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Financial Services UK
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July 04, 2025
Financial Trade Body Sets Out Proposals For Growth To Gov't
A trade body for financial institutions published on Friday its recommendations on HM Treasury's plans to support growth and reinforce Britain's position as a global financial center, including reconsideration of the Consumer Duty.
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July 04, 2025
Ankle Tag Investors Deny £320M Conspiracy With Sacked CEO
Investors in a company which makes ankle tags have denied a £320 million ($437 million) claim that they conspired with the business's ousted chief executive to unlawfully profit from share sales.
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July 04, 2025
Pair Gets 12 Years In Prison For £1.5M Crypto-Investment Fraud
A London judge sentenced two men convicted of fraud to almost 12 years imprisonment on Friday for their involvement in a £1.5 million ($1.9 million) crypto-investment scam that spanned more than two years.
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July 04, 2025
UK Pensions Body Warns Over £15M Lifeboat Scheme Levy
The U.K. government should abolish an administration levy for the pension compensation scheme, a trade body has warned, after it emerged that retirement savings plans faced an unexpected £15 million ($20.5 million) bill.
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July 04, 2025
UK Pension Funds Braced For Further Trump Tariff Volatility
The U.K. pensions sector could face further market volatility in the second half of 2025 because of renewed trade tariffs or geopolitical conflicts, a consultancy warned Friday.
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July 04, 2025
Wider FCA Misconduct Rule Risks Over-Reporting Of Staff
The rule change proposed by the Financial Conduct Authority on non-financial misconduct for 37,000 companies outside the banking sector will generate pressure on businesses to protectively report employees to the regulator rather than risk later accusations of noncompliance.
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July 10, 2025
Weil Rehires Private Funds Partner From A&O Shearman
Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP said Thursday that an expert in private investment funds is returning to the firm in London from Allen Overy Shearman Sterling as part of the Weil's growth plan.
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July 03, 2025
UK Insurance Agency M&A Down 35% In 1st Half
The pace of domestic mergers and acquisitions in the U.K. insurance market slowed down considerably in the first half of 2025, making it the slowest six-month period for M&A activity in the sector since the first half of 2019, a financial services consultancy said Thursday.
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July 03, 2025
EU Regulators Close Ranks To Fight Money Laundering
Europe's financial regulators said on Thursday they would work with the bloc's new central anti-money laundering watchdog to ensure the effective exchange of information to combat white-collar crime.
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July 03, 2025
Man Denies FCA £3.9M Water Investment Fraud Charges
A man denied that he took part in a £3.9 million ($5.3 million) water investment scam when he appeared at a criminal court in London on Thursday.
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July 03, 2025
Ex-Perfume Boss Can't Ax Claim Over Russia Sales
A London judge refused Thursday to throw out a claim that accused the former boss of a luxury perfume group of damaging the reputation of his business after he admitted to exporting high-value products to Russia.
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July 03, 2025
Nigerian Bank Owner Plots $100M Share Offer, London Listing
Guaranty Trust Holding Co., the parent of Nigerian lender GTBank, said Thursday that it aims to raise $100 million in a sale of new shares to recapitalize the bank to a level required by regulation, and to list the shares on the London Stock Exchange.
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July 03, 2025
Pinsent Masons-Led Chesnara To Buy HSBC Life For £260M
British pensions company Chesnara PLC said Thursday it has agreed to acquire the specialist life protection and investment bond provider of banking giant HSBC for £260 million ($355 million) to give the group a "material step up in scale."
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July 03, 2025
Italy Clears Monte Dei Paschi's €13.3B Mediobanca Deal
Italian lender Monte dei Paschi has said that the country's competition authority has given the green light to its €13.3 billion ($15.7 billion) proposed takeover of rival Mediobanca SpA.
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July 02, 2025
UK Investor Sues Accounting Firm Over £633K Tax Bill
A U.K. investor accused an accounting firm of giving negligent tax planning advice and keeping him in the dark about correspondence with HM Revenue & Customs, which ultimately assessed nearly £633,000 ($863,000) in liabilities, according to a claim filed with the High Court.
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July 02, 2025
Oil Biz Seeks To Toss Ex-Directors' Sanctions Breach Defense
A Singaporean oil company urged a judge Wednesday to throw out allegations that it breached U.S. sanctions on Iran made by its alleged former chief executive, whom it has accused of embezzling €143.8 million ($169.2 million).
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July 09, 2025
MoFo Bags HSF Kramer Leveraged Finance Partner In London
Morrison Foerster has hired a borrowing specialist as a partner to join its finance and private equity groups team in London as the firm responds to "building momentum" in the market.
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July 02, 2025
EU Finance Watchdog Sets Guidelines To Avoid Greenwashing
European financial services businesses must ensure any claims they make about the sustainability of their financial products or services are accurate, accessible, substantiated and up to date, according to guidance from the bloc's financial watchdog.
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July 02, 2025
Ex-UBS CFO Wins £112M Divorce Fight At UK Supreme Court
Britain's highest court rejected an attempt on Wednesday by the former wife of a UBS banker to get an equal split of their £112 million ($152 million) family wealth, in a ruling that clarified how assets should be considered matrimonial.
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July 02, 2025
'Decisive' Reform Needed To Fix Pension Issues, IFS Says
The government should widen the age range for employees being automatically included in a work-based pension, one of a raft of proposals that would address a series of risks to the future of Britain's pensioners, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said Wednesday.
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July 02, 2025
FCA Extends Bullying, Harassment Misconduct Across Sector
The Financial Conduct Authority released new rules on Wednesday that extend its regulatory powers to cover "toxic" workplace behavior such as bullying and harassment to non-banking firms.
