Financial Services UK

  • May 07, 2024

    PwC, EY Hit With Fines Over LC&F Audit Failures

    The Financial Reporting Council said Tuesday that it has handed out fines totaling approximately £10 million ($12.5 million) to PwC, EY and a third accounting firm for failures during audits they carried out on London Capital & Finance before the investment company's high-profile collapse.

  • May 03, 2024

    HMRC Director Rejoins KPMG To Boost Tax Dispute Offering

    A former deputy director at HM Revenue & Customs has returned to KPMG as director of KPMG Law's tax disputes teams, the firm has announced.

  • May 03, 2024

    SRA Warns Law Firms On Improper Practices In Mass Claims

    The Solicitors Regulation Authority voiced concerns on Friday about law firms and legal professionals that handle mass claims involving financial services or products, saying that some are running up costs before they have even been instructed to act.

  • May 03, 2024

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

    The past week in London has seen rapper Ivorian Doll hit with a copyright claim, private members club Aspinalls file a claim against a Saudi sheikh, and Motorola Solutions file a claim against the British government on the heels of its dispute over losing a £400 million ($502 million) government contract. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • May 03, 2024

    EU Regulators To Report AML Suspects To Central Database

    The European Union's banking watchdog has said that national regulators can start reporting information on named individuals to the bloc's centralized anti-money laundering database from May, in a step further strengthening the fight against financial crime.

  • May 03, 2024

    Pensions Watchdog Targets More Scheme Consolidation

    The Pensions Regulator detailed on Friday 22 "priority outcomes" that will drive its work for the next three years, with policies reflecting its vision of "fewer, larger schemes" in the market, which a trade body described as ambitious.

  • May 03, 2024

    Frasers Group Drops €50M Case Against Morgan Stanley

    Retail giant Frasers Group PLC has withdrawn its €50 million ($54 million) legal claim in London against Morgan Stanley over a margin call of almost $1 billion on Hugo Boss stock options, the bank said Friday.

  • May 03, 2024

    Reed Smith Steers £136M Pension Deal For Savings Plan

    Insurer Just Group has taken on £136.3 million ($171.2 million) in liabilities from a retirement savings plan, advisers said, in a transaction steered by Reed Smith LLP. 

  • May 03, 2024

    Financial Adviser Convicted In Axiom Legal Fund Fraud Case

    A former financial adviser was convicted on Friday of siphoning £5.8 million ($7.3 million) from an investment fund using secret commission payments as part of a legal financing fraud.

  • May 02, 2024

    Whistleblower Claims Would 'Destroy' Autonomy, GC Was Told

    Autonomy's former U.S. general counsel testified Thursday in the criminal fraud trial of former CEO Michael Lynch that the company's chief operating officer didn't want a whistleblower's claims to get into court, telling him that while the "law" was on their side, "the facts look bad" and would "destroy Autonomy."

  • May 02, 2024

    HMRC Asked To Investigate Firm On Dodging Sanctions

    HM Revenue & Customs should investigate a German-owned garage door manufacturer for violating sanctions by importing products from Belarus into the U.K., but instead authorities brushed off the case and now the company might receive a license, a U.K. lawmaker said.

  • May 02, 2024

    Mastercard Appeals Jurisdiction Ruling In £10B Class Action

    Mastercard argued to a London appellate court Thursday that a £10 billion ($12.5 billion) class action over its swipe fees should be governed by the law of the jurisdiction covering the bank that processed the payment, rather than the jurisdiction of the customers who suffered the loss.

  • May 02, 2024

    BofA Beats Whistleblower Claim Without Settlement Defense

    An employment judge has ruled a whistleblower working for Bank of America did not breach the terms of a settlement when he brought fresh litigation against the bank — but still dismissed his claims for filing them too late.

  • May 02, 2024

    Financial Watchdog Boss Summoned Over Plan To ID Targets

    The head of the Financial Conduct Authority has been summoned to explain to lawmakers why he has not responded to their request to pause the watchdog's controversial plan to name the firms it probes amid mounting criticism that doing so could harm those later found innocent.

