Financial Services UK

  • April 08, 2025

    FCA Boosts Testing Support For Innovative Products

    The financial watchdog said Tuesday that it will make it easier for companies to test innovative products and support those which apply for regulatory approval as part of its work program for 2025/26.

  • April 15, 2025

    Proskauer Hires Private Fund Partner From Paul Hastings

    Proskauer Rose LLP has hired a finance expert as a partner in its private investment fund team in London as the U.S. firm continues to strengthen its European practice, amid growth in the sector.

  • April 08, 2025

    BoE Proposes Faster Investment Recognition For Insurers

    The regulatory arm of the Bank of England said Tuesday that it wants to make it easier for insurance companies to invest in the U.K., part of a process to boost the competitiveness of the domestic economy.

  • April 07, 2025

    HMRC Says Hospital Parking Should Not Be VAT-Free

    HM Revenue and Customs told Britain's top court on Monday that a National Health Service trust providing car parking services should not be exempt from value-added tax, a case that could affect dozens of stayed appeals by NHS entities that total £70 million ($90 million).

  • April 07, 2025

    Cash Uncovered In FCA Probe Was My Dad's, Analyst Testifies

    A former analyst for an asset management firm testified in London on Monday that £198,000 ($253,000) unearthed by investigators as part of an insider dealing probe was not dirty money, but was partially cash destined for his father's construction business in Albania. 

  • April 07, 2025

    WeWork Loses 'By We' EU Trademark For Co-Working Spaces

    European Union officials have stripped WeWork of its "By We" trademark over co-working spaces, ruling that it could gain an unfair advantage if shoppers create a link with the "We" branding of a Dutch fashion chain.

  • April 07, 2025

    FCA Proposes Lighter Rules For Hedge Fund Managers

    The Financial Conduct Authority proposed Monday to reform its regime for alternative asset managers, making it easier to enter the market and grow the business.

  • April 07, 2025

    Linklaters Names New Global Financial Regulation Boss

    Linklaters LLP said Monday that it has appointed a new global head of its financial regulation group who will be based in Hong Kong.

  • April 07, 2025

    Doubts Grow Over Impact Of UK Capital Market Deregulation

    Government efforts to revitalize the country's sluggish economy by stripping away regulatory burdens on financial markets have raised concerns among lawyers that consumers might be exposed to more risk, amid doubts that the steps can stimulate broader U.K. economic output.

  • April 07, 2025

    EU To Assess Interest Rate Changes On Pension Funds

    Europe's insurance regulator said Monday that it will assess how changes in interest rates tied to geopolitical tensions may harm pension funds during its fifth annual stress test on the sector.

  • April 07, 2025

    Wealth Manager Quilter Buys NHS Pensions Analyst

    Quilter PLC said Monday that it has acquired MediFintech, an analyst of National Health Service pensions, as the wealth manager looks to bolster its advisory arm to cope with a change to public service retirement plans.

  • April 07, 2025

    Allianz Luxembourg Unit Penalized For AML Breaches

    Luxembourg's financial regulator has hit the domestic branch of insurer Allianz with a €283,000 ($310,000) fine for breaching the country's anti-money-laundering and terrorist-financing rules.

  • April 07, 2025

    Brit Jailed For Money Laundering Plot After 7 Yrs On The Run

    An extradited tax fugitive has been jailed for five-and-a-half years for his involvement in a £3.5 million ($4.5 million) money laundering scheme, HM Revenue and Customs said Monday.

  • April 07, 2025

    Fidelity Japan Rejects Merger Approach From AVI Japan

    The board of Fidelity Japan Trust has rejected a merger proposal from rival AVI Japan Opportunity Trust, telling its shareholders to vote to continue with its current strategy instead.

  • April 07, 2025

    Credit Agency Hit With Fine For Misleading Approval Claims

    A European Union financial markets regulator said on Monday that it has fined a financial technology credit ratings agency €420,000 ($460,000) for "misleadingly" using the authority's name to suggest that it endorsed the company's activities.

  • April 04, 2025

    Deutsche Bank Not Liable For ISIS Terror, Judge Finds

    A New York federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit accusing Deutsche Bank AG of facilitating the financing of the Islamic State, saying that the families of two journalists and an aid worker the terrorist group killed failed to sufficiently allege that the bank participated in a human trafficking venture.

  • April 04, 2025

    Appeals Court Won't Halt Russian Investment Litigation

    England's Court of Appeal will not nix an order refusing to halt "vexatious" litigation in Russia initiated by sanctioned entities against third parties to an arbitration agreement, issuing an opinion that chided an investment manager for leaving the court "in the dark" about its relationship to the third parties.