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July 02, 2025
Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust Considers Wind-Down
Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust PLC said Wednesday that it may wind down its business soon as the ethical investment arm of Schroders PLC battles with attracting new investors and growing its assets, citing "challenging market conditions over recent years."
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July 02, 2025
Private Stock Market Plan Could Disrupt London IPO Goals
A world-first regulated market for private company shares might harm the U.K.'s objective of stimulating the market for initial public offerings in London if it offers corporate founders a new alternative to the scrutiny of flotations.
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July 02, 2025
Regulator Calls For Open Banking-Style Reforms In Pensions
The U.K. retirement watchdog has called for a shakeup in data-sharing by pension providers similar to that practiced in the banking sector.
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July 02, 2025
Euronext Considers €399M Athens Stock Exchange Deal
Euronext is in negotiations to acquire the Athens Stock Exchange SA in an all-share transaction worth €399 million ($470 million) as it aims to add another European bourse to its portfolio
Expert Analysis
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What Latest VC Model Document Revisions Offer UK Investors
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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FCA's Odey Decision Is Wake-Up Call For Financial Firms
The Financial Conduct Authority recently banned hedge fund boss Crispin Odey from working in financial services, underscoring the critical importance the regulator places on whether individuals are fit and proper to perform regulated activities, and the connection between nonfinancial misconduct and the integrity of the financial markets, say lawyers at Pallas Partners.
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What To Know About FCA's UK Listing Rules Proposal
A recent consultation paper from the Financial Conduct Authority aims to streamline the securities-listing process for U.K.-regulated markets, including by allowing issuers to submit a single application for all securities of the same class, and aligning the disclosure standards for low-denomination and wholesale bonds, say lawyers at Debevoise.
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New UK Short Selling Rules Diverge From EU Regs
Although forthcoming changes to the U.K.’s short selling regulatory regime represent a welcome relaxation of restrictions and simplification of reporting processes, participants active in both the U.K. and EU markets will need to ensure compliance with two quite different sets of rules, says Ezra Zahabi at Akin.
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What Latest FCA Portfolio Letter Means For Payments Firms
Charlotte Hill at Charles Russell discusses the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent portfolio letter to CEOs of payments firms, outlining the regulator’s expectations, and the steps that these companies may now need to take to ensure compliance and operational effectiveness.
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ECB Guide Targets Harmonized Cyber Testing Approach
The European Central Bank’s recently updated guidance for testing organizational resilience against sophisticated cyberattacks is a significant step forward, highlighting the importance of a unified approach to financial sector cybersecurity and alignment with Digital Operational Resilience Act requirements, say Simon Onyons and Nebu Varghese at FTI Consulting.
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Opinion
Prospects For New Fraud Prevention Prosecution Look Slim
With the Labour Party's inherited patchwork of Conservative Party corporate crime legislation for preventing fraud and corruption, the forthcoming Economic Crime Act’s failure to prevent fraud offense is unlikely to be successful in assisting prosecutors bring companies to justice, says Matthew Cowie at Rahman Ravelli.
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What's Next After FCA Drops Troubled 'Name And Shame' Plan
A closer look at the Financial Conduct Authority's recent decision to toss its widely unpopular proposal changing the test for announcing enforcement investigations may reveal how we got here, why the regulator changed course, and where it’s headed next, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
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UK Refusal Of US Extradition Request May Set New Standard
The recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling in El-Khouri v. U.S., denying a U.S. extradition request, overturns a long-held precedent and narrows how U.K. courts must decide such requests, potentially signaling a broader reevaluation of U.K. extradition law, say lawyers at Dechert and Kingsley Napley.
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Insights On ESMA's Alternative Investment Fund Consultation
Aaron Mulcahy at Maples Group discusses key points from the European Securities and Markets Authority’s recent consultation on open-ended loan-originating alternative investment funds, highlighting the growth in semi-liquid evergreen funds and explaining ESMA’s proposed standards.
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How UK Supreme Court May Assess Russia Sanctions Cases
In two recent U.K. Supreme Court cases challenging the U.K. Russia sanctions regime, the forthcoming judgments are likely to focus on proportionality and European Convention on Human Rights compatibility, and will undoubtedly influence how future challenges are shaped, says Leigh Crestohl at Zaiwalla.
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New UK Order Offers Welcome Clarity To Crypto Staking Rules
The recently effective Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Amendment Order clarifies that arrangements for qualifying crypto-asset staking do not amount to a collective investment scheme, and by addressing an issue that curtailed staking activities in the U.K., facilitates the use of that practice, says Andrew Henderson at Goodwin.
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How EU's Anticoercion Tool May Counter New US Tariffs
The never-before-used anticoercion instrument could allow the European Union to respond to the imposition of U.S. tariffs, potentially effective March 12, and gives EU companies a voice in the process as it provides for consultation with economic operators at different steps throughout the procedure, say lawyers at Crowell & Moring.
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Takeaways From BoE Progress Updates On UK Digital Pound
The Bank of England’s recent update on a decision concerning a digital pound indicates that there is scope for innovation in the payments landscape that can help to boost economic growth, while keeping the U.K. firmly in the global conversation on digital currency development, say lawyers at Hogan Lovells.
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Key Themes From New PRA Supervisory Letters
Two recent supervisory letters from the Prudential Regulation Authority outline priorities for international banks and U.K. deposit takers for the year ahead, including the need to strengthen risk culture, manage credit risk and govern data integrity, all of which indicate that banks will face greater regulatory interest in their internal controls, say lawyers at Skadden.