Financial Services UK

The Top Non-SFO Financial Crime Trials To Watch In 2026

A major corruption trial against Nigeria's former oil minister, a tax fraud case against a prominent barrister and the prosecution of two men over a cyberattack on London's transport network are among the biggest white-collar cases in 2026 not brought by the Serious Fraud Office.

FCA Expected To Boost Fines, Name More Companies In 2026

The Financial Conduct Authority is likely to step up its enforcement action in 2026 with higher fines and more readiness to name companies under investigation, bolstered by a landmark High Court rejection of a challenge to such a naming decision.

What To Expect From The Competition Appeal Tribunal In 2026

With a new president at the helm, potential government reform and a crowded trial calendar, lawyers say the next 12 months will see a Competition Appeal Tribunal with a more disciplined judicial culture.

Sign outside office that deals with fraud with the UK coat of arms, affixed to a stone building.

SFO Faces Critical Year With Several Major Trials In 2026

Though the Serious Fraud Office spent a year largely outside the courtroom, 2026 is shaping up to be a blockbuster period for the white-collar enforcer, with four cases going to trial involving 11 defendants charged with fraud and bribery.

January 06, 2026
Barclays Settles $643K Fraud Detection Failure Claims

Barclays Bank PLC has settled a $643,000 claim from a Singaporean fire safety company that alleged the bank negligently failed to prevent an elaborate fraud that duped the fire safety business into transferring funds to criminals.
January 06, 2026
EU Watchdog Flags Widespread Fund Rule Violations

The European Union's markets watchdog warned Tuesday that fund managers are frequently breaching rules governing the marketing of funds three years after requirements were put in place for a more harmonized approach and four years after guidelines were issued.
January 06, 2026
BNP Paribas Estate Agent Faces £8M Negligence Case

Strutt & Parker, an estate agent owned by BNP Paribas, is facing an £8 million ($10.8 million) claim from the trustees of farm land who allege the company and a surveyor negligently undervalued the property, leading to a sale at a significant loss.
January 06, 2026
More UK Adults Would Prioritize Pension Savings In 2026

The number of working Britons who would increase their pension contributions in 2026 if they reviewed their retirement savings increased by nine percentage points over 2025 in the biggest year-on-year shift in pension behavior, a survey has found.
January 06, 2026
Broadstone Helped Steer Record £500M Pension Deals In 2025

Financial services consultancy Broadstone said Tuesday that it helped to steer 36 pension deals worth a record £508 million ($687 million) in 2025, taking the total of transactions completed through its SM&RT Insure service to more than £1 billion.
January 06, 2026
US Investor Amends Terms Of £340M Buy Of Tech Biz Idox

U.S. investment firm Long Path Partners has said it will change the mechanism used in its £339.5 million ($460 million) buyout of U.K.-based government software company Idox PLC in order to make it easier for the deal to go ahead.
January 05, 2026
FCA Renews Its UK-EU Derivatives Trading Venue Flexibility

The Financial Conduct Authority said Monday it has renewed for six months temporary rules allowing U.K. businesses to trade over-the-counter derivatives with European Union clients on EU trading venues, without mutual equivalence.
January 05, 2026
Grosvenor Law Unveils White-Collar Practice With New Lead

Grosvenor Law revealed on Monday that it has appointed Chris Roberts as partner to spearhead its new white-collar crime and investigations team.
January 05, 2026
Pensions Body Voices Fears Over Superfund Lifeboat Levy

Proposals by the pensions lifeboat body to continue charging a levy to superfunds do not reflect the risks posed in the emerging sector and stops the funds benefiting from the zero charge applied to other schemes, a retirement savings provider said Monday.
January 05, 2026
Lupton Fawcett Beats Investment Groups' £68M Ponzi Claim

