HSBC chair poured cash into failed tax avoidance investment scheme December 18, 2025 The new chair of HSBC lost money in a tax-avoiding investment scheme that ultimately collapsed, City AM can reveal. Brendon Nelson became a partner and investor in a biofuel exploration business called Future Fuels, itself part of a wider scheme called Elysian Fuels which was operated by Future Capital Partners. The unregulated investment scheme was [...]
FCA: Motor finance lenders ‘very focused’ on negatives of redress December 16, 2025 The boss of the UK’s financial watchdog has taken a swipe at motor finance lenders that are begrudged with the regulator’s redress scheme, stating they are “very focused” on the negatives. In a session with the Treasury Select Committee, Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) opened the door to changing the [...]
FCA boss: Treasury and MPs slowing deregulation push December 16, 2025 The pedestrian pace of government and parliament is preventing City watchdogs from introducing pro-growth measures fast enough, the boss of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said as he called for the introduction of statutory timetables to ensure the Treasury ratifies deregulation faster. Nikhil Rathi told the Treasury Committee that the FCA was “moving as [...]
Motor finance lenders brace for legal battles amid redress spat December 15, 2025 Motor finance lenders have been sent a major warning over a potential influx of legal battles if the UK’s financial watchdog fails to “genuinely compensate” consumers. Britain’s top banks were thought to have been granted some reprieve earlier this year after the Supreme Court sided with upheld the appeals of two lenders in the landmark [...]
Crypto firms face clamp down from Treasury and watchdog December 15, 2025 Cryptocurrencies will face regulation like any other financial products under new laws announced by the Treasury. Firms that offer crypto products will fall under the Financial Conduct Authority’s jurisdiction as part of new rules requiring digital assets providers to meet a set of standards from the City watchdog. The Labour government said the new legislation, which comes into [...]
Nationwide hit with fine after failing to flag Covid furlough fraud December 12, 2025 Nationwide had been slapped with a £44m fine by the City watchdog for failures in its financial crime controls. The building society giant has been blasted by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for missing opportunities to identify fraudulent Covid furlough payments. The FCA said one customer received 24 payments, totalling north of £27m, over 13 [...]
Rachel Reeves’ Budget was ‘monumentally mishandled,’ says London-listed bank December 11, 2025 A London-listed bank has given its scathing assessment of Rachel Reeves’ second Autumn Budget and warned of the impact it will have on consumer confidence. S&U – which was founded in 1938 and once known as Sports and Utilities – said the performance of its motor finance and property financing arms was “remarkably resilient given [...]
Millions more to get financial advice as part of FCA red tape shake-up December 11, 2025 More than 18m savers will benefit from more detailed advice on their investments and pension in the next decade as part of a radical shake-up of financial red tape that the City watchdog has hailed as “game-changing”. The Financial Conduct Authority’s ‘targeted support programme’ will give financial services firms the ability to give tailored suggestions [...]
Less jargon, more advice: FCA rises to pro-growth challenge December 10, 2025 With a flurry of announcements ahead of the new year, the FCA is rising to the government’s growth mandate, writes Ali Lyon. For many of the men and women in charge of the UK’s largest financial regulator, a grey cloud will have hung heavy over any festivities last Christmas. Just a day before the seasonal [...]
FCA to allow firms to ‘eradicate jargon’ for retail investors December 8, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is rolling out a heap of new measures to “move the dial on risk” among Britons as it bids to lead on the charge to boost retail investment, including through allowing them to remove legal jargon that confuses consumers. In a suite of consultations unveiled on Monday, the City regulator [...]