Financial Services UK

  • September 16, 2024

    Finance Adviser City & Merchant Enters Liquidation After Ban

    The Financial Conduct Authority confirmed Friday that London-based finance adviser City & Merchant Ltd. entered liquidation Sept. 11, months after the watchdog banned it from conducting any regulated activities and cited "serious concerns" around its business.

  • September 16, 2024

    White & Case-Led Fund Manager To Buy Citi Trust For £80M

    JTC PLC said on Monday it has agreed to buy the global fiduciary and trust business from investment banking giant Citigroup Inc. for £80 million ($106 million), as the Jersey-based fund administrator eyes further international expansion of its operations.

  • September 16, 2024

    Kennedys Adds 2 Knowledge Management Pros In London

    Kennedys said on Monday it has boosted its back-office technology and knowledge management teams with the hire of two experienced experts in legal procedures and practices and IT.

  • September 16, 2024

    Burford Capital Adds Chief Development Role In London

    Burford Capital LLC said Monday that it has appointed a legal finance specialist to the newly created role of chief development officer as part of ongoing efforts to expand the legal funder's business in the U.K., the U.S. and beyond.

  • September 16, 2024

    A&O Shearman Hires Finance Pro From Latham In Paris

    A&O Shearman said Monday that it has recruited a leveraged finance expert as a partner from Latham & Watkins LLP in France, adding to a string of recent exits from the U.S. outfit in Europe.

  • September 16, 2024

    7 Million UK Private Sector Workers Facing Pensions Crisis

    The retirement incomes of 40% of employees in the private sector are on track to fail to provide sufficient money to give them a decent standard of living, a report by a think tank said Monday.

  • September 16, 2024

    UniCredit Launches €1.7B Share Buyback After Profit Gains

    UniCredit SpA said Monday that it has kicked off a share buyback worth up to €1.7 billion ($1.9 billion) as the Italian commercial bank moves to reward its shareholders after it reported bumper profits.

  • September 13, 2024

    EU Actors Lobby Hard For Top Jobs in New Commission

    European Union lawmakers and national governments are lobbying intensely to pull top jobs and policy their way as the new European Commission is formed for the next five years.

  • September 13, 2024

    Kennedys Hires Cyber, AI Pro From Addleshaw In London

    Kennedys Law LLP has recruited a data protection, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence specialist from Addleshaw Goddard LLP as a partner in London, with the new arrival saying Friday she made the switch to take advantage of the firm's global reach.

  • September 13, 2024

    Swiss Banks Want Sanctions Review Amid Geopolitical Risk

    The Swiss Banking Association has called for a proactive review of the country's financial sanctions regime as the single most important factor amid "serious negative effects" from geopolitical risk confronting the country's banks.

  • September 13, 2024

    Plane Leaser Avolon To Fly Away With Aircraft Fleet For $5B

    Avolon Ltd. said Friday that it has agreed to buy a portfolio of nearly 120 aircraft indirectly owned by U.S. alternative investment manager Castlelake LP for $5 billion as the aviation leasing giant looks to accelerate its growth.

  • September 13, 2024

    Transport Giants Bid To Ax $14B 'Guilt By Association' Claim

    Emirati logistics giant DP World and a major Russian transport company urged a London judge Friday to stop or trim the $14 billion claim against them from an imprisoned Russian oligarch, as they argued that he was making "guilt by association" allegations.

  • September 13, 2024

    HMRC Seeks Comments On Top-Up Tax Guidance

    HM Revenue & Customs is seeking comments on new draft guidance on the multinational top-up tax as part of implementing the global minimum corporate tax rate.

  • September 13, 2024

    High Court Sanctions £2.2B Deal For Network International

    Middle Eastern payments company Network International Holdings said on Friday that the High Court has sanctioned a £2.2 billion ($2.9 billion) takeover bid from Brookfield Asset Management Ltd.

  • September 13, 2024

    EU Finance Ministers Boycott Hungary Meeting Over Russia

    Most European Union finance ministers protested on Friday against what they see as Hungary's Russia-friendly politics by boycotting a meeting with their EU peers in the country's capital, Budapest.

  • September 13, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen a football agent sue Chelsea FC after being cleared of allegations he threatened the club’s former director, an ongoing patent dispute between Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and a private school in Edinburgh suing Riverstone Insurance over compensation claims tied to historical abuse allegations made by former pupils. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • September 13, 2024

    Freeths Hires McNulty As Pensions Director In London

    Freeths LLP has appointed Sean McNulty, a former legal director at Blake Morgan as a pensions director in its London office, a move it believes will bolster its retirement income business.

  • September 13, 2024

    UK Pensions Lifeboat Sets £100M Levy Amid Calls For Change

    Britain's pensions protection body has said that it is likely to maintain its £100 million ($131 million) levy on the sector for the next financial year, as analysts call for legislative change that would allow the redress program to lower it further.

  • September 13, 2024

    Shell Companies Shuttered By Court For £1.6M COVID Fraud

    The High Court has shut down two connected companies that fraudulently received £1.6 million ($2.1 million) in COVID-19 support loans, a U.K. government agency said Friday.

  • September 13, 2024

    UK Consumer Credit Firms Face New Reporting Requirements

    The Financial Conduct Authority has proposed issuing a new reporting obligation for consumer credit firms as it seeks to prevent harm to consumers earlier and avoid another scandal such as the collapse of London Capital & Finance.

  • September 13, 2024

    Retraining Offer No Reason For NCA Investigator To Quit

    A National Crime Agency investigator who quit his job a day after he was offered the opportunity to regain his official accreditation has lost his claim that he was forced to resign.

  • September 12, 2024

    Employment Firm GQ Littler Hires Pro From Baker McKenzie

    GQ Littler has hired a long-serving employment lawyer at Baker McKenzie to its office in London to represent U.K. and international clients, particularly in the financial services, technology and media sectors.

