The Crime and Policing Bill has now made it through the House of Lords committee, and the current version contains clause 213, which would make an organisation criminally liable where a senior manager commits any offence...more
2/23/2026
/ Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Liability ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Criminal Liability ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Enforcement Actions ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Risk Management ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
The Serious Fraud Office has spent the past two years building pace, confidence and public credibility. But the announcement of the Director's retirement – followed closely by the imminent exit of senior prosecutors on...more
2/4/2026
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Financial Crimes ,
Fraud ,
Investigations ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
Tom Hayhoe's final report as COVID-19 Counter-Fraud Commissioner estimates that fraud, error and waste across more than 140 pandemic support schemes cost UK taxpayers £10.9 billion. Out of this, only around £1.8 billion has...more
1/22/2026
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Reporting ,
Fraud ,
Government Efficiency ,
Procurement Guidelines ,
Public Funds ,
Public Sector ,
Risk Management ,
Transparency ,
UK
On 8 January 2026, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced that it will return £400,000 to nine victims of a global email fraud dating back more than two decades. The move, achieved through a civil recovery order under the...more
1/21/2026
/ Asset Recovery ,
Cooperation ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Email ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crimes ,
Fraud ,
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) ,
Restitution ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Terrorist Financing Regulations ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
The IFBT’s new indicators are largely familiar to any organisation with a mature anti-bribery programme....more
1/15/2026
/ Anti-Bribery ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Corruption ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Due Diligence ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Investigations ,
Politically Exposed Person (PEPs) ,
Whistleblowers ,
White-Collar Exemptions
City of London Police's new reporting service replaces Action Fraud – but questions remain about impact, technology and how it fits with SFO routes. platform....more
1/8/2026
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bribery ,
Corruption ,
Cybersecurity ,
Financial Crimes ,
Fraud ,
Government Agencies ,
Police ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
As the holiday season ushers in its busiest months, retailers and fashion brands are confronting a marketplace reshaped by rapid technological disruption, shifting regulatory expectations, and increasingly savvy consumers. AI...more
12/19/2025
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Brand ,
Copyright ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fashion Industry ,
Greenwashing ,
Innovative Technology ,
Machine Learning ,
Marketing ,
Payment Systems ,
Privacy Laws ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Retail ,
Retailers ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Third-Party Risk ,
Trademarks ,
Vendors
The government's recent announcement of sweeping criminal court reforms marks a shift from the proposals outlined in the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts published in June 2025. Both the Independent Review and the...more
12/16/2025
/ Appellate Courts ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Criminal Justice Reform ,
Criminal Procedure ,
Due Process ,
Financial Crimes ,
Fraud ,
Jury Trial ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Sentencing ,
UK
There is a clear sense that the current UK Government wants to put criminal justice reform back on the agenda – and economic crime is a big part of that. Fraud and corruption plainly cost the UK economy huge sums, yet...more
The Budget 2025 introduces a series of targeted measures to strengthen the UK's approach to economic crime and fraud enforcement. While these changes are incremental rather than transformative, they reflect the government's...more
12/11/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crimes ,
Fraud ,
HMRC ,
Incentives ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Tax Evasion ,
Tax Fraud ,
UK ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
The SFO has issued updated guidance on how it evaluates an organisation's compliance programme, accompanied by a press release positioning this as part of its “refreshed” approach to corporates. The new document replaces the...more
12/1/2025
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bribery ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Compliance Monitoring ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Failure to Prevent ,
Fraud ,
Risk Assessment ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
UK ,
Whistleblowers
Fraud isn't standing still. As everyday digital tools become more powerful, they are also making some of the oldest scams faster and harder to spot. Fraud isn’t standing still As everyday digital tools become more powerful,...more
11/24/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Contract Terms ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fraud ,
Identity Fraud ,
Machine Learning ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Third-Party Service Provider
A new government survey published on 5 November 2025 shows that external fraud against UK businesses is both widespread and under-recognised, revealing a persistent gap between corporate controls and confidence in their...more
When the UK government launched Economic Crime Plan 2 (ECP2) in March 2023, its ambitions were clear. Building on the first Plan, the 2023-26 strategy set out three overarching goals: to cut fraud; reduce money laundering and...more
9/5/2025
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Asset Recovery ,
Corporate Liability ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crimes ,
Fraud ,
HMRC ,
Money Laundering ,
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ,
Risk Assessment ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Serious Fraud Office (SFO) have overhauled their Corporate Prosecutions guidance – clarifying how prosecutors will handle charges, forum and case strategy going forward. The previous...more
HMRC has reportedly brought its first-ever corporate prosecution under the failure to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion offence, almost eight years after the legislation was introduced in the Criminal Finances Act 2017....more
The publication of the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts in June 2025 marks a significant attempt to reshape the structure, governance and workload of England and Wales' criminal justice system. The Review has clear...more
On 9 June 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published revised guidance for the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Much attention has been paid to the apparent “unpausing” of enforcement...more
The Serious Fraud Office’s evolving approach to corporate engagement took another step forward this month. On 12 June 2025, speaking at a London conference, the SFO’s Chief Investigator Michael Gallagher provided the...more
On 24 April 2025, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) issued new guidance signalling a notable shift in its approach to corporate criminal enforcement. For the first time, the SFO has stated that if a company self-reports...more
4/25/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Self-Reporting ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
On 1 September 2025, the corporate criminal offence of ‘failure to prevent fraud’ (“the Offence”), created by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (“ECCTA”), will come into force. On 6 November 2024, the...more
On 27 June 2024, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in World Uyghur Congress v National Crime Agency [2024] EWCA Civ 715. The challenge of a 2023 decision by the High Court was brought by World Uyghur Congress ("WUC")...more
On 18 April 2024, the SFO announced that it had launched its Strategy 2024-2029, setting out its direction, values, approach and goals over the next five years.
A bold, victims-centred approach The Strategy can be found...more
The UK's whistleblowing framework – although once an example of best practice – is now lagging behind efforts, particularly in Europe, for improved whistleblowing standards and protections. There are various ongoing efforts...more
The Environment Agency has launched a new Economic Crime Unit to enhance its fight against financial crimes in the waste management sector. This move aims to bolster the agency's capabilities in conducting financial...more