Financial Services UK

  • June 16, 2026

    Rathbones Halts New High-Risk Clients After FCA Review

    Wealth manager Rathbones Group PLC said Tuesday that it has paused onboarding new clients that require enhanced due diligence after a regulatory review identified areas of improvement for its consumer duty implementation and certain compliance, oversight and assurance arrangements.

  • June 16, 2026

    Fitch Accused Of Inflating Debt Ratings Before 2008 Crash

    Fitch Ratings secretly adjusted its credit rating models in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis to generate artificially high credit ratings for complex debt investments, motivated by a desire to grow its revenues, an investment firm said in its latest claim against a major rating agency. 

  • June 16, 2026

    UK To Review Tests On Quality Of Pension Schemes

    The government said Tuesday that it will review whether legislation that forces employers to test the quality of their workplace pension programs is still providing the appropriate safeguards to retirement savers.

  • June 16, 2026

    Captive Insurance Regime Will Be 'Proportionate,' BoE Says

    The Bank of England acknowledged on Tuesday that the success of Britain's new captive insurance regime will depend on it being transparent and cost-effective as it draws up long-awaited regulations for the emerging sector.

  • June 16, 2026

    FCA Eyes Higher Fines After Setbacks In Staley Case

    The financial regulator has said it plans to hike the fines it imposes on individuals for misconduct following a series of legal setbacks that slashed its sanctions against senior executives. 

  • June 16, 2026

    German Gov't Rejects UniCredit Pursuit Of Commerzbank

    Germany said Tuesday that it formally rejects "the aggressive approach" taken by Italy's UniCredit SpA as it pushes to increase its stake in domestic lender Commerzbank AG.

  • June 15, 2026

    UniCredit Refers Commerzbank Claims To German Regulator

    Italian lender UniCredit SpA on Monday rejected statements by Commerzbank AG raising doubts about the response of its shareholders to UniCredit's merger proposal, saying it has contacted Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, or BaFin, over what it called a "relentless dissemination of inaccurate and misleading information" by its German takeover target.

  • June 15, 2026

    CBRE Denies 'Biased' Valuation In Skyscraper Rent Fight

    Real estate investment giant CBRE has hit back at allegations that it had wrongly withheld rental income from the owner of the Finance Tower in Belgium on the basis of a "biased" valuation of the skyscraper obtained by lenders who pressured surveyors.

  • June 15, 2026

    Disqualified Director Jailed For £3M Fraud, Money Laundering

    A company director has been sentenced to four years in prison for diverting more than £3 million ($4 million) through an insolvency fraud and money laundering scheme, the Insolvency Service said.

  • June 15, 2026

    Capita Will Miss Pension Service Deadline, Union Says

    The company at the center of the ongoing public sector pensions crisis will miss a government-imposed deadline to restore service by the end of June, a union said Monday.

  • June 15, 2026

    Tech Firms Urged To Pay Up As UK Fraud Hits £1.3B

    Technology and telecoms companies should be forced to join banks in compensating consumers for payment fraud, the body representing financial institutions in the U.K. said on Monday, as it revealed that criminals stole £1.28 billion ($1.72 billion) in 2025.

  • June 15, 2026

    Regulator Seeks Experts To Shape UK Accounting Standards

    Britain's audit watchdog has said it wants new financial reporting experts to join its working group designed to shape accounting standards in the U.K. and Ireland.

  • June 15, 2026

    Pensions Regulator Adds 3 Senior Execs To Its Board

    The government said Monday that it has appointed three new members to the board of the pensions watchdog in a move to bolster its leadership ahead of sweeping reforms that are set to reshape the retirement sector.

  • June 15, 2026

    Move To Self-Employment Tanks Pension Saving, IFS Says

    More than three-quarters of savers stop putting money into a pension when they become self-employed, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said, amid continued concern over the "urgent challenge" of retirement savings inadequacy in the U.K.

  • June 12, 2026

    Businessman Unable To Unmask Source For High-Risk Listing

    A Chinese businessman suspected of financial crime linked to his U.K. property interests lost a bid on Friday to force a London Stock Exchange Group unit to explain how his name appeared on a database of high-risk individuals.

  • June 19, 2026

    Morgan Lewis Hires Former Goodwin London Office Co-Chair

    Morgan Lewis has hired a former co-chair of Goodwin Procter LLP's office in London to lead its European private equity practice.

  • June 12, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen the FCA bring a claim against a fund manager it accused of providing investment services despite having been banned, an Ardmore unit sue a contractor two days before the construction group's collapse, and shipping and cruise giant MSC hit back at an entertainment company following separate intellectual property litigation in the U.S. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 12, 2026

    Latham Steers SpaceX IPO Underwriters In UK

    Latham & Watkins LLP said on Friday that it acted as lead adviser to British banks underwriting SpaceX's $75 billion initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

  • June 12, 2026

    4 Members Of £23M Crypto Money Laundering Ring Jailed

    The leaders of a £23.4 million ($31.3 million) money laundering ring that cleaned money for Irish and Kurdish organized criminals were sentenced to a total of more than 27 years' imprisonment at a London court Friday.

  • June 12, 2026

    FRC Seeks Input On Guidance For Pension Surplus Rules

    The Financial Reporting Council has said it wants industry feedback as it hashes out the details of how pension bosses can tap into an estimated £160 billion ($215 billion) in funding surpluses.

  • June 12, 2026

    Civil Service Pension Debacle Still Unsolved 6 Months On

    The company responsible for administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme has apologized for ongoing disruption to the service, more than six months after it took over the contract.

  • June 19, 2026

    Sheppard Hires Ex-Simmons PE Vet To Lead London Office

    Sheppard has hired a senior private equity partner from Simmons & Simmons to add to its transactional capabilities and take up the role of office managing partner in London.

