Pokemon cards’ most enthusiastic collectors? Money launderers Opinion The market for Pokemon cards it absolutely booming, but there's a more sinister force than nerdy millennials at play, writes Paul Ormerod.
‘Sounds too good to be true?’ City watchdog clamps down on social media insurance scams Insurance The Financial Conduct Authority is cracking down on insurance scams advertised on social media and messaging platforms after finding half of young drivers have purchased illegitimate insurance premiums this way. The regulator said nearly 40 per cent of drivers aged 17-25 are “unconfident” in spotting the signs of a fake insurance policy, meaning “thousands could [...]
Cyberattacks hit UK businesses with £3.7bn in legal costs last year Business Large UK businesses were forced to fork out £3.7bn to defend legal action brought by shareholders last year over cyberattacks, according to new research from insurance giant Gallagher and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). Cyberattacks cost firms with over 250 employees an estimated £11.7bn in total, with litigation being the second largest [...]
Norwegian billionaire forced back to London in £285m Deutsche Bank dispute May 12, 2026 Norwegian billionaire Alexander Vik has been ordered to return to the City to be interrogated about his hidden assets during a 13-year-long legal dispute with Deutsche Bank. The bank first sued the business mogul’s company, Sebastian Holdings, in 2009 after the company suffered a series of losses on foreign exchange and equities trade deals during [...]
Financial scams soar as crooks snatch phones and manipulate vulnerable victims April 15, 2026 UK banks saw a staggering rise in financial scams last year, as growing public awareness was offset by criminals pivoting towards victim manipulation to get their hands on sensitive information. Banks reported a 62 per cent rise in social engineering scams, in which attackers manipulate victims into authorising payments themselves, as they turned away from [...]
FCA hands Palantir sensitive data in AI crime push March 23, 2026 Britain’s financial watchdog is turning to AI to hunt down fraud, raising security questions over who gets to see and use sensitive data. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has awarded Palantir a three-month contract to analyse its internal intelligence systems which notably contain highly sensitive case files, in a bid to sharpen fraud detection. The [...]
FCA chief clashes with investment industry on over-reliance March 19, 2026 The investment industry must stop being over-reliant on regulators and solve their own problems in order to make investors less risk averse and boost economic growth, the financial watchdog has said. Speaking in an interview with City AM, Simon Walls, interim executive director of markets at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), argued that despite the [...]
The relentless rise of unregulated finfluencers March 16, 2026 Accessing financial advice used to be out of reach for many. But now, it’s on your commute, at the bus stop, and most dangerously, in your pocket. Get out your phone, open any social media app, and you’ll see a young man or woman, backlit by a ring light holding a pocket microphone, promising to [...]
Odey described as a ‘sex pest’ by former hedge fund chief executive, court told March 10, 2026 Disgraced hedge fund manager Crispin Odey was called a “sex pest” and a “sociopath” by former Odey Asset Management chief executive, a court was told on Tuesday. Tim Pearey said in an interview with the Financial Conduct Authority: “I think he’s a sex pest I’m afraid… I think he’s got a real problem. “I think [...]
On this day: The collapse of Barings Bank February 26, 2026 On 26 February 1995, 31 years ago today, Baring Bank, one of the City’s most venerable institutions, was declared insolvent after a massive fraud by one of its employees, Nick Leeson, recalls Eliot Wilson In the 1990s, following the wake of Big Bang and the influx of brash but wealthy, “Greed is good, greed is [...]