Corporate Crime & Compliance UK

  • June 19, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Royal Mail Pension Plan companies sue Wates Construction after investing in a Cambridge development project, law firm Ronald Fletcher Baker launch proceedings against several former partners and the rival firm they moved to, Lansdowne Law, and energy group VAROPreem bring an intellectual property claim against North Sea producer Viaro Energy and its chief executive. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 19, 2026

    UK Inheritance Tax Revenue Growth Slows

    Inheritance tax receipts for April and May reached £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) in a slight dip in tax revenue compared with the 2025 tax take, despite frozen tax thresholds, according to official data published Friday.

  • June 19, 2026

    Software Co. Sellers Deny Inflating Finances In Criteo Deal

    Investors in a communications software provider have hit back against a £7.5 million ($9.9 million) claim brought by BidSwitch, denying that they fraudulently inflated the financial position of the company in an attempt to persuade the internet advertising broker to buy it.

  • June 19, 2026

    Mex Group Faces $170M Claim Over 'Misused' Freezing Order

    A business executive and two financial services companies said Friday that they are seeking more than $170 million from Mex Group over alleged losses stemming from a worldwide freezing order that they say the trading group weaponized after its conspiracy case against them collapsed.

  • June 19, 2026

    Appeals Court Scraps Redo Of Pfizer, Flynn Drug Fines

    The Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that the Competition Appeal Tribunal was wrong to remake a decision to fine Pfizer Ltd. and Flynn Pharma Ltd. £70 million ($93 million) for excessive pricing, finding that the process was tainted by procedural unfairness.

  • June 19, 2026

    EU Adviser Backs ECB Refusal Of Latvian Bank's Info Request

    The European Central Bank was entitled to partially refuse a request by ABLV Bank for correspondence in the lead-up to the Latvian lender being shuttered amid money laundering concerns, an adviser to the EU's top court has said.

  • June 18, 2026

    Microsoft Joins Fight To Preserve EU-US Data Transfer Pact

    Microsoft Corp. has secured permission to support the European Commission in its effort to shield a vital agreement that enables personal data to flow freely from the European Union to the U.S. from a French lawmaker's attempt to convince the bloc's highest court to strike down the transfer mechanism.

  • June 18, 2026

    PE Co. Director Denies Helping Trader Drain $9M Investment

    The director of a private equity company has denied conspiring with a bond market trader to divert a management consultancy's $9.4 million investment to his own company, saying the payments were part of a legitimate venture involving non-fungible tokens.

  • June 18, 2026

    Solicitor Reprimanded For Not Disclosing SRA Probe

    A lawyer has been reprimanded by a tribunal for failing to disclose in a bar application that he was being investigated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority over a potential breach of his anti-money laundering obligations.

  • June 18, 2026

    Hong Kong Spies Get 18 Years Over Shadow Police Ops In UK

    Two men were sentenced on Thursday to a combined 18 years in prison for spying for China through "shadow policing operations" that targeted Hong Kong dissidents living in Britain.

  • June 18, 2026

    FCA Closes Probe Into Drax Biomass Fuel Sourcing Claims

    The finance watchdog said Thursday that it had closed its investigation into Drax Group PLC over its concerns about what the company had told the market about the sustainability of wood it used for biomass fuel.

  • June 18, 2026

    FCA Turns To Early Action As AI Speeds Financial Crime

    The financial regulator has said that it is increasingly using supervisory powers and early intervention to prevent harm before launching formal investigations as technological advances and AI accelerate financial crime.

  • June 17, 2026

    Danish Financier Denied Tax Appeal For Missing Deadline

    A Danish financier and his company can't appeal a decision over a tax bill of over £866,000 ($1.2 million) despite his claim that they face a 200% tax rate, a London tribunal ruled, saying he had no good reason for missing a previous appeal deadline.

