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Financial Services UK
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August 12, 2024
Judge Won't DQ Asst. US Atty In Standard Chartered FCA Case
A New York federal judge on Monday declined to disqualify an assistant United States attorney from a long-dismissed False Claims Act suit against Standard Chartered Bank, calling the whistleblower's arguments for disqualification meritless "to the point where they verge on vexatious and frivolous."
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August 12, 2024
UK To Look Deeper Into Amex GBT's $570M Buy Of CWT
Britain's antitrust regulator said Monday that it has referred American Express Global Business Travel's proposed acquisition of rival CWT for an in-depth second phase of investigation over concerns the approximately $570 million deal could hurt competition in the country.
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August 12, 2024
FRC Sees Too Many Cos. Using 'Boilerplate' Wates Filings
The Financial Reporting Council said Monday that 30% of large private firms favor the Wates corporate governance principles for filing company reports, but many companies still need to improve their disclosures.
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August 12, 2024
Westfield Sues Clearpay Over Brand Deal Breach
Shopping giant Westfield has sued Clearpay Finance Ltd. for more than £665,000 ($848,722), claiming the payment processing provider wrongly terminated two "buy now, pay later" partnerships with its London shopping centers.
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August 12, 2024
EU Watchdog Warned Of Crypto Risk For Retail Funds
Fund managers warned the European Union markets regulator Monday that there is no consensus on how to value crypto-assets, in a consultation on whether such products should be accessible to retail funds.
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August 12, 2024
UK Pensions Body Calls For Reform For Investment Plan
The government should consider introducing planning reform and tax incentives to encourage pensions providers to invest more in U.K. assets, a trade body said on Monday, as the new administration considers how to tap into the sector to fuel a national economic recovery.
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August 12, 2024
LCP Launches Tool To Check Gov't Pension Payment Errors
Consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock LLP has launched an online tool designed to help retirement savers check what state pension they can get amid "worrying evidence" that some widows and widowers are not receiving their full entitlement.
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August 09, 2024
Ex-Mozambique Finance Minister Convicted For $2B Scheme
Mozambique's former finance minister was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges in connection with his role in the $2 billion "tuna bonds" scandal, prosecutors announced.
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August 09, 2024
Kuwaiti Investment Arm Immune From Ex-CEO's Claim
The Kuwait Investment Authority has succeeded in getting a whistleblowing claim from its former chief executive thrown out of a London tribunal after a judge ruled that he was employed as a diplomat, and therefore the authority has sovereign immunity against his claim.
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August 09, 2024
Pension Protection Fund Marks Progress On Climate Goals
The U.K. Pension Protection Fund has said it is making good progress on its climate ambitions but needs to "keep pushing" for better quality climate data across its portfolio.
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August 09, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen China Evergrande Group file a commercial fraud claim against its founder's ex-wife, legal action by Manolete Partners against the directors of an insolvent construction company, VietJet tackle a claim by French banking group Natixis and more developments in the "Dieselgate" scandal. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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August 09, 2024
Plane Stuck In Russia 'Not Lost,' Reinsurers Argue
A batch of reinsurers has denied they must pay out in a row over $44 million to cover the alleged loss of a plane leased to a Russian airline, arguing the plane is not lost and would not be covered by the policy.
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August 09, 2024
UK Tightens Disclosure Rules For Greensill-Type Finance
The U.K.'s accounting watchdog on Friday set out amendments to reporting exemptions from international accounting standards available to subsidiaries of groups, including around disclosure of supplier finance arrangements, as used by collapsed Greensill Capital.
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August 09, 2024
The Top Commercial Dispute Trials & Rulings Of 2024 So Far
So far in 2024 disputes lawyers have been treated to the first trial in the U.K. of an opt-out collective action, the Pope's chief of staff giving evidence, and Mozambique being awarded more than $825 million for the tuna bond scandal.
