London financial firm Ebury in FCA-mandated regulatory probe November 3, 2022 A celebrated London fintech has been forced to open itself up to an investigation into its anti money-laundering controls, City A.M. understands. Victoria-HQed Ebury, which is majority owned by Santander and was valued at around £600m at the time the Spanish giant bought in, is the subject of a ‘Section 166’ order by the Financial [...]
Court blocks ‘Essex boys’ traders’ bid to overturn City watchdog’s decision November 2, 2022 A group of oil traders, dubbed the “Essex boys,” who made $700m (£614m) from the collapse in oil prices that saw crude trade negatively at the start of Covid-19, have failed in their bid to overturn a decision by the UK’s financial watchdog to assist US authorities. Traders linked to oil brokerage Vega Capital London [...]
Funds struggle to sell sustainability as greenwashing spreads November 1, 2022 Fund managers are struggling to sell their green investment products to financial advisers as rampant greenwashing erodes trust in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) industry, fresh research has
Ministers push back plans for controversial ‘call in’ powers November 1, 2022 Ministers have delayed plans for the roll-out of controversial ‘call in’ powers over regulators in order to give the prime minister more time to mull over the plans, a letter from the City minister has revealed.
FCA struggling to lure top talent due to lacklustre pay, former official claims November 1, 2022 Reforms to the City watchdog have not done enough to boost employees’ pay packets and it is struggling to recruit top calibre staff as a result, a former official has claimed.
Call-in powers would be a grave threat to the regulator’s vital independence October 31, 2022 Politicians should be wary of the damage they could do to our regulators’ reputation for independence if they move forward with call-in powers Independence is a funny old thing. At a national level, it can be won and lost in the blink of an eye. At more prosaic levels, building up independence – and a [...]
Watchdog eyes Big Tech push into UK financial services sector October 25, 2022 The presence of Big Tech in the UK’s financial services market has caught the eyes of the regulator. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking views on the possible competition harms and benefits of the Big Tech push into financial services sectors and the infrastructure on which it is based. Sheldon Mills, executive director of [...]
City regulator FCA extends guidance for banks that look to permanently shut more branches October 11, 2022 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance, which already sets out expectations for banks to carry out thorough checks on the impact that permanent closures will have on customers, has been extended. Alternatives to bank branches should be delivered quickly and as a priority, according to the City regulator, which has published new guidance for those [...]
FCA slaps City broker with £531,000 fine over missing suspicious transactions October 6, 2022 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has slapped City stock broker Sigma with a £531,000 fine after it failed to identify 97 suspicious transactions. The watchdog also found the firm guilty of inadequately reporting 56,000 contracts for difference – an insurance tool used by market participants – between December 2014 and August 2016. Both former and [...]
FCA vows to take action against insurers falling short on business interruption claims October 4, 2022 The UK’s financial watchdog has warned insurers are falling short of its requirements in their handling of business interruption (BI) claims. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it will “consider using all regulatory tools” it has available to ensure insurers meet its standards after a review carried out by the watchdog determined insurers have “fallen [...]