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Financial Services UK
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April 23, 2024
FCA Charges Man With Fraud In £2.7M Investment Scheme
The Financial Conduct Authority said Tuesday that it had charged a British man with fraud after he hid "significant losses" from investors as part of a £2.67 million ($3.33 million) scheme trading on foreign exchange markets.
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April 23, 2024
Bank Of Ireland Used Deceit To Loan Millions, Investor Claims
Bank of Ireland allegedly deceived a real estate investment business into borrowing millions from it by giving inflated property evaluations based on old estimates that were £1.2 million ($1.5 million) higher than up-to-date figures, according to a London court filing.
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April 23, 2024
Investment Fund Accuses Repository Of Dishonesty
A U.K. investment fund has accused a registered securitization repository of acting dishonestly and unlawfully when it repeatedly refused to provide the fund's subsidiary access to data critical to help it make informed decisions about future investments.
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April 23, 2024
FCA Clarifies Greenwashing Rule, Extends ESG regime
The Financial Conduct Authority has published clarifying final guidance on its anti-greenwashing rule for all regulated firms, saying on Tuesday that it will also extend its broader sustainability regime to include portfolio managers.
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April 23, 2024
Top UK Court Blocks Gazprom Unit's Russian UniCredit Claim
Britain's highest court upheld an injunction on Tuesday barring a Gazprom subsidiary from pursuing a €450 million ($480 million) claim against UniCredit Bank AG in Russia after the German lender withheld financing for the construction of gas processing plants because of sanctions.
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April 22, 2024
Finance Biz. Sues Ex-Contractor For £1.6M Over Stolen Clients
A finance company has accused a self-employed adviser of breaching obligations after exiting the company and taking more than a hundred customers worth £1.6 million ($1.9 million) of future income with her to a competitor.
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April 22, 2024
Freshfields-Led CVC Unveils Range On $1.7B Amsterdam IPO
European private equity giant CVC Capital Partners PLC, represented by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, on Monday set a price range on initial public offering estimated to raise about €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion), mostly benefiting selling shareholders.
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April 22, 2024
Trader Behind £1.4B Tax Fraud Thought Trades Were Valid
A British trader accused of being the mastermind of a fraudulent trading scheme that cost Denmark's tax authority £1.4 billion ($1.7 billion) genuinely believed that the trades worked, his lawyer told a London court on Monday.
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April 22, 2024
Med Tech Founder Denies Deceiving Investors For $20M Sale
The co-founder of a medical technology business has denied concealing his financial interest in a $20 million deal to purchase shares in his company, claiming he was never told it was important to reveal the seller's identity to the investment company.
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April 22, 2024
Leaked Doc Undermines Court's Libor Findings, Hayes Says
A leaked document from Britain's former banking trade association casts doubt over a key finding in the Court of Appeal's decision to uphold the convictions of two traders jailed for rigging interest rate benchmarks, one of the men claimed Monday.
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April 22, 2024
Commerzbank Did Not Pay Analyst Less Due To His Gender
Commerzbank did not pay an axed compliance analyst a lower salary than his female colleagues based on his sex, a London tribunal has held, ruling that the bank based its pay offers on salary expectations among other benchmarking factors.
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April 22, 2024
Complaints Of Closed Bank Accounts To Ombudsman Surge
Customer complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service about closure of or refusal to open bank accounts have risen sharply in the last year, particularly from businesses, according to figures recently released by a select group of members of Parliament.
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April 22, 2024
FCA To Consider Big Tech Data-Sharing With Finance Firms
The Financial Conduct Authority said on Monday it will examine how Big Tech's access to data could be valuable to firms in the finance sector if it reveals consumers' preferences, and will consider setting out incentives to encourage information-sharing.
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April 22, 2024
FCA Defends Response To British Steel Pension Scandal
The Financial Conduct Authority on Monday said it took "appropriate regulatory action" amid complaints over its handling of the British Steel Pension Scheme transfer scandal and would not uphold any of the grievances it has received over its approach.
