Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • June 16, 2026

    FCA Eyes Higher Fines After Setbacks In Staley Case

    The financial regulator has said it plans to hike the fines it imposes on individuals for misconduct following a series of legal setbacks that slashed its sanctions against senior executives. 

  • June 15, 2026

    OnlyFans Software Platform Denies Breaching Antitrust Laws

    An OnlyFans software platform has denied a rival company's claim that it breached competition law by failing to make user data readily available, telling a London court that it was under no obligation to do so.

  • June 15, 2026

    Disqualified Director Jailed For £3M Fraud, Money Laundering

    A company director has been sentenced to four years in prison for diverting more than £3 million ($4 million) through an insolvency fraud and money laundering scheme, the Insolvency Service said.

  • June 15, 2026

    KC Says He Was Entitled To Cut Tax Bill In £2M Evasion Case

    A senior barrister accused of cheating the public purse out of almost £2 million ($2.7 million) told a court on Monday that he was "morally entitled" to pursue a strategy to reduce his tax liability.

  • June 15, 2026

    Tech Firms Urged To Pay Up As UK Fraud Hits £1.3B

    Technology and telecoms companies should be forced to join banks in compensating consumers for payment fraud, the body representing financial institutions in the U.K. said on Monday, as it revealed that criminals stole £1.28 billion ($1.72 billion) in 2025.

  • June 15, 2026

    Pensions Regulator Adds 3 Senior Execs To Its Board

    The government said Monday that it has appointed three new members to the board of the pensions watchdog in a move to bolster its leadership ahead of sweeping reforms that are set to reshape the retirement sector.

  • June 12, 2026

    Businessman Unable To Unmask Source For High-Risk Listing

    A Chinese businessman suspected of financial crime linked to his U.K. property interests lost a bid on Friday to force a London Stock Exchange Group unit to explain how his name appeared on a database of high-risk individuals.

  • June 12, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen the FCA bring a claim against a fund manager it accused of providing investment services despite having been banned, an Ardmore unit sue a contractor two days before the construction group's collapse, and shipping and cruise giant MSC hit back at an entertainment company following separate intellectual property litigation in the U.S. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 12, 2026

    4 Members Of £23M Crypto Money Laundering Ring Jailed

    The leaders of a £23.4 million ($31.3 million) money laundering ring that cleaned money for Irish and Kurdish organized criminals were sentenced to a total of more than 27 years' imprisonment at a London court Friday.

  • June 12, 2026

    Drinks Co. Says $1.1M Wine IP Battle Judgment Won By Fraud

    A U.K. drinks business has accused an American beverage brand creator of obtaining a $1.1 million U.S. court judgment by fraud in a dispute over the British company's purchase of a wine brand.

  • June 12, 2026

    City Police Launch Crackdown On Travel Insurance Fraud

    The U.K.'s financial crime police force said it had arrested a man who had faked his own death to support a fraudulent insurance claim, as part of a national fraud crackdown.

  • June 12, 2026

    Ex-Defense Executives Can Be Named In Bribery DPA Docs

    Former executives at a British defense contractor can be named as part of a corporate bribery settlement owing to the public interest in identifying them, a London judge has ruled, in a potentially precedent-setting legal decision for open justice published Friday.

  • June 11, 2026

    Ex-Bank Chief Admits Role In Odebrecht Tax Evasion Plot

    The former CEO of Austrian lender Meinl Bank AG on Thursday pled guilty in Brooklyn federal court after a yearslong fight over accusations he helped Odebrecht SA hide $170 million in funds used to bribe officials around the world and defraud the Brazilian government out of more than $100 million in taxes. 

  • June 11, 2026

    Ex-Moelis Banker Avoids Prison After US Trip To Admit Guilt

    A Manhattan federal judge allowed a former Moelis & Co. investment banker to avoid prison Thursday after he voluntarily traveled to the United States to cop to his role in a large insider trading conspiracy that profited from stolen merger secrets.