  • June 17, 2026

    Lawmakers Table Twin Anti-SLAPP Bills After Reform Delays

    A Conservative lawmaker was set to introduce a private member's bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday aimed at expanding protection against strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as SLAPPs, a day after similar measures were proposed in the House of Lords.

  • June 17, 2026

    Travel Tech Co. Hit With Record £1M Russian Sanctions Fine

    The U.K. government hit travel business Sabre Global Technologies Ltd. with a record £1 million ($1.34 million) fine for repeatedly breaching Russian sanctions by providing services to a sanctioned Russian airline.

  • June 17, 2026

    Former OPEC Head Acquitted In London Bribery Trial

    A former Nigerian oil minister and two alleged associates were cleared by a London jury on Wednesday of accepting or seeking bribes from energy executives.

  • June 17, 2026

    Sweden's Ikano Bank Fined $14.9M For AML Violations

    Sweden's financial services regulator said Wednesday that it had hit Ikano Bank AB with a 140 million Swedish kronor ($14.9 million) fine for violating anti-money laundering regulations.

  • June 17, 2026

    Visa Sued By H&M, Eurostar In Latest Swipe Fees Case

    More than 30 major businesses and institutions including H&M, Heineken and a university have sued Visa at a London court, alleging that the payment card company's fees and rules restricted competition and drove up prices.

  • June 17, 2026

    Audit Watchdog Revamps Enforcement Kit For Early Detection

    The accounting regulator said on Wednesday that it will go ahead with proposals to improve its approach to enforcement, setting out new options such as publishing cases it has pursued, which it said would offer it a "broad and more flexible range of routes to resolution."

  • June 16, 2026

    KC Defends Gardener Trust Deal In £2M Evasion Trial

    A senior barrister accused of cheating the public purse out of almost £2 million ($2.7 million) argued Tuesday that his former gardener perfectly understood that an agreement to be compensated for his services via a trust was not binding.

  • June 16, 2026

    Rathbones Halts New High-Risk Clients After FCA Review

    Wealth manager Rathbones Group PLC said Tuesday that it has paused onboarding new clients that require enhanced due diligence after a regulatory review identified areas of improvement for its consumer duty implementation and certain compliance, oversight and assurance arrangements.

  • June 16, 2026

    Fitch Accused Of Inflating Debt Ratings Before 2008 Crash

    Fitch Ratings secretly adjusted its credit rating models in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis to generate artificially high credit ratings for complex debt investments, motivated by a desire to grow its revenues, an investment firm said in its latest claim against a major rating agency. 

  • June 16, 2026

    Chinese Cos. Save Patent On Banknote Security Strip

    Two Chinese companies have convinced European appellate officials to revive their patent for an embedded security strip used on banknotes and credit cards, handing a loss to a security firm and plastics maker that argued its anti-counterfeiting magnetic strip wasn't new.

  • June 16, 2026

    Russian Shadow Fleet Ship Captain Charged Over Sanctions

    Prosecutors have charged the captain of a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker with circumventing the U.K.'s sanctions after the vessel was seized by special forces in the English Channel on Sunday.

  • 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. 

Expert Analysis

  • How Anthropic's Mythos May Upend Defense Cyber Rules

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    Anthropic’s recent announcement that Claude Mythos, an AI general-purpose language model, could soon enable virtually anyone to exploit vulnerabilities in major web browsers and operating systems marks an imminent increase in threat levels that current defense cybersecurity regulations were not designed to navigate, say attorneys at Fluet.

  • How New Act Expands UK Managers' Corporate Crime Liability

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    The recent enforcement of the Crime and Policing Act is a watershed moment for U.K. corporate criminal liability, facilitating the prosecution of organizations for the actions of their senior managers by extending liability beyond the individual with the directing mind and will to those who play a significant role in a business’s decision‑making, say lawyers at WilmerHale.