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April 29, 2024
Clifford Chance Adds Private Capital Pro From Paul Hastings
Clifford Chance LLP has recruited an investments expert to join its London office as a partner, as the firm looks to add "firepower" to its global financial markets team.
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April 22, 2024
Fund Administrator Eyes $21M Deal For JPMorgan Chase Biz
Jersey-based fund administrator JTC PLC said Monday it has offered to buy a trust administration business owned by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA for $21 million, a move it believes will strengthen its presence in the U.S.
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April 22, 2024
Kirkland-Led Blackstone Bids $1.2B For Music Biz Hipgnosis
Private equity firm Blackstone has tabled an enhanced $1.2 billion bid for U.K. music royalties investment company Hipgnosis, countering an offer from U.S. royalties firm Concord Chorus.
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April 22, 2024
FCA Urged To Halt Plan To Publicize Enforcement Probes
The Financial Conduct Authority's plan to name the firms it probes and publish information about investigations at an earlier stage risks an unjustified departure from the "fundamental principle" of being innocent until proven guilty, a House of Lords committee warned in a letter published Monday.
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April 19, 2024
Reed Smith Can't Escape £21M Suit Says Shipping Co.
A United Arab Emirates shipping company suing Reed Smith LLP for £21 million ($26.1 million) has accused the law firm of "surreptitiously" telling Barclays Bank that the shipping company was sanctioned by the U.S. resulting in its funds being frozen.
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April 19, 2024
Verifone Gets Manager's Victimization Claim Tossed
Electronic payment tech company Verifone convinced an appellate judge Thursday to overturn an employment tribunal's ruling that it victimized a senior manager when it denied her the chance to appeal her dismissal.
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April 19, 2024
Sudan Granted Two-Year Grace Period In £1.5B Debt Row
Long-standing creditors of Sudan were granted a two-year stay of their claim against the nation on Friday, with a London judge agreeing with the creditors that the country should be given time to stabilize its financial situation in the wake of political turmoil.
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April 19, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen U.K. holiday resort chain Butlins target Aviva and a huddle of insurers, Meta and WhatsApp tackle a patents claim by telecommunications company Semitel, an ongoing construction dispute between Essex County Council and Balfour Beatty, and Formycon AG hit a pharmaceutical company for infringing medical products. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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April 19, 2024
Bank Of Cyprus Rolls Out €25M Share Buyback
Bank of Cyprus Holdings PLC on Friday launched a share buyback program worth up to €25 million ($26.6 million) aimed at lowering its outstanding share capital.
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April 19, 2024
Gov't Urged To Drop Plans For Small UK Pension Pots
The government must abandon its controversial plans to tackle the proliferation of small pension pots and instead revisit a solution that was passed into law a decade ago, a consultancy said Friday.
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April 19, 2024
EU Firms Say Strict ESG Rules Risk Chasing Off Clients
Large banks have warned the European Union's banking regulator that its proposed guidelines for managing sustainability risks are too demanding and could drive clients away to banks outside the bloc.
Expert Analysis
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Why The UK Needs Tougher Fraud Enforcement
The Crown Court's recent conviction of Anthony Constantinou for running a Ponzi scheme is a rare success for prosecutors, highlighting the legal system's painfully slow course when it comes to complex fraud, and the need for significant funds and resources in the fight against financial crime, says James Clark at Quillon Law.
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What New FCA Management Will Mean For Enforcement
Therese Chambers’ first speech since becoming the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s joint executive director provided insightful observations about the expected behaviors of firms and their legal advisers during investigations, indicating the advent of a proactive, prosecution-minded enforcement agency trying to do the right thing, says Richard Burger at WilmerHale.
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Global M&A Outlook: Slow But Moving Along
Global merger and acquisition markets had a tough start to the year, with inflation, rising interest rates and the Ukraine conflict knocking sentiment, but in the macroeconomic, deal makers have continued to unearth pockets of activity to keep deal volumes ticking over, say lawyers at White & Case.