  • June 11, 2026

    SFO Recovers Extra Proceeds From £8.2M Biofuel Fraud Case

    The Serious Fraud Office secured a £96,000 ($128,000) confiscation order on Thursday against one of seven men who defrauded thousands of investors out of £8.2 million through a sham biofuel company.

  • June 11, 2026

    Lender Gets Possession Over Sanctioned Russian's Home

    A mortgage provider won a dispute Thursday with the sanctioned daughter of Russian arms manufacturer Mkrtich Okroevich Okroyan when a London judge ruled that it can claim her home because she cannot make due payments.

  • June 11, 2026

    S&P Accused Of Inflating Credit Ratings Ahead Of 2008 Crash

    S&P knowingly generated artificially high credit ratings for risky securities to win business before the 2008 financial crisis, an investment company that acquired claims from several Bear Stearns funds alleged in a new court claim.

  • June 11, 2026

    KC In £2M Evasion Case Defends 'Efficient' Tax Setup

    A senior barrister accused of cheating the public purse out of almost £2 million ($2.7 million) told a court Thursday that he had set up "tax-efficient" arrangements which "anyone with any sense would use."

  • June 11, 2026

    BancTrust CEO To Challenge FCA Fine Over Disclosure Lapse

    The chief executive of an investment bank will challenge a £99,600 ($133,000) fine for allegedly failing to disclose sanctions imposed by U.S. finance regulators and that Venezuelan authorities had frozen his bank accounts, the Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday.

  • June 11, 2026

    2 Men Guilty Of Selling Arms To Libya, Syria, S. Sudan

    Two men who "showed a blatant disregard for international sanctions" were convicted on Thursday of illegally selling arms and military equipment to war-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East, HM Revenue and Customs said.

  • June 11, 2026

    MFS Auditors Probed Following Mortgage Lender's Collapse

    The U.K.'s accounting watchdog opened an investigation on Thursday into the conduct of individuals and firms involved in auditing the books of failed mortgage lender Market Financial Solutions, whose collapse has sparked allegations of a £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) fraud.

  • June 11, 2026

    Forex Co. Placed In Administration Over Client Money Gap

    The U.K.'s financial services regulator won an order on Thursday putting a currency exchange and international payment processing business into special administration over concerns about a suspected £2.8 million ($3.7 million) shortfall in customer money accounts.

  • June 10, 2026

    KC Says HMRC Tried To 'Cancel' Him In £2M Evasion Case

    A senior tax barrister told a court Wednesday that HM Revenue and Customs prosecuting him for evading almost £2 million ($2.7 million) in tax was its way of "canceling" a person the tax authority found "extremely inconvenient."

  • June 10, 2026

    Property Developer Accused Of £2.3M Rent Fraud

    A company owned by Iranian-American telecoms entrepreneur Bita Daryabari accused a property developer Wednesday of defrauding it out of more than £2.3 million ($3 million) over four years by understating rental income from a luxury apartment.

  • June 10, 2026

    EPPO Wins Bid To Quiz EU Officials Over Hiring 'Irregularities'

    The European Union's fraud prosecutor won its fight on Wednesday to force the bloc's auditing agency to lift confidentiality for 12 officials so they can give evidence to an investigation into recruitment "irregularities" concerning one of the auditor's employees.

Expert Analysis

  • Limited Claims Raise Concerns About Subsidy Act's Efficacy

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    With significantly fewer challenges to date than expected under the Subsidy Control Act, it appears that parties may be unwilling to bring claims or unaware of their rights, calling into question the effectiveness of the regime, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • How To Navigate AI M&A Risks, Compliance In Europe

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    As the artificial intelligence industry continues to witness substantial M&A transactions in Europe, parties should be mindful of the unique challenges posed by the acquisition of intangible AI technologies, monitor the evolving regulatory landscape, and establish optimal mechanisms for risk allocation, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Is In Store For ESG Litigation In UK And EU