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August 09, 2024
FCA Warned Over Risks From Value-For-Money Pension Rules
The Financial Conoduct Authority's new "traffic light" system for assessing the value-for-money offered by a pension scheme could create unintended consequences, experts warned Friday.
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August 09, 2024
Hargreaves Lansdown Agrees To £5.4B CVC Takeover Offer
Hargreaves Lansdown PLC said Friday that its board has agreed to a £5.4 billion ($6.9 billion) take-private offer from a consortium of private equity companies, including CVC and the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi.
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August 08, 2024
SEC Wins Jurisdiction Over German As Sanction For Default
A German national who the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission says has ignored discovery requests in its attempt to recover proceeds from a $150 million international pump and dump scheme involving his son is subject to personal jurisdiction in the U.S., a Boston federal judge ordered as a sanction.
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August 08, 2024
Derivatives Co. Fails To Refreeze Assets In Global Fraud Case
Multibank has failed to revive a freezing order against two investment companies and an executive it alleges were involved in an unlawful conspiracy, after an appeals court upheld a ruling that the international derivatives provider had made serious disclosure failings.
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August 15, 2024
Sidley, Milbank Tap Latham For Finance Hires In London
Sidley Austin LLP is set to recruit five finance partners from Latham & Watkins LLP in London, adding to the U.S. outfit's woes after Milbank LLP said that it has snapped up its own six-lawyer team in the English capital.
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August 08, 2024
EU Watchdog Finds Poor Practices In Nonbank Lenders
The European Union's banking watchdog has found that nonbank lenders are often failing to verify the accuracy of information they gather on borrowers, helping to put them in too much debt.
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August 08, 2024
Finance Co. Botched Risk Outline In Fire Claim, Insurer Says
A subsidiary of U K Insurance Ltd. has denied having to pay out on a policy with Parker Asset Management Ltd. over a fire that destroyed a property costing around £4.2 million ($5.3 million), saying the company did not fairly present its insurance risk.
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August 08, 2024
UK Gov't Refunds £57M In Pension Freedoms Overtaxation
The government has been forced to repay £59.6 million ($75.5 million) in the three months between April and June to people who overpaid tax after they tapped into their pensions for the first time, according to HM Revenue and Customs.
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August 08, 2024
The Top Corporate Crime Cases Of 2024 So Far
The partial acquittal of two retired British executives on bribery charges as part of a major Serious Fraud Office investigation, the first bribery conviction of a foreign official and Julian Assange's shock plea deal are just a few of the blockbuster cases so far in 2024.
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August 08, 2024
FCA Proposes Framework For Long-Term Pensions Value
The finance watchdog has said it is planning a new "traffic light" guide for retirement investment plans as it seeks to improve long-term value in workplace pensions, shifting the emphasis for providers from a simple consideration of costs.
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August 08, 2024
Bank Of Cyprus To Quit LSE, Weighs Athens Move
Bank of Cyprus said Thursday that it plans to ditch its place on the London Stock Exchange in favor of a proposed listing on the Athens bourse, to boost its profile among investors in the region and enhance the liquidity of its shares.
Expert Analysis
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What Lawyers Can Learn From FDI Screening Report Findings
The recent European Commission report on the screening of foreign direct investments into the EU reveals how member states need to balance national security concerns with openness, and with more cross-border transactions subject to screening, lawyers must be alert to jurisdictional variances, says Jonathon Gunn at Faegre Drinker.
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UK Review May Lead To Lower Investment Screening Burden
The government’s current review of national security investment screening rules aims to refine the scope of mandatory notifications required for unproblematic deals, and is likely to result in much-needed modifications to minimize the administrative burden on businesses and investors, say lawyers at Simpson Thacher.
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Economic Crime Act Exposure: What Companies Can Expect
The intention of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act is to make it easier to attribute criminal liability to companies if a senior manager has committed an offense, but the impact on corporate criminal convictions depends on who qualifies as a senior manager and the evidential challenges in showing it, say Hayley Ichilcik and Julius Handler at MoFo.