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Why Int'l Investors Should Keep An Eye On German M&A Regs
While German reform proposals will digitize corporate law formalities that have long been immune to change, international limitations remain, particularly for countries outside the European Union, as Germany moves to tighten regulatory hurdles to control inbound investment, say Marcus Geiss and Sonja Ruttmann at Gibson Dunn.
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How B2B Data Sharing Could Unlock Untapped Value
B2B data sharing offers organizations an opportunity to extract greater value from an existing asset, and although it is essential to consider the legal and regulatory framework and maintain a sound governance structure, with strong support businesses that share data are likely to grow more than those that do not, say Jocelyn Paulley and Helen Davenport at Gowling WLG.
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Why Coordinated UK Crypto Regulation Is Needed
The slew of recently published crypto-sector consultations and reports differ in their treatment of the currency, so the industry must coordinate to establish regulations that can weather the proliferation of fraud while supporting the U.K.'s race to become a world leader in digital assets, says Nicola McKinney at Quillon Law.
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5 Code Of Ethics Recommendations For FTSE 350 Companies
In light of the U.K. Institute of Business Ethics' recent report on the FTSE 350, companies should regularly update their code of ethics in order to emphasize to employees and business partners the importance they place on following good practice, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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Examining The Effects Of Increased Construction Insolvency
With a significant rise in construction firm insolvencies, proactive monitoring of key counterparties is paramount, and if early warning signs such as failure to pay suppliers or a turnover in key management are triggered, parties should take steps to minimize exposure and potential losses, say lawyers at Reynolds Porter.
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What TPR's Guidance On DEI Means For Pensions Industry
The Pension Regulator is one of the first regulators to issue guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion, and employers and trustees should incorporate its advice by developing policies and monitoring progress to ensure that improvements are made regularly, say lawyers at Linklaters.
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The Many Challenges Of Post-Brexit Regulatory Divergence
As the regulatory effects of the U.K.'s departure from the EU emerge and the geopolitical landscape continues to evolve, firms must monitor compliance with fast-changing trade sanctions and the foreign investment screening regime that continues to add cost and complexity to the cross-border acquisitions market, say lawyers at Shepherd & Wedderburn.
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Economic Issues To Watch In The Libor Transition
With the London Interbank Offered Rate officially retiring June 30, market participants and their counsel should consider how the economic questions presented by outstanding contracts and the pros and cons of different alternative reference rates may lead to litigation around Libor cessation, say analysts at The Brattle Group.
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Reserved Investor Fund Would Plug Gap In UK Finance Market
The reserved investor fund recently proposed by HM Treasury has the potential to be a welcome tax-efficient addition to the U.K.’s canon of products for real estate investments, with attractive features for companies and, in particular, large asset managers, say lawyers at Herbert Smith.
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What Firms Need To Know About The FCA Consumer Duty
The Financial Conduct Authority's new consumer duty, in force from July 31, presents an opportunity for manufacturers and distributors of financial services to understand the importance of fair value for consumers, and the regulator will be taking a close interest in this, say Julie Patient, Mark Aengenheister and Virginia Montgomery at Hogan Lovells.
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Examining The Growing Strength Of FRC Enforcement Actions
As the U.K. Financial Reporting Council prepares to broaden its powers and transition into the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority in 2024, it is already demonstrating an increased appetite for enforcement, with greater expectations placed on auditors, say Kathleen Harris, Sean Curran and Melissa Dames at Arnold & Porter.
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UK Case Shows Risks Of Taking Shortcuts In Fund Payments
While the High Court recently reversed a decision in Floreat Investment Management v. Churchill, finding that investors routing funds into their own accounts was not dishonest, the case serves as a cautionary tale on the dangers of directing investment funds other than as contractually provided, say lawyers at Dechert.