Lupton Fawcett has beaten an attempt by the administrators of property investment companies to revive a £68 million ($92 million) negligence case over a Ponzi scheme, as an appeals court ruled on Monday that they would have suffered loss regardless of the firm's advice.
January 05, 2026
Bridgepoint In Talks To Acquire Interpath Majority Stake

Financial advisory company Interpath Ltd. said on Monday that investor Bridgepoint Group is involved in exclusive negotiations for funds it manages to acquire a majority stake in Interpath's business.
January 05, 2026
Divorced Women Face 61% Pension Gap In UK

Divorced women in the U.K. retire with substantially smaller pension savings than their male counterparts, highlighting a deepening "pension gap" tied to marriage and lifetime earning patterns, a consultancy said on Monday.
January 05, 2026
EU Watchdog Starts Selecting OTC Derivatives Tape Provider

The European Union's financial markets watchdog launched a process on Monday to select a consolidated tape provider for over-the-counter derivatives in a move designed to boost market transparency.
January 05, 2026
Simpson Thacher-Led PE Firm To Buy Debt Manager Stake

Oakley Capital Investments Ltd. said Monday that Oakley Capital Fund VI has agreed to acquire a majority stake in finance specialist Global Loan Agency Services to expand the private equity firm's presence in a growing market.
January 05, 2026
Ex-Fund Director Faces 2028 Trial Over £20M Fraud

A former investment fund director accused of perpetrating a long-running fraud worth up to £20 million ($27 million) will stand trial in 2028, a judge said Monday.
January 05, 2026
UK Pensions Deal Market Could Hit Record £55B In 2026

Pension deals in the U.K. could hit a record £55 billion ($74 billion) in 2026 if favorable pricing continues amid a rise in acquisitions among some of the biggest insurers in the sector, Lane Clark & Peacock LLP said Monday.
January 02, 2026
FCA Ends 150 Investigations And Sharpens Enforcement

The Financial Conduct Authority revealed Friday that it has closed more than 150 of its investigations in the past three years as it moves toward fewer and more focused probes.
January 02, 2026
FCA Launches Probe Into Claims Manager Over Sales Tactics

The City watchdog opened an investigation on Friday into a claims manager over concerns about the company's sales and marketing tactics as part of the wave of litigation over motor finance commission payments.
January 02, 2026
What To Expect From Financial Crime Regulation In 2026

Plans by the government to reform the criminal justice system by scrapping jury trials in cases of complex fraud headline a series of regulatory and legislative changes on the cards for 2026 in cases of economic crime.
January 02, 2026
BDO Hit With £80M Claim Over Botched Building Firm Audit

A collapsed construction company has sued BDO for at least £80 million ($108 million), alleging that the accounting firm bungled the business' financial reporting and failed to detect £43 million in losses that led to its failure.
January 02, 2026
Car Loans, AI, Crypto Top UK's 2026 Consumer Protection List

Financial regulators have entered the new year with a long list of unfinished business in consumer protection and other regulatory areas, ranging from targeted support and a major redress program to a first full U.K. regime for crypto assets and a better steer on artificial intelligence.
January 02, 2026
Pensions Bill To Reshape UK Retirement Sector In 2026

The U.K. pensions industry will be in a state of flux in 2026 because of the passage of a raft of reforms geared toward boosting the role of the sector in domestic investment.
January 02, 2026
BoE Instructs Firms To Report Profit Held In Top Capital

The Bank of England said Friday that financial institutions it regulates must inform it as soon as possible if they intend to include unconfirmed interim or year-end profit in their highest-quality core capital.
January 02, 2026
Investors Hope For 2026 Dealmaking Rebound After Budget

Advisers are cautiously optimistic about a revival in London's M&A and listings activity in 2026, fueled by private equity moving to offload holdings with depressed asset values after a sprinkling of positive news in the government's autumn Budget.
January 01, 2026
BigLaw Leaders Tackle Growth, AI, Remote Work In New Year

Rapid business growth, cultural changes caused by remote work and generative AI are creating challenges and opportunities for law firm leaders going into the New Year. Here, seven top firm leaders share what’s running through their minds as they lie awake at night.