  • CMA's Actions Signal New Spotlight On UK Consumer Law

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    The Competition and Markets Authority’s recent hidden fee fine against the AA — its first infringement decision using its new direct enforcement powers — as well as its investigations into fake online reviews and scrutiny of subscription contracts, demonstrate the regulator's new focus on tackling the most egregious breaches of U.K. consumer law, say lawyers at Wilson Sonsini.

  • What Dutch AI Decision-Making Guidance Means For Cos.

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    The Dutch Data Protection Authority’s recent draft guidelines on customers' rights to an explanation in automated decision-making processes under the General Data Protection Regulation raise important operational and governance considerations for companies, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.

  • Understanding The Legal Risks Of Fragile Supply Chains

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    To ensure supply chain resilience in times of crisis — such as the recent blockage of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz — it is important for everyone involved in the chain to understand the distribution arrangements and laws applicable across jurisdictions, say lawyers at Brown Rudnick.

  • How New E-Evidence Rules Will Affect EU-US Data Transfers

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    The forthcoming European Union e-evidence regulation signals the need to preserve digital evidence that is stored outside the issuing jurisdiction, bringing the EU significantly closer to the model employed by the U.S. and reflecting a shift in the legal landscape for cross-border data transfers, say lawyers at MoFo.

  • Compliance Landscape Shifts As CMA Targets Fake Reviews

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    The Competition and Markets Authority’s investigations into five companies’ alleged misleading online reviews are the first use of its administrative powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, marking a turning point in U.K. consumer protection enforcement, say lawyers at Fieldfisher.

  • SFO Plan Focuses On Resilience But Funding Doubts Persist

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    The Serious Fraud Office’s emphasis on tighter case management and making greater use of technology in its latest business plan suggests a concern with strengthening complex financial crime enforcement, however the agency may not have the resources to deliver meaningful change, say lawyers at Signature Litigation.

  • EU Defense Road Map Opens Doors To New Market Entrants

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    The European Economic and Social Committee's and European Investment Bank Group’s recent endorsements of the European Commission’s EU defense industry transformation road map signal positivity for ongoing implementation, making public procurement more accessible to innovative newcomers and creating fresh opportunities to participate in security-relevant innovation projects, say lawyers at Dechert.

  • Sanctions Spotlight: Key Priorities Of OFSI's 3-Year Strategy

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    The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation's 2026-2029 strategy to assist businesses by providing practical compliance advice and more predictable support will be welcomed, although the process for obtaining guidance and whether the ensuing information will be made publicly available remains unclear, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.

  • EU Risks Falling Behind With Delay In Digitization Rule Fixes

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    With financial organizations calling for the European Union to fast-track modifications to the Distributed Ledger Technology Pilot Regime and the EU signaling that tokenization is a permanent feature of the financial landscape, the sector needs to prepare for the now inevitable shift, says Antonio Lanotte at Futura Law.

  • What To Know About Proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act

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    The European Commission’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act aims to reverse the decline of the European Union's manufacturing sector and support cleaner technologies by introducing EU origin and low-carbon requirements, but with the definition of “Made in the EU” still under debate, the text may yet undergo significant changes, say lawyers at Crowell.

  • Insights From FCA's Latest Customer Due Diligence Review

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent report on customer due diligence controls explains what distinguishes good policies and procedures from those that are lacking, and should encourage firms to check that their processes are detailed, practical and relevant to the business, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • How New EU Third-Country Branch Rules Will Affect UK Banks

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    The European Union's new directive on third-country branch rules for non-EU banks will have a significant impact on U.K. banks, which will no longer be permitted to provide core cross-border services into the EU without a local presence, unless an applicable exemption or carveout applies, say lawyers at Farrer & Co.

  • Lessons From ESMA's Record €1.4M Trade Repository Fine

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    The European Securities and Markets Authority's recent fine against REGIS-TR for data and procedure breaches under Market Infrastructure and Securities Financing Regulations demonstrates that a license confers no immunity from sanctions, and that dually registered trade repositories face a greater financial exposure in the event of noncompliance, say lawyers at White & Case.

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