- What is new: The FCA has published Consultation Paper 25/23 proposing new regulations for Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services, now termed deferred-payment credit (DPC), with rules coming into force on 15 July 2026. - Why it...more
7/30/2025
/ Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Lenders ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) ,
Third Party Funding ,
UK
The first half of 2025 brought significant developments in the regulation of digital and cryptoassets in the UK and EU. In this half-year update, we review these and look ahead to likely developments in the UK and EU in the...more
7/9/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
Technology ,
UK
Published concurrently with Consultation Paper 25/14 (CP 25/14) on the proposals for stablecoin issuance and cryptoasset custody in the UK, Consultation Paper 25/15 (CP 25/15) sets out the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s...more
Following the publication by HM Treasury of the draft legislation establishing a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK, on 28 May 2025 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Consultation...more
6/6/2025
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
HM Treasury ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
In October 2024, HM Treasury (HMT) published a consultation paper amid perceived concerns related to the “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) sector, including uninformed consumer decisions, affordability checks and levels of...more
Is payment to an intermediary, not by its client but by the financial service provider, an illegal inducement or a legitimate distribution cost?
In Hopcraft, the UK Supreme Court will consider this perennial question. The...more
5/22/2025
/ Bribery ,
Competition ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Lenders ,
Popular ,
Remuneration ,
UK
On 9 May 2025, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued policy statement PS 25/4, setting out, and bringing into force, final rules on investment research payment options for fund managers.
The new rules follow the...more
As part of the UK government’s aim to create legislation establishing a regulatory framework for cryptoassets, on 2 May 2025 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Discussion Paper DP25/1....more
On 7 April 2025, the United Kingdom’s HM Treasury opened a consultation (the Consultation) on proposals to streamline the regulatory framework for alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs). Alongside the Consultation, the...more
5/8/2025
/ Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
HM Treasury ,
Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Private Equity ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
UK
Since December 2024, cryptoassets and related services are regulated in the European Union by the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Although the regulation provides a comprehensive set of rules for issuers of...more
5/5/2025
/ Blockchain ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Investment Management ,
MiFID II ,
Regulatory Requirements
The first four months of 2025 proved busy for the UK’s financial regulators, with both the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) publishing their strategy and business plan documents. As...more
5/5/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Cryptoassets ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Risk Management ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
On 29 April 2025, HM Treasury published near-final draft legislation establishing a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK, along with a policy note explaining the intended policy outcomes of the...more
As the market for stablecoins continues to evolve in sophistication and scale, financial institutions in the UK and EU are increasingly exploring whether and how to engage with them, whether for treasury, payments, settlement...more
3/20/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banking Sector ,
Digital Assets ,
E-Money ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Management ,
Popular ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Risk Management ,
Stablecoins ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
On 11 March 2025, the UK government announced its decision to abolish the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) as part of a broader initiative to reduce regulatory burdens and stimulate economic growth.
This action is intended to...more
3/14/2025
/ Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Competition ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Payment Systems ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Small Business ,
UK ,
UK Payment Systems Regulator
On 5 March 2025, the FCA published its findings from its multi-firm assessment of governance and valuation practices within the private market sector (Review) along with a press release. The Review focused on firms operating...more
In February 2025, Camille Blackburn, director at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), set out the FCA’s current supervisory priorities for the asset management and alternatives sector (Sector) in a “Dear CEO”...more
3/5/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Asset Management ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment ,
Investment Management ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management
On 25 February 2025, Sarah Pritchard, executive director of consumers, competition, and international at the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), delivered a speech at the Investment Association Roundtable where she outlined...more
3/3/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Hedge Funds ,
Investment ,
Investment Management ,
Market Participants ,
Non-Bank Lenders ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
UK
On 1 November 2024, the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a joint policy statement (PS 18/24) on the prudential assessment of acquisitions and increases in control. The...more
1/27/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Banking Sector ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investment Funds ,
Limited Partnerships ,
Mergers ,
New Guidance ,
New Regulations ,
Private Equity ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
UK
In the aftermath of the 2007-09 global financial crisis, the G20 nations committed to reforming bank remuneration frameworks in response to criticism that excessive risk-taking at banks incentivised by poorly structured pay...more
1/23/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FSB ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Remuneration ,
Risk Management ,
UK
As part of the UK government’s drive to develop legislation for a UK regulatory regime to govern the cryptoassets sector, on 16 December 2024 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Discussion Paper DP24/4, which...more
12/23/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Promotions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Market Abuse ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
Financial services regulators are intensifying their scrutiny of non-financial misconduct (NFM) within the financial services industry.
Related to this, the insurance marketplace Lloyd’s of London published a...more
In her first comments since the July 2024 UK general election, Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury Tulip Siddiq MP delivered a speech at the Tokenisation Summit on 21 November 2024 that outlined the recently elected UK...more
12/4/2024
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
On November 14, 2024, the UK government unveiled its National Payments Vision (the Vision), a strategy designed to reshape the UK’s payments ecosystem. This Vision responds to the findings of the 2023 Future of Payments...more
11/27/2024
/ Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
Open Banking ,
Payment Systems ,
PRC ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
In the UK, 14 million people used “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) at least once in the six months leading up to January 2023. Frequent users were more than four times as likely as other consumers to have missed a payment on a...more
11/5/2024
/ Borrowers ,
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
HMRC ,
Lenders ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Temporary Permissions Regime (TPR) ,
UK
On 21 August 2024, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Thematic Review TR24/2 (Review), as part of its on-going scrutiny of the general insurance sector, focusing on pricing and value for money provided by...more