  • June 12, 2026

    Software Biz TruFin Eyes £80M Returns After Playstack Sale

    Software and lending solutions provider TruFin PLC said Friday that it plans to return £80 million ($107.3 million) to shareholders following the recent completion of the sale of its game developer Playstack Ltd.

  • June 11, 2026

    Ex-Bank Chief Admits Role In Odebrecht Tax Evasion Plot

    The former CEO of Austrian lender Meinl Bank AG on Thursday pled guilty in Brooklyn federal court after a yearslong fight over accusations he helped Odebrecht SA hide $170 million in funds used to bribe officials around the world and defraud the Brazilian government out of more than $100 million in taxes. 

  • June 11, 2026

    Ex-Moelis Banker Avoids Prison After US Trip To Admit Guilt

    A Manhattan federal judge allowed a former Moelis & Co. investment banker to avoid prison Thursday after he voluntarily traveled to the United States to cop to his role in a large insider trading conspiracy that profited from stolen merger secrets.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 UK Rulings Highlight Persistent Push Payment Fraud Issues

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    Two recent High Court decisions, Larsson v. Revolut and Terna DOO v. Revolut, demonstrate that authorized push payment fraud continues to cause headaches for consumers and financial institutions alike, and with forthcoming mandatory reimbursement requirements, more APP fraud litigation can be expected, say lawyers at Charles Russell.

  • Open Questions 3 Years After 2nd Circ.'s Fugitive Ruling

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    The Second Circuit’s 2021 decision in U.S. v. Bescond, holding that a French resident indicted abroad did not meet the legal definition of a fugitive, deepened a circuit split on the fugitive disentitlement doctrine, and courts continue to grapple with the doctrine’s reach and applicability, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.

  • Key Points From UK Prospectus Regime Reform Consultation

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    The Financial Conduct Authority's current consultation on U.K. prospectus regime reform proposals, including when a prospectus will be required and the requirements concerning content, is designed to enhance the attractiveness of the U.K.'s capital markets, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Why NCA's 1st Seizure Of Sanctioned Funds Is Significant

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    The National Crime Agency’s recently secured forfeiture of a Russian oligarch's sanctioned funds was a landmark achievement, and is particularly notable because it was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act, illustrating how U.K. authorities can coordinate their respective powers to confiscate assets, says Lindsey Cullen at WilmerHale.

  • Takeaways From New FCA Rules On Research Payments

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published final rules on payment optionality for investment research, which involve a client disclosure obligation option, will be welcome news for U.K. managers who buy investment research from U.S. brokers, and for global asset management groups, says Anna Maleva-Otto at Schulte Roth.

  • What To Expect From Labour's Pension Schemes Bill

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    The Labour government’s recently announced Pension Schemes Bill, outlining key policy areas affecting the retirement savings sector, represents a positive step forward for both defined contribution scheme members and defined benefit superfunds, but there are some missing features, says Sonya Fraser at Arc Pensions.

  • Int'l Treaties May Aid Investors Amid UK Rail Renationalization

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    The recently introduced Passenger Railway Services Bill seeks to return British railways to public ownership without compensating affected investors, a move that could trigger international investment treaty protections for obligation breaches, says Philipp Kurek at Signature Litigation.

  • What EU Opinion May Mean For ESG Product Classification

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    The recently issued European Supervisory Authority opinion on the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation offers key recommendations, including revising the definition of sustainable investments and making principal adverse impacts consideration mandatory, that could sway the European Commission’s final approach to product classification, say lawyers at Debevoise.

  • What New UK Listing Rules Mean For Distressed Companies

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently published overhaul of U.K. listing rules makes it easier for advisers to restructure distressed listed companies, and in moving to a more disclosure-based approach, simplifies timelines and increases opportunities for investors, say Kate Stephenson and Sarah Ullathorne at Kirkland & Ellis.

  • AI Reforms Prompt Fintech Compliance Considerations

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    With the EU Artificial Intelligence Act's Aug. 1 enforcement, and the U.K.'s new plans to introduce AI reforms, fintech companies should consider how to best focus limited resources as they balance innovation and compliance, says Nicola Kerr-Shaw at Skadden.

  • Irish Businesses Should Act Now To Prepare For EU AI Act

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    Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the Irish job market, and proactive engagement with the forthcoming European Union AI Act, a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for Irish businesses, will be essential for Irish businesses to responsibly harness AI’s advantages and to maintain legal compliance, say lawyers at Pinsent Masons.

  • EU Investment Fund Standards Offer Welcome Clarity

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    The European Commission’s recently published regulatory technical standards for long-term investments, which granted managers greater flexibility with respect to open-ended European long-term investment funds, should help managers active in the space navigate the mandatory liquidity requirements for long-term investment funds, say Zac Mellor-Clark and Nishkaam Paul at Fried Frank.

  • Unpacking The New Concept Of 'Trading Misfeasance'

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    In addition to granting one of the largest trading awards since the Insolvency Act was passed in 1986, the High Court recently introduced a novel claim for misfeasant trading in Wright v. Chappell, opening the door to liability for directors, even where insolvent liquidation or administration was not inevitable, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Key Takeaways From Proposed EU Anticorruption Directive

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    The European Commission's anticorruption proposal, on which the EU Council recently adopted a position, will substantially alter the landscape of corporate compliance and liability across the EU, so companies will need to undertake rigorous revisions of their compliance frameworks to align with the directive's demands, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • How Regulation Of Tech Providers Is Breaking New Ground

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    The forthcoming EU regulation on digital operational resilience and the U.K. critical third-party regime, by expanding the direct application of financial services regulation to designated technology providers, represent a significant development that is not to be underestimated, say David Berman and Emily Lemaire at Covington.

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