  • May 02, 2024

    Europol Helps Bust 12 Fraudulent Call Centers

    Police have raided 12 call centers in several countries for making thousands of investment scam calls and other telephone fraud, Europol said Thursday, as the agency revealed the cost to victims could have been more than €10 million ($10.7 million.

  • May 02, 2024

    ING Kicks Off €2.5B Share Buyback With Q1 Results

    Dutch multinational bank ING said Thursday that it will buy back up to €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) of its shares to streamline its capital-to-stock ratio, as it announced strong financial results for the first quarter of the year.

  • May 02, 2024

    UK Unveils Post-Brexit Rules For Overseas Investment

    The government has published a roadmap that sets out rules to make it easier for investment funds in the European Union to offer products to investors in the U.K., replacing transitional arrangements put in place after Brexit.

  • May 01, 2024

    Autonomy CEO's Atty Says Judge 'One-Sided' Against Client

    A Steptoe LLP partner representing former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch in his criminal fraud jury trial accused the judge overseeing the case of making comments to the jury that are "one-sided" in a way that prejudices the defense.

  • May 01, 2024

    FCA Opposes Paying Ex-Julius Baer Manager's Legal Costs

    The U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority urged a London appellate court Wednesday to overturn a tribunal's decision to make it pay part of a former Julius Baer employee's legal costs, saying the tribunal unfairly ruled that the FCA had unreasonably not called witnesses who were overseas.

  • May 01, 2024

    BBVA Makes €12B Offer For TSB Parent Sabadell

    Banking giant BBVA on Wednesday said it has proposed to buy Banco de Sabadell for approximately €12 billion ($12.8 billion) in an all-share deal to create one of Europe's largest financial bodies with more than €1 trillion in assets.

  • May 01, 2024

    UK Banks Received Over £9B In Interest On BoE Reserves

    The Treasury Committee published new data Wednesday showing that Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest and Santander made more than £9 billion ($11.2 billion) in interest on Bank of England reserves from 2022 to 2023.

  • May 01, 2024

    Pension Scam Group's Future Hit By Lack Of Volunteers

    A voluntary body that works against pensions scams said on Wednesday that it is considering winding up its operations and is concerned that a fall in volunteer numbers might jeopardize its effectiveness.

  • May 01, 2024

    FCA's Investigation Regime May Tarnish Unnamed Individuals

    Financial Conduct Authority proposals to name companies early in investigations will damage the careers of many individuals involved, according to lawyers, with some unnamed employees coming under suspicion that puts them at risk of losing their jobs.

  • May 01, 2024

    Pension Body Warns On Gov't Equity Investment Plan

    U.K. government plans to impose public disclosures on pension funds would increase the burden on the industry and harm savers by encouraging investment in low-return businesses, according to an industry paper published Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy VP Says CEO Lynch Told Him To Lie To Investors

    A former Autonomy business development executive testified Tuesday that CEO Mike Lynch directed him to lie to a hedge fund investor about prepaid royalty deals that boosted the company's upfront revenue numbers, saying at Lynch's criminal fraud trial that it was hard to say no to the "big boss."

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Compliance Considerations Under FCA Consumer Duty

    Author Photo

    Following the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority's recent introduction of the new consumer duty regime, firms will need to be mindful of data protection implications when managing their compliance with the duty and data protection legislation, say lawyers at Bird & Bird.

  • What Could Come Of CFPB, EU Consumer Finance Collab

    Author Photo

    A recent joint statement from the European Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau focused on how technology is affecting consumers of financial services, potentially recognizing that legal protections are lacking because tech regulations lag behind its development, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • 6 Key Factors For Successful Cross-Border Dispute Mediation

    Author Photo

    The European landscape of cross-border disputes diverges markedly from the U.S. experience and presents unique challenges, including the amalgamation of diverse cultures and legal systems, but there are several practical steps that practitioners can take to effectively navigate the process, says Peter Kamminga at JAMS.

