Treat customers fairly during coronavirus crisis, watchdog tells insurers March 19, 2020 Changes in how the public go about their lives because of the coronavirus pandemic must not make it harder for them to make insurance claims, the financial regulator has warned insurers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has urged firms to treat customers fairly and be transparent during the outbreak, noting that many consumers will be [...]
Travelex owner Finablr in danger of collapse as shares suspended March 16, 2020 Payments company Finablr has warned it is in danger of collapsing as trading in its shares was frozen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In a dramatic update to the stock exchange this morning, the Travelex owner said it had found around $100m (£81m) of undisclosed financing, which meant it no longer had any certainty [...]
City watchdog outlines tougher climate change disclosures for top firms March 6, 2020 The UK’s top listed firms must disclose how their business is affected by climate change using globally-agreed guidance or explain why they cannot, under proposals outlined today by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Under the plans, firms with a premium listing would have to either make climate-related disclosures in line with the approach set out [...]
Influential Treasury Select Committee slams FCA culture but backs Bailey as next Bank governor March 5, 2020 Parliament’s influential Treasury Select Committee (TSC) today unanimously backed Andrew Bailey in his new role at the Bank of England, but took the opportunity to criticise failings in his post at the City’s watchdog. The TSC pointed to recent conduct issues such as the London Capital & Finance mini-bond and Woodfood investment scandals, which occurred under Bailey’s watch [...]
Bank of England expects to internal report on audio feed misuse in April March 3, 2020 The Bank of England expects an internal report into misuse of its audio feeds to go the bank’s directors in April, after it emerged that hedge funds were able to access a market-sensitive feed ahead of its official broadcast. Outgoing governor Mark Carney told the Treasury committee today that he expected the BoE’s court — [...]
Deutsche Bank under pressure from UK regulator over compliance failings March 2, 2020 The British financial regulator has criticised Deutsche Bank for failing to improve its compliance and anti-money laundering controls, and warned this could threaten the lender’s access to the UK post-Brexit. Bank of England regulators have told the German lender they now require monthly updates, as opposed to typical quarterly meetings, according to the Financial Times. [...]
Fund supermarket best-buy lists — Are they bogus or a bargain? February 25, 2020 It should go without saying that choosing the right investment can be challenging. For time-strapped everyday investors, combing through the financial records of individual companies to find a share worth buying can seem like a monumental task. Instead, many people prefer to put their money into investment funds run by professional asset managers who do [...]
Barclays prepares to begin hunt for Jes Staley’s replacement February 24, 2020 Barclays is preparing to begin the search for a new chief executive to replace Jes Staley, making it the latest European bank to hunt for new leadership. Staley, who has led the banking giant since 2015, has told colleagues he expects to leave Barclays by the end of next year, according to the Financial Times. [...]
Retail investors exposed to too much risk, says City watchdog February 18, 2020 Retail investors are being pushed into purchasing higher risk products that expose them to more risk than they can afford, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned. In its annual report on the areas that could harm consumers, the City watchdog said that the sale of “unsuitable or fraudulent products” represents the most significant harm [...]
UK and EU must avoid a ‘punch-up’ over financial services, says incoming BoE governor Bailey February 12, 2020 Britain and the European Union must find a way to settle disagreements over how the UK’s finance industry can do business with the bloc without it descending into a “metaphorical punch-up”, said incoming Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey. Bailey, who is currently head of the Financial Conduct Authority, also said it would be “hard [...]