Clean up or lawyer up: The FCA’s culture war gets real September 16, 2026 With the City watchdog empowered to penalise non-financial misconduct and fresh off a win at the Upper Tribunal, lawyers now expect to be flooded with work from businesses that are grappling with the focus on culture, as bullying, harassment, and serious misconduct are no longer just HR matters, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. The Financial Conduct Authority [...]
Crispin Odey loses appeal to overturn lifetime financial services ban September 14, 2026 Former hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey has failed to overturn a £1.8m fine and lifetime ban from working in the financial services industry. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) earlier this year hit Odey with the fine and banned him from working in the industry after a series of historic sexual assault allegations from former female [...]
City lawyer pleads not guilty to insider dealing charges September 11, 2026 A City lawyer has pleaded not guilty to five counts of alleged insider dealing for trading in the assets of maternity fashion brand Seraphine Group. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed in July that it charged Richard Bloomfield, 38, with allegedly using inside information he obtained while advising on the buyout of London-listed maternity brand [...]
Barclays faces legal scrutiny over role in £90m ‘Ponzi scheme within a Ponzi scheme’ September 10, 2026 Barclays could be on the hook for as much as £37m over its role in a collapsed ‘Ponzi scheme’ after failing to dismiss claims brought by the company’s liquidators. The FTSE 100 finance giant provided banking services to a company called Denaro from 2013 until its demise a decade later, at which point it faced [...]
FTSE boss calls on City businesses to hire former offenders September 9, 2026 Beazley chief executive Adrian Cox has encouraged City business leaders to hire ex-offenders as he believes in “looking beyond convictions and recognising potential”. The boss of the FTSE specialist insurer, which agreed to be acquired by Zurich Insurance for approximately £8.14bn earlier this year, said: “City employers can transform lives while strengthening their organisations’ access [...]
Playtech’s legal spat with rival deepens after publication of secret report September 9, 2026 Playtech’s long-running legal feud with rival Evolution has deepened after the gambling software firm claimed a previously-hidden report proved its competitor was “problematic” and made money in banned markets. The London-listed firm has been in fierce spat with Evolution since 2020 when Playtech hired an intelligence firm to investigate its Swedish rival. But new proceedings [...]
Ousted former law firm chief launches bid to wrestle back £36bn BHP lawsuit September 9, 2026 The ousted former chief executive of the law firm leading the largest group claim in UK history against mining giant BHP is behind a bid to wrestle the £36bn case from a firm where he previously served as a director, City AM understands. Thomas Goodhead, who founded Pogust Goodhead (formerly PGMBM) in 2018 with US disputes lawyer Harris [...]
Banks ombudsman on the hook for millions in legal fees to Barclays and Santander September 7, 2026 The UK’s banks ombudsman could be forced to pay millions to a group of the UK’s top lenders after the High Court quashed four decisions the body made earlier this year on overdrafts and credit cards. The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has been put on the hook for what could top £2m in legal fees after the court [...]
Surge in third-party funding sparks wave in FTSE shareholder lawsuits September 4, 2026 A surge in the availability of third-party funding has triggered a wave of speculative FTSE shareholder lawsuits as investors seek to cash in on claims of wrongdoing. Over the last year, multiple blue-chip names, including gambling giant Entain, smoking tycoon British American Tobacco (BAT), and fast fashion retailer Boohoo, have been summoned before the High [...]
The common sense deficit hitting the City’s professional services firms September 2, 2026 The rise of AI has put serious pressure on professional services firms to figure out hiring and training strategies as an industry built to sell knowledge faces a knowledge gap as a new era enters the workforce with skills very different from the cohort ahead of them, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. Much of the conversation about [...]