  • Operational Resilience Considerations In Financial Services

    Author Photo

    A recent letter from the Financial Conduct Authority reminds CEOs of U.K. wholesale banks of their role in the safety and soundness of markets, but all firms can draw lessons and consider their own operational resilience for longer-term security and commercial benefit, says Richard Tall at Faegre Drinker.

  • UK Tech Cases Warn Of Liability Clause Drafting Pitfalls

    Author Photo

    The recent U.K. High Court cases Drax Energy Solutions v. Wipro and EE v. Virgin Mobile Telecoms indicate a more literal judicial approach to construing limitations of liability, even when this significantly limits a claimant's recoverable damages, highlighting the importance of carefully drafted liability provisions, say Helen Armstrong and Tania Williams at RPC.

  • How The UK Investment Screening Regime Is Taking Shape

    Author Photo

    A recent order imposing remedies on an acquisition by EDF Energy highlights emerging trends in the U.K. government's national security reviews of transactions under the U.K. National Security and Investment Act, and shows how the U.K. remedy landscape compares to the U.S. regime, say lawyers at Arnold & Porter.

  • Consultations Underpin Mandatory Fraud Victim Repayment

    Author Photo

    The U.K. Payment Systems Regulator’s recent consultations on authorized push payment fraud reinforce its June policy expectation, which said that unless there is evidence of gross negligence and the consumer standard of caution has not been followed, providers must reimburse fraud victims, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.

  • Swiss Privacy Law Reforms Present Divergences From GDPR

    Author Photo

    The differences between Switzerland’s recently reformed Federal Act on Data Protection and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, particularly around data breach reporting and the liability of company officers, will need to be carefully managed by multinationals that may have competing obligations under different laws, say Kim Roberts and Vanessa Alarcon Duvanel at King & Spalding.

  • New Legislation May Not Be Needed For Recovery Of Crypto

    Author Photo

    The recent seizure of cryptocurrency under a civil recovery order raises the issue of whether extended powers under the forthcoming Economic Crime Bill are necessary, with the ability to seize crypto-related items that may be the subject of a search order more likely to be of assistance, says Nicola McKinney at Quillon Law.

  • Opinion

    Russia Ruling Should Lead UK To Review Sanctions Policy

    Author Photo

    The High Court's recent dismissal of the first-ever court challenge to Russian sanctions in Shvidler v. Secretary of State sets a demanding standard for overturning designation decisions, highlighting the need for an independent review of the Russia sanctions regime, says Helen Taylor at Spotlight on Corruption.

  • German Competition Law May Herald New Enforcement Trend

    Author Photo

    The recent amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition is expected to significantly expand the powers of the German Federal Cartel Office, and could signal a global trend toward greater direct intervention by national competition authorities and political interference in competition law, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons.

  • New Financial Services Act Leaves Few Firms Untouched

    Author Photo

    The recently published Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, which replaces retained EU law with U.K. legislation, is one of the most significant pieces of post-Brexit regulation, with key practical implications for actors such as investment firms and crypto-asset and payment service providers, say Tim Cant, Emma Tran and Bisola Williams at Ashurst.

  • FCA 'De-Banking' Clampdown May Need Gov't Backing

    Author Photo

    The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s recent clampdown on unfair bank account closures will give customers greater transparency, but with terms usually skewed in the bank’s favor, it is a policy matter for the government to enact further protections for businesses and consumers, say Stephen Rosen and Jean-Martin Louw at Collyer Bristow.

  • UK Securitization Reform Opts For Modest Approach, For Now

    Author Photo

    Recently published consultation papers from the U.K. Prudential Regulation and Financial Conduct Authorities on new securitization rules mainly restate retained EU law, but there are some targeted adjustments being proposed and further divergence is to be expected, say Alix Prentice and Assia Damianova at Cadwalader.

  • Examining PayPal's Venture Into The Stablecoin Market

    Author Photo

    PayPal’s recent release of a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar may represent a groundbreaking innovation or could fail as others have before it, and policymakers in the U.K. and the EU will be watching the impact of this new crypto token with a keen eye, say Ben Lee and Dion Seymour at Andersen.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Financial Services UK archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!