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Financial Services UK

  • August 04, 2025

    Motor Finance Redress Scheme Could Reach £18B, FCA Says

    The Financial Conduct Authority has proposed a compensation program for motor finance customers after a landmark U.K. Supreme Court decision on Friday found signs that consumers were being treated unfairly, as the watchdog estimated that the cost could reach £18 billion ($24 billion).

  • August 02, 2025

    Supreme Court Car Finance Verdict Slashes Lender Exposure

    The U.K. Supreme Court's landmark decision Friday to reverse most of the Court of Appeal's judgment on hidden motor finance commissions has sharply narrowed the scope of any future redress scheme from the Financial Conduct Authority — an outcome critics said favored lenders and car dealers over consumer protection.

  • August 01, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Skadden, Wachtell, Latham

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. announce megamerger plans, Palo Alto Networks acquires identity security company CyberArk, Brookfield buys British life insurer Just Group, and Duke Energy sells its Piedmont Natural Gas Tennessee local distribution business to Spire Inc.

  • August 01, 2025

    Ex-AllSaints Chair In Contempt Over Share Sale Fraud Claims

    A London court ruled Friday that the former chairman of AllSaints was in contempt of court for breaching an order to stop claiming an interest in shares in the high street fashion chain after his fraud allegations were rejected.

  • August 01, 2025

    Gov't Fines UK Biz For Russia Sanctions Breach

    The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has fined U.K.‑based business support services provider Markom Management Ltd. for violating financial sanctions tied to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

  • August 01, 2025

    Barclays Adviser Wrongly Fired Over Sexual Remarks

    A former Barclays employee was unfairly dismissed for making sexual comments to female colleagues, but he could have been fairly dismissed for the same conduct, according to a Glasgow tribunal ruling.

  • August 01, 2025

    Top Court Hands Banks Partial Win Over Motor Finance Fees

    Car finance providers won a partial victory in a landmark case over commission payments on Friday when the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that they did not owe a duty to provide customers with information about the fees, potentially avoiding a multibillion-pound compensation scheme. 

  • August 01, 2025

    FCA Widens Crypto ETN Access To Boost Competitiveness

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Friday it will lift its ban on retail access to cryptocurrency exchange‑traded notes from Oct. 8, allowing individual investors to buy these products through U.K.‑listed trading venues.

  • August 01, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen several telco giants hit with a trademark claim, a collapsed hotel company sue a property investor in an ongoing dispute over a decades-old hotel sale, and two litigation funders square off against each other.

  • August 01, 2025

    Ogilvy & Wachtel-Led Investors Oppose Hedge Fund Merger

    A group of investors in Third Point told fellow shareholders in the hedge fund on Friday that the proposed merger with Malibu Life Reinsurance will establish "a dangerous precedent for the U.K. stock market" of not safeguarding interests of the minority.

  • August 01, 2025

    FCA Hits Brokerage With £1M Fine For Deal Report Failures

    The City watchdog said Friday that it has hit a global brokerage with a fine of more than £1 million ($1.3 million) for the "particularly serious" failure to submit complete and accurate transaction reports over a five-year period.

  • July 31, 2025

    Asset Freeze Sticks In Billionaire's $415M Fraud Case

    A London appeals court on Thursday upheld an asset freeze against a man accused of defrauding Ricardo Salinas Pliego out of more than $415 million, finding no reason to doubt the Mexican billionaire is "exceedingly wealthy" and able to compensate the other side if he ultimately loses his claim.

  • July 31, 2025

    Developer Denies Misusing Victims' Funds In £226M Fraud

    A developer convicted for running a £226 million ($299 million) Ponzi scheme denied treating overseas properties bought with his victims' money as his "pension fund" as he gave evidence in court Thursday.

  • July 31, 2025

    SocGen, ING Win €212M EuroChem Bonds Sanctions Fight

    A Russian subsidiary of EuroChem lost its fight Thursday to force European banks to pay out on €212 million ($242 million) worth of bonds, after a court ruled that the payouts are blocked because the Swiss agricultural chemicals company is owned by a sanctioned oligarch.