  • April 04, 2025

    Bulgarian Tax Authorities Violated EU VAT Law, ECJ Rules

    Bulgarian tax authorities violated European Union value-added tax law by removing a construction company from the nation's VAT registry for nonpayment of taxes without conducting a thorough investigation into whether it should be stricken, the European Court of Justice ruled.

  • April 04, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Russian industrialist Oleg Deripaska target the intelligence arm of CT Group with a commercial fraud claim, Big Technologies sue its former CEO for allegedly concealing interests in several shareholders, and an investment firm tackle a professional negligence claim by Adidas. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • April 04, 2025

    Businessman's Daughter Sees £79M 'Sham' Loan Case Tossed

    The daughter of a deceased businessman had her attempt to bring a claim on behalf of one of her father's companies over a "sham" loan thrown out by a London court owing to a rule mandating that only the company itself can bring such a claim.

  • April 04, 2025

    Pension Protection Fund Says 'Time Is Right' To Review Rules

    Britain's pensions compensation fund has said the "time is right" to review a range of key areas of its governing legislation, including how it sets its levy and rules determining how benefits for older pensioners rise.

  • April 11, 2025

    Jones Day Hires 4 Pros In Madrid For Financial Markets Team

    Jones Day has hired a group of four lawyers from Simmons & Simmons LLP and Spanish law firm RocaJunyent SLP to enhance its services in leveraged finance and capital markets transactions.

  • April 11, 2025

    HSF Private Equity Pro Moves To Dechert As Merger Looms

    A seasoned private equity lawyer from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is moving to Dechert LLP as HSF edged a step closer to its anticipated transatlantic merger with Kramer Levin.

  • April 04, 2025

    Denmark's £56M Cum-Ex Fraud Case Struck Out On Appeal

    Denmark's roughly £56 million ($72 million) tax refund fraud claim against an English brokerage was struck out Friday after a London appeals court ruled that an issue "fundamental" to the case had been decided in earlier proceedings.

  • April 04, 2025

    Pension Members 'Afraid' Of Gov't Surplus Extraction Plans

    Nearly all members of defined benefit pension schemes in Britain do not want politicians interfering in their operations, polling reveals, as policymakers move to relax retirement savings rules to allow schemes to invest billions of pounds tied up in surpluses.

Expert Analysis

  • Russia Ruling Shows UK's Robust Jurisdiction Approach

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    An English High Court's recent decision to grant an anti-suit injunction in the Russia-related dispute Renaissance Securities v. Chlodwig Enterprises clearly illustrates that obtaining an injunction will likely be more straightforward when the seat is in England compared to when it is abroad, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • How New Loan Origination Regime Will Affect Fund Managers

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    Although the recent publication of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive II represents more of an evolution than a revolution, the leverage limitations applicable to loan-originating funds are likely to present practical challenges for European credit fund managers, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • How EU Sustainability Directive Will Improve Co. Reporting

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    The need for organizations to make nonfinancial disclosures under the recently adopted EU Sustainability Reporting Standards will significantly change workforce and human rights reporting, and with the objective of fostering transparency, should bring about an increased focus on risks, policies and action plans, say Philip Spyropoulos and Thomas Player at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • PPI Ruling Spells Trouble For Financial Services Firms

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    The Supreme Court's recent decision in Canada Square v. Potter, which found that the claimant's missold payment protection insurance claim was not time-barred, is bad news for affected financial services firms, as there is now certainty over the law on the postponement of limitation periods, rendering hidden commission claims viable, say Ian Skinner and Chris Webber at Squire Patton.

  • What Lawyers Can Learn From FDI Screening Report Findings

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    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.

  • UK Review May Lead To Lower Investment Screening Burden

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    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.

  • Economic Crime Act Exposure: What Companies Can Expect

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    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.

  • FCA Promotions Review Sends A Strong Message To Firms

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    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.

  • When Can Bonuses Be Clawed Back?

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    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.

  • The State Of UK Litigation Funding After Therium Ruling

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    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.

  • UK Shareholding Report A Missed Opportunity For New Tech

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    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.

  • Tools M&A Deal Makers Can Use To Bridge Valuation Gaps

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    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.

  • Navigating The Novel Challenges Facing The Legal Profession

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    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.

  • Deal Over Jets Stranded In Russia May Serve As Blueprint

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    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.

  • Economic Crime Act Brings Changes For Limited Partnerships

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    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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