This article, updated quarterly, looks ahead to the areas expected to be prioritised by financial services regulators across the globe; we look at the key regulatory trends emerging from the past year which inform our...more
8/8/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Capital Requirements ,
Climate Change ,
Crisis Management ,
Cryptoassets ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK ,
United States
Dealmaking in the global financial services sector posted an uptick in activity during the first quarter of the year. This rebound is especially significant given the market headwinds the sector has faced over the past few...more
This article, updated quarterly, looks ahead to the areas expected to be prioritized by financial services regulators across the globe; we look at the key regulatory trends emerging from the past year which inform our...more
5/14/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Climate Change ,
Crisis Management ,
Cryptoassets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Strategic Planning ,
UK
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed on 11 March 2024 it will not object to requests from Recognised Investment Exchanges (RIEs) to establish UK-listed market segments for cryptoasset-backed exchange-traded notes...more
On 6 November 2023, the UK Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") set out proposals for its regulation of fiat-backed stablecoins ("DP 23/4"). DP 23/4 invites stakeholders to provide feedback by 6 February 2024....more
11/27/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FSMA ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
We are seeing -
Continued availability of growth capital for specialty lenders—SME lenders attract the most capital in the previous 12 months -
VC debt cheques (e.g., Quilam Capital's debt investment in Merchant Money...more
From 8 October 2023, marketing of cryptoassets in the UK will be subject to a general restriction on financial promotions,1 breach of which is a criminal offence. The restriction will apply to communications capable of having...more
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has unveiled new and near-final rules in Policy Statement 23/6 (PS23/6)1 that will apply to:
- 'authorised persons', which includes firms authorised under Part 4A of the Financial...more
On 27 June 2023, the UK signed a long-awaited Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") with the European Union ("EU") to increase co-operation on financial services.
The MoU has been a long time coming: regulatory cooperation...more
Our M&A lawyers predict a new wave of technology sector M&A centered on the consolidation of existing market participants, together with investors taking advantage of lower valuations to acquire strategic stakes in scaleable...more
The fintech landscape continues to evolve at speed. Recently it has faced various setbacks including a cooling of appetite for crypto risk and a tightening in the VC funding market. But the forces of innovation propelling...more
On Monday March 13, 2023, the Bank of England announced that Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited has been sold to HSBC UK Bank Plc. The situation remains fluid, and the following Q&A reflects our understanding as of Monday...more
3/14/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Deposit Insurance ,
Depository Institutions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HSBC ,
Insolvency ,
Silicon Valley ,
UK
On Friday March 10, 2023, the Bank of England moved to put the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank into insolvency after it applied for £1.8bn of liquidity as its parent company was collapsing. The situation remains fluid, and the...more
3/13/2023
/ Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Deposit Accounts ,
Deposit Insurance ,
Depository Institutions ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Institutions ,
Insolvency ,
Receivership ,
Silicon Valley ,
UK
As the world emerges from the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial services sector is going through a time of considerable change. This section highlights some developments to be aware of in key regulatory...more
12/7/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Market Abuse ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sustainability ,
UK ,
United States
With a new operational resilience framework in force in the UK and similar reforms proposed in the EU and the US, we examine how the regimes compare and their practical impact on financial services firms....more
12/5/2022
/ Bank of England ,
Banks ,
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Federal Deposit Insurance Act ,
FFIEC ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Infrastructure ,
IOSCO ,
Natural Disasters ,
New Rules ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
UK
As lawmakers look to reform aspects of wholesale markets regulation, the UK may be poised to drift closer to the US.
In his Mansion House speech on July 1, 2021, Rishi Sunak, the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced...more
12/2/2022
/ Capital Markets ,
Economic Development ,
Equity Markets ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Trading Platforms ,
UK ,
United States ,
Wholesale
UK & European Financial Services M&A: Sector trends H2 2021 | H1 2022 — Specialty Finance/Marketplace Lending -
Marginal uptick in M&A levels in the past 12 months, with property, automotive and revenue-based finance...more
8/2/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Buyers ,
Capital Markets ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Global Market ,
International Trade ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Specialty Financing ,
UK
Challenges and opportunities in the US, UK and Europe -
"Many Fintechs that previously avoided bank-like regulation in the US are now actively seeking that status."
The digital revolution was well underway long before most...more
11/17/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Services ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Licenses ,
Popular ,
Sandbox ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
It has been a period rife with notable shifts on the global stage; a new administration in the US, the end of the Brexit transition period and the reaching of key milestones in the discontinuation of LIBOR, to name but a few....more
11/16/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Cross-Border ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Libor ,
OCC ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Sustainability ,
UK
Financial institutions M&A sector trends: specialty finance/marketplace lending — H1 2021 and outlook for H2 2021 -
M&A levels dipped in H1 2021. Whilst institutional banks backed trade and B2B finance platforms and VC...more
9/29/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Banks ,
Buyers ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
National Stockpile ,
Private Equity ,
Specialty Financing ,
Venture Capital
The UK's departure from the EU has created new uncertainties in EU-UK cross-border financial services. One such area is the regulatory landscape that EU and UK financial services firms will have to navigate when doing...more
28 June 2021 is the deadline for UK Financial Holding Companies ("FHC") and Mixed Financial Holding Companies ("MFHC") to submit their application for approval or exemption under the UK's implementation of the Capital...more
Financial Institutions M&A sector trends: Specialty finance/marketplace Lending — H1 2020 and outlook for H2 2020
Panacea or plague—-what will the true impact of accreditation for government-backed COVID-19 loan schemes...more
7/29/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Loans ,
Financial Institutions ,
Industry Consolidation ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Online Marketplace Lending ,
Private Equity ,
Specialty Financing ,
UK ,
Venture Capital
For further information, please visit the White & Case Coronavirus Resource Center. On 2 April, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a scheme aimed at providing support to the so-called "squeezed middle", which comprises...more
While the UK Government, for the most part, has been praised for taking quick, decisive action to limit the impact of the COVID 19 economic shock for consumers and some UK companies, the measures announced to date excluded a...more