  • July 31, 2025

    Asset Manager Denies Breaching NDA For €118M Deals

    A London-based investment manager has sued two companies of the Italian asset manager giant Azimut for millions over deals related to an investment in a machinery manufacturer, but Azimut has denied breaching the deal saying it had been released from its obligations.

  • July 31, 2025

    FCA Finds Failings In Digital Loan Application Processes

    The Financial Conduct Authority said Thursday that some companies are designing digital loan application processes badly, slowing decision-making and excluding cost information that consumers need.

  • July 31, 2025

    SRA Warns Law Firms Over Handling Of Motor Finance Claims

    The solicitors' watchdog warned law firms Thursday that they must tell prospective clients about possible cost-free ways to pursue their motor finance commission claims before agreeing to act on a case for a fee.

  • July 31, 2025

    Pensions Ombudsman Says Caseload Is Outpacing Funding

    The Pensions Ombudsman said that its funding has failed to keep pace with the rising caseload of complaints, forcing it to look at artificial intelligence to help reduce waiting times.

  • July 31, 2025

    FCA Probe Target Gets 12 Months In Jail For Contempt

    An exiled businessman suspected of offering unregulated debt counseling has been handed a 12-month prison sentence for deliberately breaching restrictions on his assets by spending $84,000 on luxury items, travel and hotels.

  • July 31, 2025

    Lion Finance Eyes Purchase Of HSBC Unit's Malta Operation

    Lion Finance Group PLC, the owner of banks in Caucasia, expressed an interest on Thursday in buying the Malta operations of an HSBC subsidiary. 

  • July 31, 2025

    Euronext Offers To Buy Athens Stock Exchange For €413M

    Euronext NV said Thursday that it has offered to buy the Athens Stock Exchange SA for €412.8 million ($472.1 million) in an all-share transaction, as the bourse looks to expand its presence in southeast Europe.

  • July 31, 2025

    Squire Patton-Led JTC To Buy Swiss Bank Unit For £20M

    JTC PLC said Thursday it plans to acquire a finance services company that caters to ultra-rich clients from Swiss private bank Union Bancaire Privée SA for £20 million ($26.5 million), as the Jersey-based fund administrator seeks to increase its global presence.

  • July 31, 2025

    Freshfields Steers LSE Operator On £1B Buyback Plan

    London Stock Exchange Group PLC said on Thursday said it will launch further share buybacks worth up to £1 billion ($1.3 billion), as the financial markets operator reported strong growth and profits.

  • July 31, 2025

    A&O Shearman Guides Brookfield On £2.4B Just Group Buy

    Investment giant Brookfield said Thursday that it plans to buy Just Group, a British life insurer, for £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) in a deal steered by A&O Shearman and Slaughter and May.

  • July 30, 2025

    Greek Shipping Magnate's Heirs Battle Over €72M Loan Deal

    A company linked to the son-in-law of a deceased Greek shipping magnate has denied that a €72 million ($83 million) loan agreement with the magnate's former business was a sham, amid a family dispute over the magnate's estate.

Expert Analysis

  • FCA's Broad Proposals Aim To Protect Customer Funds

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed changes to payments firms’ safeguarding requirements, with enhanced recordkeeping and fund segregation, seek to bolster existing regulatory provisions, but by introducing a statutory trust concept to cover customers’ assets, represent a set of onerous rules, says Matt Hancock at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Takeaways From Upcoming Payment Fraud Delay Legislation

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    Lawyers at Hogan Lovells discuss what to know about new legislation that will allow payment service providers to delay payments when third-party fraud is suspected, and share pointers for providers to consider ahead of the Oct. 30 effective date.

