboard Connection

Consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock LLP has connected its first pensions administration manager to the government's private sector pensions dashboard, providing savers with access to their financial retirement information.
June 23, 2025
Aviva Pushes Investment In Nature-Based Flood Solutions

Insurance giant Aviva said on Monday its backing of a low-cost project to increase resilience to flooding in Norfolk is paying off, with impact analysis showing homes have been protected effectively.
June 23, 2025
Squire Patton Steers Just's 拢67M Pension Deal For 2 Plans

Pension insurer Just Group said Monday it has penned a 拢67 million ($90 million) retirement savings deal for two plans, guided by law firm Squire Patton Boggs LLP.
June 20, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen Pogust Goodhead face legal action from mining giant BHP Group, Trainline bring a procurement claim against the Department for Transport, Sworders auction house sue Conservative peer Patricia Rawlings, and Nokia hit with a patents claim by Hisense. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

Editor's Picks

5 Questions For Spencer West Partner Karl Foster

The Financial Conduct Authority's approach to enforcement and consumer protection has come up against government economic growth priorities and resistance from the sector to its proposals to "name and shame" companies聽early on during regulatory probes.
UK Draft Pay Fraud Rules Open Tricky Legal Liabilities

The government's new draft legislation, which will give banks longer to investigate suspicions of fraud before they send payments instructed by customers, will create a wave of new legal liabilities and lead to regulatory hurdles, according to lawyers.
FCA Fires Warning Shot Over City's Consumer Duty Failings

The Financial Conduct Authority has sent out a fresh warning to financial services companies highlighting how some of them are failing to comply with its Consumer Duty regime. But experts have told Law360 that the expectations are unclear.

Expert Analysis

Key Takeaways As EU And UK Impose New Russia Sanctions

The European Union and U.K.鈥檚 new sanctions on Russia, designating increasing numbers of non-Russian companies in the defense and shipping sectors, mean that organizations must examine from the outset whether a transaction has any nexus with the EU or the U.K., say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.
Pension Schemes Bill's Most Notable, Controversial Measures

The long-awaited Pension Schemes Bill recently introduced to Parliament creates a framework for harnessing money saved in U.K. workplace pension funds to grow the country鈥檚 economy, but provisions relating to local government pension scheme investment, and scale and asset allocation, are controversial, says Claire Dimmock at Squire Patton.
What New FCA Private Stock Market System Could Offer Cos.

While the Financial Conduct Authority鈥檚 new secondary private stock market system will bring more control and less ongoing regulatory compliance than a public market, but because the regime grants a significant degree of flexibility to operators it may be some time before a full operational picture emerges, says Iain Wright at Morgan Lewis.
Fraud Office Guidance Highlights Value Of Self-Reporting

New guidance from the U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office on corporate self-reporting, cooperation and deferred prosecution agreements provides a useful framework for companies navigating criminal investigations and their potential resolutions 鈥� and underscores that corporations that self-report are in a better position to obtain DPAs than those that do not, say lawyers at Skadden.
Open Questions As FCA Prepares Buy Now, Pay Later Rules

HM Treasury鈥檚 recent response to its consultation on buy now, pay later lending regulation is clear on policy, but with rules still to be set by the Financial Conduct Authority it is difficult for firms to plan for change, and they should take advantage now of the opportunity to liaise with the regulator, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
What End of Payment Systems Regulator Means For Biz

The U.K. government鈥檚 plan to abolish the Payment Systems Regulator and absorb its functions into the Financial Conduct Authority should eventually lighten the compliance burden for businesses under the PSR鈥檚 remit, which may in turn encourage growth, but the proposed changes will roll out slowly, say lawyers at Farrer & Co.
Compliance Lessons From Art Dealer's Terror Financing Plea

Regulated businesses can learn from the missteps of a recently convicted London art dealer, who failed to disclose sales to a suspected Hezbollah financier, by implementing compliance measures like anti-terrorism financing screenings as robust as their anti-money laundering policies and training staff to spot red flags, say lawyers at White & Case.
UK Securities Tax Reform Will Be Welcomed By Investors

The proposed reforms resulting from HM Revenue & Customs' recent consultation on modernizing stamp taxes on shares, suggesting a single digital tax on securities to replace stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax, are expected to reduce complexity for investors transacting in U.K. securities, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.
UK Capital Reforms May Help Startup Founders, VC Investors

Hidden in the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority's recent proposals on the definition of capital for investment firms are changes to the eligibility requirements for instruments to be included in a firm's regulatory capital 鈥� changes that may reduce the risk of investing, especially in early-stage fintech firms, says Andrew Henderson at Goodwin.
EU Watchdog's ESG Dashboard Raises Transparency Bar

The European Banking Authority鈥檚 recently introduced ESG dashboard is a key tool in aligning financial institutions with the European Union's sustainability policies, and fundamentally alters the risk environment by transitioning climate-related data from a compliance afterthought to a core component of strategic decision-making, says Krist媒na Tup谩 at Sch枚nherr.
What To Note As HM Treasury, FCA Plan New Crypto Regs

Taken together, HM Treasury鈥檚 recently proposed crypto-asset regulations and the Financial Conduct Authority鈥檚 new discussion paper on regulating crypto-asset activities provide key insights into the government's planned regime, which represents significant changes that will affect all firms providing related services, says Mark Chalmers at Davis Polk.
Tools For Effective Asset Tracking In Offshore Jurisdictions

In light of a technology company's recent allegations that its former CEO maintained an undisclosed interest in offshore companies, practitioners may want to refresh their knowledge of the tool kit available for tracing and recovering allegedly misappropriated assets from both onshore and offshore jurisdictions, say lawyers at Walkers Global.
FCA Review Highlights Valuation Standards For Private Funds

The Financial Conduct Authority鈥檚 recent review of private funds valuation practices underscores the increasing importance of conducting robust and independent procedures, offering an opportunity for fund managers to strengthen their current valuation frameworks and improve investor confidence, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.
What Santander Fraud Ruling Means For UK Banking Sector

A London court's recent judgment in Santander v. CCP Graduate School held that a bank does not owe any duty to third-party victims of authorized push payment fraud, reaffirming the steps banks are already taking to protect their own customers from sophisticated fraud mechanisms, say lawyers at Charles Russell.
FCA Update Eases Private Stock Market Disclosure Rules

The Financial Conduct Authority鈥檚 recently updated proposals for the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System would result in less onerous disclosure obligations for businesses, reflecting ongoing efforts to balance an attractive trading venue for private companies while maintaining sufficient investor protections, say lawyers at Debevoise.