  • September 12, 2024

    Pensions Watchdog To Focus More On Investment Strategies

    Britain's retirement savings watchdog has said it will be "stepping up" its focus on investment strategies to try to ensure pension schemes deliver the best possible results for savers.

  • September 12, 2024

    BNP Paribas Attempts To Prune London Banker's Claim

    BNP Paribas attempted to trim a manager's claim at a London employment tribunal on Thursday, arguing that the employee had taken a "kitchen sink approach" by adding excessive legal claims onto some of her allegations.

  • September 12, 2024

    UK Gov't Warned Over Pension Tax Changes In Budget

    A trade body for actuaries said on Thursday that the government should consult widely and take time to implement any reform to pension taxation as it joins a growing number of organizations urging caution over potential tax changes ahead of the upcoming Budget.

Expert Analysis

  • Unpacking Pressures, Trends Affecting Global Supply Chains

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    A recent HSBC report reveals a number of trends and challenges for global supply chains in the current uncertain geopolitical landscape, and with constant emerging opportunities, companies that can stay informed, be proactive and adapt to change will be well positioned to succeed, says Michelle Craven-Faulkner at Shoosmiths.

  • What UK Digital Markets Act Will Mean For Competition Law

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    The new Digital Markets Act’s reforms will strengthen the Competition and Markets Authority's investigatory and enforcement powers across its full remit of merger control and antitrust investigations, representing a seismic shift in the U.K. competition and consumer law landscape, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • What New UK Labour Gov't Is Planning For Financial Services

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    Following the Labour Party’s U.K. election win on July 4, the new government has already announced its key missions for economic growth, green investment and tax reform, so affected Financial Conduct Authority-regulated entities should be prepared for change and on the lookout for details, says Rachael Healey at RPC.

  • Companies Trading In The EU Should Heed Mondelēz Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent €337.5 million fine of Mondelēz is the latest decision targeting restrictions on EU cross-border trade, and serves as a warning to companies active in the region to check their contracts and practices for illegal restraints, and to perform audits to ensure compliance, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • Why Reperforming Loan Securitization In UK And EU May Rise

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    The recently published new U.K. securitization rules will largely bring the U.K.’s nonperforming loan regime in line with the European Union, and together with the success of EU and U.K. banks in reducing loan ratios, reperforming securitizations may feature more prominently in relevant markets going forward, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • What French Watchdog Ruling Means For M&A Landscape

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    Although ultimately dismissed due to lack of evidence, the French competition authority’s recent post-closing review of several nonreportable mergers is a landmark case that highlights the increased complexity of such transactions, and is further testament to the European competition authorities’ willingness to expand their toolkit to address below-threshold M&As, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • New Directors' Code Of Conduct May Serve As Useful Guide

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    Although the Institute of Directors’ current proposal for a voluntary code of conduct is strongly supported by its members, it must be balanced against the statutory requirement for directors to promote their company’s success, and the risk of claims by shareholders if their decisions are influenced by wider social considerations, says Matthew Watson at RPC.

  • Exploring The EU's Draft Standards On Crypto Authorization

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    The European Securities and Markets Authority’s recently published draft standards aim to promote fair competition and a safer environment for crypto providers and investors, detailing precisely the information to be provided to national authorities in charge of screening the acquisitions of a qualifying holding, says Mathieu de Korvin at Norton Rose.

  • How FCA Guidance Aligns With Global Cyberattack Measures

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    The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s recent guidance on preparing for cyberattacks aligns with the global move by financial regulators to focus on operational resilience, highlighting the importance of proactive strategies and robust resilience frameworks to mitigate disruptions, while observing a disappointing level of engagement by the industry, say Alix Prentice and Grace Ncube at Cadwalader.

  • Takeaways From Regulators' £61.6M Citigroup Trading Fine

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    Following the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority’s recent significant fining of Citigroup for its catastrophic trading error, and with more enforcement likely, institutions should update their controls and ensure system warnings do not become routine and therefore disregarded, says Abdulali Jiwaji at Signature Litigation.

  • Factors For London Cos. To Consider If Adding US Listings

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    Recent reports of a continuing valuation gap between London and New York have resulted in some London-listed companies considering U.S. listings to gain an increased investor base, but with various obligations and implications involved in such a move, organizations should consider whether there is a real benefit from trading there, say lawyers at Winston & Strawn.

  • Assessing The Energy Act 2023, Eight Months On

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    Although much of the detail required to fully implement the Energy Act 2023 remains to be finalized, the scale of change in the energy sector is unprecedented, and with the U.K. prioritizing achieving net-zero, it is likely that developments will continue at pace, say lawyers at Paul Hastings.

  • Opinion

    Why Timing Makes UK Libor Judgments Controversial

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    The recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in the R v. Hayes and Palombo appeal against Libor convictions demonstrates that had U.K. regulators probed with the facts known today, civil claims in all jurisdictions would be dismissed and a decadelong wasted investigation should be put to rest, says Charles Kuhn at Clyde & Co.

  • Tips For Orgs Using NDAs In Light Of New UK Legislation

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    The recent passage of the Victims and Prisoners Act follows a crackdown on the misuse of nondisclosure agreements, but although NDAs are not prohibited and regulators recognize their legitimate justification, organizations relying on them must be able to clearly explain that justification if challenged, say attorneys at Macfarlanes.

  • What Alternative Fuel Proposals Mean For EU Infrastructure

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    The European Union’s proposed Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility, covering activities in the transport sectors supporting the decarbonization process, sets ambitious standards regarding the deployment of adequate supply infrastructure and offers new funding opportunities for port operators and shipowners, says Christian Bauer at Watson Farley.

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