  • Modernizing UK Trade Settlement Standard: The Road Ahead

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    Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP consider the rationale and challenges of a potential U.K. trade settlement acceleration, part of an initiative to modernize the financial market infrastructure, and suggest that incorporating distributed ledger technology as a synchronized recording system would facilitate the move.

  • Analyzing The Implications Of 1st FCA Crypto ATM Crackdown

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    The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent criminal prosecution of Olumide Osunkoya, its first enforcement action against a crypto-asset trading firm's owner, is an unambiguous sign of the regulator’s commitment to actively pursue transgressors, but may be a hindrance to the U.K. crypto industry, says Asim Arshad at Lawrence Stephens.

  • Draft Merger Control Guidance Allows CMA To Cast Wide Net

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    The Competition and Markets Authority's recent draft merger control guidance, reflecting the regulator's strengthened powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act, introduces extensive change and potential procedural improvements, specifically concerning reviews of private equity firms, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • Key Points From Cayman's Beneficial Ownership Regime

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    While recent expansion of the Cayman Islands Beneficial Ownership Act's scope means it now encompasses many entities with previously minimal obligations, the changes ensure a welcome level playing field with workable alternative routes to compliance, says Lucy Frew at Walkers Global.

  • HMRC Transfer Pricing Guide A Vital Resource For Businesses

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    HM Revenue & Customs' recent guidelines on common transfer pricing compliance risks should be required reading for affected businesses in indicating HMRC's expected benchmark for documents and policies, say Tomoko Ikawa and Kapisha Vyas at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Insights From FRC's Report On Good Corporate Governance

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    Although the Financial Reporting Council’s recent report on private companies opting to follow the Wates principles has identified improvements, it is important for organizations to provide transparent disclosures and avoid boilerplate, tickbox filings, says Tessa Hastie at BCLP.

  • What To Know About The UK Overseas Funds Regime

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    The U.K.’s overseas funds regime is now open for applications, providing a simplified way of offering a foreign fund to U.K. retail investors, and the Financial Conduct Authority's clear policy statement on implementation should ease the transition process from the existing scheme, say lawyers at Dechert.

  • Takeaways From SRA Consumer Protection Review

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    While the Solicitors Regulation Authority prepares to announce its findings later this year following its consumer protection consultation, the topic of handling client funds is very much alive in the legal industry, with polarizing views on what should happen as a result of the review, says Claire Van Der Zant at Shieldpay.

  • Reflecting On 12 Months Of The EU Foreign Subsidy Regime

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    New European Commission guidance, addressing procedural questions and finally providing clarity on “distortion” in merger control and public procurement, offers an opportunity to reflect on the year since foreign subsidy notification obligations were introduced, say lawyers at Fried Frank.

  • What Updated Guide Means For Jersey's Private Funds

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    The Jersey Financial Services Commission's recent updates to the Jersey Private Fund Guide clarify existing provisions and introduce new requirements for fund managers, service providers and investors, demonstrating a clear commitment to maintaining Jersey's reputation as an attractive jurisdiction for investment, say lawyers at Walkers Global.

  • The Road Ahead For Tokenized Investment Funds In The UK

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    With an HM Treasury working group expected to release the final phase of a road map for tokenized investment funds by the end of the year, Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP discuss the advantages for investors and fund administrators, the proposed model for implementation, and what the regulatory landscape may look like.

  • Review Of EU Cross-Border Merger Regs' Impact On Irish Cos.

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    Looking back on the year since the European Union Mobility Directive was transposed into Irish law, enabling Irish and European Economic Area limited liability companies to participate in cross-border deals, it is clear that restructuring options available to Irish companies with EU operations have significantly expanded, say lawyers at Matheson.

  • A Look At UK, EU And US Cartel Enforcement Trends

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    The European Union, U.K. and U.S. competition agencies' recently issued joint statement on competition risks in generative artificial intelligence demonstrates increased cross-border collaboration on cartel investigations, meaning companies facing investigations in one jurisdiction should anticipate related investigations in other jurisdictions, say lawyers at Latham & Watkins.

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