Financial Services UK

  • July 08, 2026

    FCA Investigating 11 Potential Consumer Duty Breaches

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Wednesday in its latest enforcement watch newsletter that it is conducting 11 investigations into potential breaches of the Consumer Duty.

  • July 08, 2026

    UniCredit Stake In Commerzbank Now Just Short Of Control

    Italian lender UniCredit said Wednesday that it holds 49.65% of the voting rights in Commerzbank AG of Germany despite resistance from the German state about the approach.

  • July 07, 2026

    EU Lawmakers Seek To End VAT Break For Financial Services

    The European Parliament moved toward ending financial services' blanket exemption from value-added taxes by voting Tuesday to adopt a report recommending such a shift.

  • July 07, 2026

    EU Watchdogs Warn New AI Models Fuel Financial Cyber Risk

    European financial authorities warned Tuesday that the latest generation of artificial intelligence poses "a paradigm shift for cybersecurity" as the technology could enable bad actors to launch faster, cheaper and more sophisticated attacks on the financial market.

  • July 07, 2026

    Firms To Boost Cybersecurity After AI Attacks Cost UK £15B

    Dozens of major companies pledged on Tuesday to strengthen their cyberdefenses amid a surge in AI-enabled attacks by foreign states and criminal groups that cost the U.K. economy an estimated £14.7 billion ($19.7 billion) annually.

  • July 07, 2026

    FCA Warns Issuers Of Failure To Disclose Voting Rights Data

    The Financial Conduct Authority has warned companies trading shares on the London Stock Exchange that many are failing to disclose information on total voting rights as required to the market.

  • July 07, 2026

    HMRC Admits New State Pension Tax Errors Over 4 Years

    The government has said it accidentally overtaxed millions of Britons for their state pension income over four years, but that the tax ministry is working to ensure the error will not be repeated.

  • July 07, 2026

    BoE Weighs Revising Capital Rules To Boost Bank Lending

    The Bank of England said Tuesday that it plans to ease a critical capital requirement for major financial institutions in the U.K. to make it "simpler and more effective" for them to continue lending during times of financial stress.

  • July 14, 2026

    Kirkland Hires Debt Finance Pro From Ropes & Gray In Paris

    Ropes & Gray LLP is set to lose a finance lawyer to rival Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Paris, a little more than a year after Ropes & Gray opened its office in the French capital.

  • July 07, 2026

    English Law Governs £5B Bitcoin Claims, Fraud Victims Say

    Thousands of Chinese investors defrauded by a money launderer argued Tuesday that their claims seeking to recover their share of billions of pounds of seized cryptocurrency should be governed by English law.

  • July 07, 2026

    Capita Apologizes For Civil Service Pension Failures

    Capita PLC said Tuesday that its handling of the Civil Service Pension Scheme was "not good enough" after the government withheld £9.9 million ($13.2 million) in payments under its contract to administer the program, citing missed performance targets and service failures.

  • July 06, 2026

    FCA Tells Banks To Improve 'Poor' Access To Basic Accounts

    The finance watchdog said on Tuesday that it had found widespread failings that left many vulnerable people unaware of essential banking services or unable to get access to them, adding that Britain's biggest lenders have agreed to improve access to basic bank accounts.

  • July 13, 2026

    Sullivan & Cromwell Hires 2 Litigators For Frankfurt Office

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has hired two partners from Hengeler Mueller to launch a litigation practice in Germany.

  • July 06, 2026

    UK Sanctions Russian Researchers Over Poison Program

    The U.K. has hit several Russian state scientific institutions and researchers involved in the development and production of the deadly toxins used in the murder of Alexei Navalny and the Salisbury poisonings.

  • July 06, 2026

    UK Lifeboat Fund Paid Out £267M In Compensation In 2025

    Britain's financial services lifeboat fund has said it paid out £267 million ($365.7 million) in compensation to more than 14,000 customers affected by companies failing in the last financial year.

