New legislation laid out in the King's Speech on Wednesday included the government's plans for a bill to strengthen trading ties with the European Union alongside an Enhancing Financial Services Bill in the next 12 months, but lawyers warn that the scope remains limited with potential unexpected consequences.
New powers that put companies on the chopping block for crimes committed by their executives dramatically expand corporate liability to include a wider array of offenses, which businesses already struggling with "compliance fatigue" have barely begun to grapple with, lawyers say.
Legal challenges to the Financial Conduct Authority's motor finance redress scheme fired off this week to the Upper Tribunal will lead to long delays, with some legal experts already doubting whether the cases can be argued successfully.
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A recent court ruling that expands legal advice privilege to cover some internal corporate communications gives companies greater scope for withholding sensitive material but is likely to prompt challenges over whether those documents meet the test for protection, lawyers say.
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New legislation laid out in the King's Speech on Wednesday included the government's plans for a bill to strengthen trading ties with the European Union alongside an Enhancing Financial Services Bill in the next 12 months, but lawyers warn that the scope remains limited with potential unexpected consequences.
New powers that put companies on the chopping block for crimes committed by their executives dramatically expand corporate liability to include a wider array of offenses, which businesses already struggling with "compliance fatigue" have barely begun to grapple with, lawyers say.
Legal challenges to the Financial Conduct Authority's motor finance redress scheme fired off this week to the Upper Tribunal will lead to long delays, with some legal experts already doubting whether the cases can be argued successfully.
A recent court ruling that expands legal advice privilege to cover some internal corporate communications gives companies greater scope for withholding sensitive material but is likely to prompt challenges over whether those documents meet the test for protection, lawyers say.
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May 18, 2026
HM Revenue and Customs told the U.K. Supreme Court Monday that ScottishPower can't dodge paying tax on just over £28 million ($38 million) in redress payments that the energy company made after being investigated for regulatory failures.
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May 18, 2026
HM Treasury said on Monday that it will introduce ring-fencing reforms it designed in collaboration with the Bank of England through its Enhancing Financial Services Bill, aiming to boost bank lending by £80 billion ($107 billion).
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May 18, 2026
Women, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, are more likely to experience sustained periods out of work and ultimately accrue lower private pension savings and income in retirement, the Department for Work and Pensions said in a report on Monday.
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May 18, 2026
The government said Monday it will radically overhaul the consumer credit regime, arguing that the 50-year-old rules are outdated and too complex, amid lingering concerns the reforms could weaken protections for borrowers.
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May 18, 2026
U.K. financial regulators published proposals on Monday to support businesses in the sector to develop and accelerate the digitalization of shares or bonds and its infrastructure.
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May 18, 2026
Germany's Commerzbank AG advised its shareholders on Monday to reject what it considers a lowball approach from UniCredit SpA in its latest move to fend off the Italian rival and continue as a standalone bank.
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May 18, 2026
The government must provide a stream of investment opportunities for pension funds if it wants the £3 trillion ($4 trillion) sector to invest more in the U.K. economy, a trade body said Monday.
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May 18, 2026
Molten Ventures PLC said on Monday that it has sold another portion of its stake in fintech company Revolut for approximately £63 million ($84 million), extending the European venture capital firm's series of disposals to boost cash returns and fund new investments.
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May 18, 2026
EY has paid £105.5 million ($141 million) to the administrators of NMC Health PLC after settling a £2 billion claim over its allegedly negligent auditing of the collapsed hospital operator and failure to spot major fraud by the health giant's shareholders.
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May 15, 2026
The past week in London has seen singer Rita Ora be sued by her management company, the billionaire Gertner brothers file a part 8 claim and Stephenson Harwood lodge a debt claim against a member of the Bulgari jewelry dynasty. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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May 15, 2026
AmTrust persuaded a court Friday to allow it to challenge a decision capping its bid to hold an insurer of two defunct law firms liable for £15 million ($20 million) paid out under a failed litigation funding system.
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May 15, 2026
The number of people withdrawing their retirement savings in full has increased by almost a third over the past seven years, a pensions provider said Friday, raising concerns about the adequacy of long-term savings.
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May 15, 2026
A U.K. bank has beaten a former executive's claim that it penalized her for blowing the whistle on alleged regulatory failures, persuading a tribunal that its disciplinary probe into her hotel spending was not a sham.
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May 15, 2026
A European court has rejected Klarna's bid to obtain exclusive rights over a "K." trademark in the banking world, but allowed the fintech firm to keep its logo registered over a range of non-financial services despite a Spanish rival's attacks.
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May 15, 2026
Britain's Information Commissioner's Office has said all businesses must take "proactive steps" to address the evolving and growing threat of artificial intelligence-powered cyberattacks.
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May 15, 2026
BlackRock has launched a new fund aimed at giving defined contribution pension savers broader access to private market investments, amid building momentum in the U.K. to channel more retirement savings into so-called productive finance assets.
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May 14, 2026
Stellantis, the company behind Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge cars, has received Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. clearance to open a U.S. industrial bank, a move that will put all of Detroit's "Big Three" automakers on track to own federally insured lenders.
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May 14, 2026
A management consultancy has told a London court that a purported bond-market trader used a $9.4 million investment to buy a country home and other businesses instead of paying promised returns.
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May 14, 2026
A private equity shop's special purpose vehicle has settled its case against a French restaurant manager alleging that he lied about his previous work experience to secure a €9.3 million ($11 million) investment for a failed food business venture.
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May 14, 2026
A diamond and jewelry tycoon accused of swindling more than $1 billion from banks testified at trial in London on Thursday that he never attended board meetings and signed off on minutes years after the fact without ever seeing the contents.
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May 14, 2026
A former executive at investment holding company Jusan Technologies Ltd. won his whistleblowing case on Thursday after a tribunal found that the British company withheld money he was due after he raised concerns about embezzlement.
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May 14, 2026
Insurance giant Aviva PLC reported Thursday a steep decline in pension deals in the first quarter, owing to new competitive pressures in the market.
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May 14, 2026
The highest earners in the private sector will be hit the hardest by the U.K. government's decision to cap tax-free pension salary sacrifices at £2,000 ($2,700), the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said, with finance and insurance among the most affected industries.
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May 14, 2026
The Treasury said Thursday that it has commissioned an independent review to protect access to face-to-face banking across the U.K., which will inform new powers for the government to act where access to banking services is at risk.
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May 14, 2026
The government is facing a renewed legal challenge over its refusal to offer compensation to women affected by failures in state pension provision.