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    With 2025 seeing more sophisticated and far-reaching environmental litigation, and regulatory enforcement set to continue, a focus on greenwashing and climate attribution science is likely in 2026, and organizations must remain vigilant and proactive in their approach to sustainability risks and opportunities, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Noting Similarities And Divergences In UK, EU Apple Rulings

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    While recent judgments against Apple by the Competition Appeal Tribunal and European Commission all focus on the Apple ecosystem and point toward closer scrutiny of its App Store rules, their analytical methodologies and potential enforcement routes differ, highlighting differences in approaches to competition law, say lawyers at Perkins Coie.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: EU Law And Treaty Arbitration

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    A recent Singapore court ruling in DNZ v. DOA upholding an arbitration award against Poland constitutes a significant affirmation of the autonomy of international arbitration from regional constitutional orders when disputes are adjudicated outside those orders, says Josep Galvez of 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • What To Expect From UK Prospectus Regime Changes

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    The new U.K. prospectus regime for trading on regulated markets, effective Jan. 19, aims to streamline processes and reduce costs, but a significant shift in structuring and disclosure obligations will increase pressure on practitioners to manage risk under tighter timelines, say lawyers at Baker Botts.

  • 10 Financial Regulatory Changes To Prepare For In 2026

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    A number of changes in the financial regulatory sphere are due this year, from targeted support to payment safeguarding and a new consumer composite investments regime, and firms should plan to address the policies and regulatory strategies relevant to them, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • How Gov't AML Supervision Reform Will Affect Law Firms

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    In confirming that the Financial Conduct Authority will become the single supervisor for professional services, HM Treasury’s planned reform of the U.K.’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing supervision regime marks a significant change for the legal profession, signaling a greater emphasis on evidence and accountability, says Harriet Holmes at Thirdfort.

  • EU Financial Regulation Trends Cos. Need To Watch In 2026

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    An ever-increasing number of initiatives on the European Union regulatory agenda, with simplification and consistent implementation being priorities, means financial services businesses with a footprint in the EU or seeking to establish one will face significant challenges and strategic opportunities, say lawyers at Taylor Wessing.

  • What To Expect From UK, EU Crypto Regime Changes In 2026

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    With 2025 marking the first operational year of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation and the U.K.’s rules reaching their final legislative form, the two jurisdictions are converging in focus, but structural design differences mean firms active in both markets will require dedicated documentation to ensure compliance, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Cos. Can Expect From CMA Consumer Protection Drive

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    The Competition and Markets Authority’s recently launched consumer protection drive targeting banned online sales practices focuses on supporting compliance rather than on enforcement, although firms should expect this to change once businesses have had time to adapt to the regulator's new regime, say lawyers at Baker Botts.

  • Preparing For UK's New Tax Fraud Whistleblower Program

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    With the U.K. government introducing a U.S.-style whistleblower incentive scheme to tackle high-value tax avoidance and evasion, companies should take proactive steps and establish clear protocols to mitigate the potential increase in tax investigations, say lawyers at Skadden.

  • Key Trends Shaping ESG And Sustainability Law In 2026

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    2025 saw a chaotic regulatory landscape and novel litigation around environmental, social and governance issues and sustainability — and 2026, while perhaps more predictable, will likely be no less challenging, with more lawsuits and a regulatory tug-of-war complicating compliance for global companies, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Digital Regulation In EU And UK: The Enduring 2025 Themes

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    With EU and U.K. digital regulation becoming an operational reality in 2025 and no sign of slowing in 2026, organizations need to embed content moderation, cybersecurity and data access obligations into their compliance structures, although legislative divergences mean that multinational businesses must also consider parallel and sometimes conflicting expectations, say lawyers at Morrison & Foerster.

  • FCA Enforcement Trends In 2025 And Expectations For 2026

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s clear intention in 2025 to conduct fewer, faster investigations and reinforce transparency is likely to continue in 2026, with a dual-pronged approach of targeted enforcement and assertive supervision to fight crime, support growth and help consumers as its priorities, say lawyers at WilmerHale.

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