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FCA Promotions Review Sends A Strong Message To Firms
The recent FCA review into firms' compliance with the rules on promoting high-risk investments to retail clients clarifies that it expects the letter and the spirit of the rules to be followed, and given the interplay with the consumer duty, there are wider implications at stake, say Marina Reason and Chris Hurn at Herbert Smith.
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When Can Bonuses Be Clawed Back?
The High Court's recent decision in Steel v. Spencer should remind employees that the contractual conditions surrounding bonuses and the timing of any resignation must be carefully considered, as in certain circumstances, bonuses can and are being successfully clawed back by employers, say Merrill April and Rachael Parker at CM Murray.
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The State Of UK Litigation Funding After Therium Ruling
The recent English High Court decision in Therium v. Bugsby Property has provided a glimmer of hope for litigation funders about how courts will interpret this summer's U.K. Supreme Court ruling that called funding agreements impermissible, suggesting that its adverse effects may be mitigated, says Daniel Williams at DWF Law.
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UK Shareholding Report A Missed Opportunity For New Tech
The recommendations in the U.K. Digitization Taskforce's recent report on digitizing and improving the U.K. shareholding framework are moderate but not revolutionary, and its failure to recommend digital ledger technology will impede a full transformation of the system, say Tom Bacon and Andrew Tsang at BCLP.
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Tools M&A Deal Makers Can Use To Bridge Valuation Gaps
As macroeconomic headwinds reset valuation expectations, parties to merger and acquisition are increasingly looking to methods such as earnouts, vendor financing and minority transactions to bridge the valuation gap and get deals done, says Philip Herbst at Cleary.
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Navigating The Novel Challenges Facing The Legal Profession
The increasing prominence of ESG and AI have transformed the legal landscape and represent new opportunities for lawyers, but with evolving regulations and the ever-expanding reach of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, law firms should ensure that they have appropriate policies in place to adapt to these challenges, say Scott Ashby and Aimee Talbot at RPC.
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Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint
In the face of a pending "mega-trial" over leased airplanes held in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, a settlement between leading aviation lessor AerCap Holdings NV and NSK, the Russian state-controlled insurance company, could pave the way for similar deals, say Samantha Zaozirny and Timeyin Pinnick at Browne Jacobson.
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Economic Crime Act Brings Changes For Limited Partnerships
The recently passed Economic Crime Act introduces significant financial transparency obligations for new and existing U.K. limited partnerships, and with criminal consequences for noncompliance, a degree of advance consideration is strongly advised, say Amelia Stawpert and Alex Jones at Hogan Lovells.
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ESMA Report Offers A Glimpse At EU's Securitization Future
The European Securities and Markets Authority’s recent overview of the EU securitization sector suggests a growing market for both investors and businesses and offers useful insight into future regulatory priorities, says Alan Bunbury at Matheson.
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What The Auto-Enrollment Law Means For UK Workforce
In a welcome step to enhance retirement savings, the U.K. government is set to extend the automatic enrollment regime by lowering the eligibility age and reducing the lower qualifying earnings limit, but addressing workers' immediate financial needs remains a challenge, says Beth Brown at Arc Pensions.
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UAE Bank Case Offers Lessons On Enforcing Foreign Rulings
The High Court recently clarified in Invest Bank v. El-Husseini that foreign judgment debts may be enforceable in England, despite being unenforceable in their jurisdiction of origin, which should remind practitioners that foreign judgments will be recognized in England if they are final and conclusive in their court of origin, say lawyers at Macfarlanes.
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Revised OECD Guidelines Key In Shaping Business Standards
The OECD’s recent revised guidelines on responsible business conduct, supported by a domestic government agencies’ grievance referral mechanism, have already influenced EU due diligence standards, and enterprises engaging in the unique procedure will benefit from case-specific nuances, parallel proceedings and the availability of confidentiality protections, say lawyers at Debevoise.