Green light finally expected for £2.5bn Barratt and Redrow mega-merger August 28, 2024 The £2.5bn mega-merger of housebuilders Barratt and Redrow looks set to be finally given approval by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The watchdog launched an investigation into the proposed deal in June after it was first announced in February. Now, the watchdog has said it considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that [...]
UK financial regulator to review pure protection insurance market August 28, 2024 The City watchdog has announced a probe into the sale of pure protection insurance products amid concerns that "competition is not working well in the market".
Google facing £1bn competition lawsuit from professor on behalf of SMEs August 23, 2024 A professor has launched a class action lawsuit against Google on behalf of SMEs he said have been negatively hit by excessive commissions on its Play Store. Competition law professor at the University of Strathclyde, Barry Rodger, has alleged that Google has abused its dominant position by excluding competition in app distribution and by charging [...]
Regulator calls out Barclays and Santander for breaching retail banking order August 22, 2024 Britain's competition watchdog has rebuked Barclays and Santander UK for breaching parts of its retail banking order.
Treasury and FCA worried by payments regulator’s fraud refund scheme August 22, 2024 The government and City watchdog have raised concerns over a fraud refund scheme from the UK payments regulator that firms have warned could do long-lasting damage to the industry, City A.M. understands.
Google and Apple probes dropped by CMA amid pivot to new regime August 21, 2024 The UK’s competition watchdog has decided to close two investigations into Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store, citing a shift in priorities. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was investigating whether Google and Apple have been using their app stores to put British app developers at a disadvantage. It was concerned the tech giants [...]
Meta: Watchdog greenlights changes to advertiser data rules on Facebook August 20, 2024 The UK’s competition watchdog has given the green light to new commitments from Meta to better protect the data of advertisers on Facebook. Since June 2021, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been looking into whether Meta has unfairly data from its advertising services to give its Facebook Marketplace an edge over competitors. After [...]
Is Google a monopoly? Sort of, but that’s the free market August 20, 2024 How about a little trust in the dynamism of the free market? Writes Matthew Feeney
Barratt pushed ahead with £2.5bn Redrow merger despite CMA concerns August 19, 2024 Housebuilders Barratt and Redrow have decided to push ahead with their £2.5bn merger despite issues raised by the competition regulator. The merger, announced by the companies in February, has been under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) due to concerns that it could significantly reduce competition. The two companies currently hold a large [...]
Strict advertising rules are pushing formula milk prices to record highs, CMA finds August 16, 2024 Strict advertising rules around infant formula milk are leading to “historically high” prices for UK parents, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said today. The watchdog said its investigation into formula prices had found that current regulations, which heavily limit how brands can advertise their products, were hindering price competition. It said that since price [...]