The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has launched a review of the treatment by regulated financial services firms of Politically Exposed Persons based in the U.K. Firms are currently obliged, under the Money Laundering,...more
The Joint Money Laundering Steering Group has published revisions to its Sector 22 Guidance on Cryptoasset exchange providers and custodian wallet providers along with a new Annex I, setting out guidance on the U.K. Travel...more
On September 7, 2023, the International Organisation of Securities Commissions launched a consultation on proposed policy recommendations on market integrity and investor protection issues in decentralized finance (DeFi)....more
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced on September 7, 2023, that firms may avail themselves of a delay to the application of some rules applying to cryptoasset financial promotions. The FCA published rules for...more
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Exemptions from Financial Promotion General Requirement) Regulations 2023, which come into force on September 27, 2023, set out the exemptions to the new U.K. regulatory gateway...more
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2023, made on August 22, 2023, bring into force certain provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 and...more
The EU’s Taxonomy Regulation entered into force on 12 July 2020. It created a framework relating to the reporting of environmental sustainability of economic activities and investments. It does this by defining various...more
The report and recommendations of the UK Investment Research Review were published on July 10, 2023. The recommendations have been accepted by the government and the Financial Conduct Authority has committed to prioritizing...more
Following rigorous debate in Parliament, the U.K.'s latest Financial Services and Markets Act (FSM Act) received royal assent on June 29, 2023. The FSM Act significantly changes the U.K.'s regulatory framework for financial...more
The U.K.’s newest Financial Services and Markets Act of 2023 (“FSM Act”) received Royal Assent on 29 June 2023. Certain parts came into force on its passing, others will come into effect two months after that, and the...more
8/1/2023
/ Competition ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services and Markets Act ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HM Treasury ,
Prospectus ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Securitization ,
Solvency II ,
UK
Authorised push payment (“APP”) fraud allegations involve a third-party bad actor fraudulently inducing a bank customer to give authorised instructions to their bank to make a payment to the third-party (or someone connected...more
On June 27, 2023, the EU and U.K. signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Financial Services Cooperation, a high-level agreement on future cooperation in the regulation of financial services. The MoU provides for -
-...more
The EU published a new Sustainable finance package 2023 on June 13, 2023. The package includes -
- A Proposed Regulation on the transparency and integrity of ESG rating activities, which aims to enhance the quality of ESG...more
The issue of how firms should pay for investment research continues to be a controversial topic in the financial markets. The U.S. has maintained the approach it adopted before the mid-2000s, which is to permit investment...more
7/3/2023
/ Broker-Dealer ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Market Research ,
MiFID II ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
UK
On June 8, 2023, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority published its final Policy Statement setting out detailed rules for the U.K.'s cryptoasset financial promotions regime. The Policy Statement follows the publication on...more
On 7 June 2023, the U.K. government published a statutory instrument (the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) (Amendment) Order 2023 (FP (Amendment) Order) and related explanatory memorandum)...more
6/13/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
New Legislation ,
Securities ,
UK
On May 23, 2023, the International Organisation of Securities Commissions launched a consultation on proposed policy recommendations for crypto and digital asset markets. IOSCO is proposing that the final recommendations,...more
On May 24, 2023, the European Commission published a Retail Investment Strategy package aimed at enhancing retail investor protections across the EU and encouraging participation in the EU capital markets. The package...more
6/6/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Capital Markets ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
MiFID II ,
UK
On May 18, 2023, the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), the intergovernmental organization for modernizing and coordinating private law, published a set of draft Principles on Digital...more
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Commodity Derivatives and Emission Allowances) Order 2023 was made on May 17, 2023. The Order, which enters into force on January 1, 2025, paves the way for the Financial Conduct...more
Fourteen months into the Ukraine war, the Russian Government has introduced new countersanctions targeting foreign investors in Russia. The latest measures require businesses from “unfriendly” countries to make a “voluntary...more
On April 20, 2023, the agreed text of the proposed European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation was given final approval by the European Parliament. The Regulation is intended to improve legal certainty in the regulatory...more
5/10/2023
/ Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
European Parliament ,
Financial Services and Markets Act ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Member State ,
Popular ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
On May 3, 2023, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority published a Policy Statement on Improving Equity Secondary Markets, following its consultation last year. These changes are part of the response to the Wholesale Markets...more
On April 28, 2023, the Pension Fund Clearing Obligation Exemption and Intragroup Transaction Transitional Clearing and Risk-Management Obligation Exemptions (Extension and Amendment) Regulations 2023 were published, with...more
On April 20, 2023, the European Parliament announced that it had formally endorsed the draft Regulation on information accompanying transfers of funds and crypto assets (referred to here as the EU Travel Rule Regulation). The...more