The Standard Formula Podcast | Developments on the Horizon for the UK Change-in-Control Regulatory Regime
Brexit & Financial Services: Preparing for the End of the Transition Period
The Financial Conduct Authority has published a speech by Sarah Pritchard, FCA Executive Director, Markets and International, on taking a targeted and outcomes-based approach to tackling financial crime....more
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
New Crypto Products Announced, Stablecoin and BTC Data Published - According to a recent press release, OpenEden, a tokenization platform, announced that it is bringing tokenized U.S. Treasury bills to the XRP ledger....more
The UK prioritizes a flexible framework over comprehensive regulation and emphasizes sector-specific laws. Laws/Regulations directly regulating AI (the “AI Regulations”) The UK government's AI Regulation White Paper of...more
Compliance with UK MAR depends on effective systems - The UK Market Abuse Regulation (UK MAR) requires firms to identify and report instances of potential market abuse. Their ability to do this depends on the effectiveness...more
Institutional Firms Enter Crypto Market; Crypto Firms Partner on New Products - According to recent reports, a major global bank is establishing a spot trading desk for buying and selling bitcoin and ether. The new desk,...more
"Promotions aren't just about the likes, they're about the law," is the caption that accompanies the UK Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) recent decision to charge nine influencers in connection with the promotion on social...more
In 2022, for the first time, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a three-year strategy setting out three key themes for promoting positive change, namely: (1) reducing and preventing serious financial harm and...more
In the world of compliance and ethics, the Citigroup internal control debacle serves as a glaring reminder of the critical importance of robust, well-designed, functioning and effective internal controls. The U.K. Financial...more
Rather than specifically regulating artificial intelligence (AI), the UK government has opted to rely on the existing web of laws and regulations applying to technology across a spectrum of sectors in its jurisdiction. But...more
Greenwashing Beef Production - On February 28, New York State Attorney General (NYAG) Letitia James filed a lawsuit with the New York Supreme Court against meat processing company JBS USA for misleading the public about its...more
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) latest survey issued to certain regulated firms suggests that tackling non-financial misconduct remains a key strategic priority for the UK regulator. This comes hot on the heels of...more
By now, you may have heard that the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is consulting on changes to its approach to publicising enforcement investigations, as well as other changes to its Enforcement Guide. If they come into...more
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority’s (PRA) recent proposals demonstrate a divergence in approach when it comes to individual accountability and expectations of senior management in...more
The UK Financial Conduct Authority's consultation on diversity and inclusion (D&I) in financial services proposes new rules and guidance on identifying and taking action in relation to non-financial misconduct such as...more
On 28 November 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) confirmed the long-awaited final rules and guidance for UK asset managers aimed at improving the trust and transparency around sustainable investment products. In a...more
Swiss Banks Launch Tokenization Pilot, Crypto Custody and Trading Services - A recent press release announced a pilot by “SIX, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and six commercial banks” that seeks “to test, in a live...more
Katten's Financial Markets and Funds Quick Take is a monthly newsletter highlighting key noteworthy developments potentially affecting financial markets and funds....more
From 8 October, firms wishing to make a “financial promotion” relating to a “qualifying cryptoasset” can only do so legally if: The financial promotion is communicated by an FCA- or PRA-authorised person....more
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has assessed the systems and controls relating to sanctions compliance for over 90 firms across a range of sectors and summarised its findings of good and poor practice. Acknowledging...more
Sanctions and the systems and controls companies have in place to comply with them seem to be back in the spotlight. In addition to guidance recently published by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, a number of recent...more
Three decisions in recent weeks have demonstrated the breadth of the UK Government’s sanctions-related powers and underline a push by the UK to demonstrate the robustness of its sanctions and a focus on their enforcement....more
No financial services firm or professional welcomes an investigation by a regulator, let alone enforcement action. Each investigation proceeds differently depending on the target of the investigation, the subject matter and...more
The FCA released its 2022/23 Annual Report last week together with data on its key enforcement trends. We consider below some of the key takeaways....more
Last week, the FCA published its Annual Report for 2022/23, which included the usual FCA annual enforcement performance data. Below we have selected 10 key points from the Annual Report that are interesting from an...more