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 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 Trends Shaping ESG And Sustainability Law In 2026

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

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

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.
Judicial AI Guidance Update Shows Caution Still Prevails

The judiciary’s recently updated guidance on the use of artificial intelligence warns judges and tribunal members about misinformation and white text manipulation, providing a reminder that AI tools cannot replace direct engagement with evidence and reflecting a broader concern about their application when handling confidential material, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
Freezing Orders Maintain Their Impact 50 Years On

Freezing orders, created in Mareva v. International Bulk Carriers 50 years ago, are now a fundamental part of English and Welsh law and a significant weapon in the litigator's armory, considered indispensable by practitioners seeking to obtain enforceable judgments and interlocutory relief on behalf of their clients, say lawyers at Trowers and Hamlins.
EU Businesses Face Uncertainty Amid Sustainability Reforms

The European Commission’s sustainability omnibus, due to be approved this month, has brought a year of regulatory upheaval for European businesses, and although the long-awaited scaled-back obligations will provide clarity, a balance between not overburdening reporting companies and the need for data to make sustainable investments must be found, say lawyers at Peters & Peters.
How Russia Sanctions Trajectory Is Affecting UK Legal Sector

The proliferation of U.K. and European Union sanctions targeting Russia has led to a vast increase in legislative provisions, and lawyers advising affected businesses should expect a complex and evolving legal landscape for the foreseeable future, says Rob Dalling at Jenner & Block.
Tracking Crypto-Asset Tax Rules In 2025 And Beyond

The past year has seen an increasing amount of regulation in the crypto-asset space, with a range of novel and complex taxation challenges for regulators, and taxpayers can expect a marked increase in HM Revenue & Customs' compliance activity in the year ahead, says Liam McKay at RPC.
Navigating Legal Privilege Issues When Using AI

The recent explosion in artificial intelligence has led to prompts and AI outputs that may be susceptible to disclosure in proceedings, and it is important to apply familiar principles to assess whether legal privilege may apply to these interactions, say lawyers at HSF.
A Look At Factors Affecting Ombudsman Complaint Trends

Lawyers at Womble Bond provide an analysis of the Financial Ombudsman Service's complaint trends in 2025, highlighting the impact of changes within the FOS and external factors on the financial sector's redress system.
What To Know About FCA's Short Selling Regime Proposals

Although the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent proposals for changes to the U.K. short selling regime do not materially alter the rules, targeted reforms designed to reduce the administrative burden placed on position holders will be welcomed by market participants, say lawyers at McDermott.
How BoE Stablecoin Proposals May Reshape UK Payments

The Bank of England’s proposals for a sterling-denominated systemic stablecoin system amount to a substantial new regime, but it has a low-risk appetite for any change that would result in payment obligations migrating to a private stablecoin ledger and its tentativeness toward wholesale settlement is disappointing, say lawyers at Norton Rose.
Why EU's FDI Screening Proposals Require Careful Balance

The European Commission’s proposals to harmonize EU foreign direct investment screening regimes at the member state level require a trilogue between the commission, Parliament and council, which means political tensions need to be resolved in order to reach agreement on the five key reforms, say lawyers at Arnold & Porter.
OFSI Proposals Signal Greater Focus On Enforcement Activity

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s proposed financial sanctions reforms, with risks of higher penalties and more stringent disclosure requirements for U.K. banks and companies, reflect the agency’s evolution into a more sophisticated and robust enforcement regulator, says Irene Polieri at Gibson Dunn.
How Restructuring Reforms Will Streamline Insolvency Plans

The recently published revised practice statement on schemes of arrangement and restructuring plans promises midmarket businesses efficiency without diluting safeguards, positioning schemes as inclusive tools rather than elite options, say lawyers at Addleshaw Goddard.