  • July 06, 2026

    AML Body Wants New Rules For Cross-Border SARs Sharing

    Europe's fledgling anti-money laundering enforcer announced plans on Monday to streamline how and when law enforcement agencies share intelligence on suspicious transactions to crack down on financial crime. 

  • July 06, 2026

    Wise Payments Keeps TM Due To Rival's Translation Error 

    Wise Payments has cleared a challenge to its "Wise" trademark after European officials rejected a Portuguese property developer's opposition because it failed to provide an English translation outlining the services covered by its own logo.

  • July 06, 2026

    FCA Sets Out Plan To Tackle AI Risks In Financial Sector

    The Financial Conduct Authority said in a review on Monday that artificial intelligence will transform services in the sector for consumers, proposing a seven-step framework to determine how it intends to regulate the technology.

  • July 06, 2026

    Pensions Watchdog Urges Industry Input On Scam Rules

    Britain's retirement savings watchdog has called on the pensions industry to engage with the government's consultation on new rules designed to stop workers from transferring long-term savings to bogus plans.

  • July 06, 2026

    Most Pension Industry Pros Back Local Gov't Investment Plan

    More than half of pension professionals support the government's plans to spur the £400 billion ($534 billion) local government pension system to invest in local economies — provided it doesn't affect the performance of funds, a trade body has found.

  • July 06, 2026

    TLT Guides £5M Pension Buy-In For UK Ammo Maker

    Defense technology company Key Technologies Ltd. has completed a £5 million ($6.7 million) full-scheme buy-in to secure the retirement benefits of all 48 members of its pension program, U.K. consultant Broadstone said Monday.

  • July 03, 2026

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

    The past week in London, Russia's state development bank was sued in a commercial fraud claim involving military GPS technology, one of Nike's subsidiaries brought an intellectual property claim against a menswear company owner, BlackBerry re-opened a $6.49 million claim against its South Asian licensee and CBRE property services filed a claim against CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP. 

  • July 03, 2026

    Mercuria Says Benchmark Rules Untested In Hormuz Claim

    Trader Mercuria Energy Group urged a London court on Friday to allow expert evidence on benchmarks and economics in its claim that the Baltic Exchange failed to account for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz when setting an oil-trading benchmark.

  • July 03, 2026

    Insurer Loses Bid To Brand Ex-CEO's £1.7M Take Dishonest

    An appeals court rejected on Friday an insurer's argument that its former chief executive had dishonestly pocketed £1.7 million ($2.3 million) from the business, ruling that a judge had fairly concluded that he believed he was authorized to take the money.

  • July 03, 2026

    Italian Engineer Wins Order Blocking 'Vexatious' Russian Case

    An Italian engineering company has successfully prevented a Eurochem subsidiary owned by a sanctioned oligarch from trying to enforce a $1.19 billion judgment against it in Russia, as a court held that the Russian proceedings are "vexatious and oppressive."

Expert Analysis

  • Compliance Lessons From Art Dealer's Terror Financing Plea

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    Regulated businesses can learn from the missteps of a recently convicted London art dealer, who failed to disclose sales to a suspected Hezbollah financier, by implementing compliance measures like anti-terrorism financing screenings as robust as their anti-money laundering policies and training staff to spot red flags, say lawyers at White & Case.

  • UK Securities Tax Reform Will Be Welcomed By Investors

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    The proposed reforms resulting from HM Revenue & Customs' recent consultation on modernizing stamp taxes on shares, suggesting a single digital tax on securities to replace stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax, are expected to reduce complexity for investors transacting in U.K. securities, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.

  • UK Capital Reforms May Help Startup Founders, VC Investors

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    Hidden in the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority's recent proposals on the definition of capital for investment firms are changes to the eligibility requirements for instruments to be included in a firm's regulatory capital — changes that may reduce the risk of investing, especially in early-stage fintech firms, says Andrew Henderson at Goodwin.

  • EU Watchdog's ESG Dashboard Raises Transparency Bar

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    The European Banking Authority’s recently introduced ESG dashboard is a key tool in aligning financial institutions with the European Union's sustainability policies, and fundamentally alters the risk environment by transitioning climate-related data from a compliance afterthought to a core component of strategic decision-making, says Kristýna Tupá at Schönherr.

  • What To Note As HM Treasury, FCA Plan New Crypto Regs

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    Taken together, HM Treasury’s recently proposed crypto-asset regulations and the Financial Conduct Authority’s new discussion paper on regulating crypto-asset activities provide key insights into the government's planned regime, which represents significant changes that will affect all firms providing related services, says Mark Chalmers at Davis Polk.

  • Tools For Effective Asset Tracking In Offshore Jurisdictions

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    In light of a technology company's recent allegations that its former CEO maintained an undisclosed interest in offshore companies, practitioners may want to refresh their knowledge of the tool kit available for tracing and recovering allegedly misappropriated assets from both onshore and offshore jurisdictions, say lawyers at Walkers Global.

  • FCA Review Highlights Valuation Standards For Private Funds

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent review of private funds valuation practices underscores the increasing importance of conducting robust and independent procedures, offering an opportunity for fund managers to strengthen their current valuation frameworks and improve investor confidence, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Russia Sanctions Spotlight: Divergent Approaches Emerge

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    With indications of greater divergence and uncertainty in Russia sanctions policy between the U.K., European Union and U.S., there are four general principles and a range of compliance steps that businesses should bear in mind when assessing the impact of a potentially shifting landscape, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.

  • What Santander Fraud Ruling Means For UK Banking Sector

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    A London court's recent judgment in Santander v. CCP Graduate School held that a bank does not owe any duty to third-party victims of authorized push payment fraud, reaffirming the steps banks are already taking to protect their own customers from sophisticated fraud mechanisms, say lawyers at Charles Russell.

  • FCA Update Eases Private Stock Market Disclosure Rules

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recently updated proposals for the Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System would result in less onerous disclosure obligations for businesses, reflecting ongoing efforts to balance an attractive trading venue for private companies while maintaining sufficient investor protections, say lawyers at Debevoise.

  • Key Questions As Court Mulls Traders' Libor Convictions

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    The U.K. Supreme Court is considering whether to overturn two traders’ Libor and Euribor manipulation convictions, with the appeal reinvigorating debate over the breadth of English common law’s conspiracy to defraud offense and raising questions about the limits of a judge’s role in criminal jury trials, says Ellen Gallagher at Vardags.

  • Expect Complex Ruling From UK Justices In Car Dealer Case

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    While recent arguments before the U.K. Supreme Court in a consumer test case on motor finance commissions reveal the court’s take on several points argued, application of the upcoming decision will be both nuanced and fact-sensitive, so market participants wishing to prepare do not have a simple task, says Tom Grodecki at Cadwalader.

  • How UK Proposals Would Simplify Fund Manager Regime

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    The ongoing HM Treasury consultation and Financial Conduct Authority call for input on the future regulation of alternative investment fund managers indicate that deliberate steps are being taken to make the AIF regime more suitable for the U.K. market, with the aim of encouraging growth and competitiveness, says Leonard Ng at Sidley.

  • FCA's Regulatory Plans Signal Cause For Cautious Optimism

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s latest strategy document plans for less intrusive supervision, a more open and collaborative approach, and a focus on assertive action where needed, outlining a vision of deepened trust and rebalanced risk that will be welcomed by all those it regulates, says Imogen Makin at WilmerHale.

  • What Latest VC Model Document Revisions Offer UK Investors

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    Recent updates to the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association model documents, reflecting prevailing U.K. market practice on early-stage equity financing terms and increasing focus on compliance issues, provide needed protection for investors in relation to the growth in global foreign direct investment regimes, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

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