United Kingdom: Finance and Banking

The UK government has unveiled plans to modernize financial services regulation through a new bill announced in the King's Speech, aiming to reduce regulatory complexity while maintaining high standards.

The relationship between financial services firms and their regulators has always been shaped by data, but for decades data was treated as something that firms produced when needed...

Understanding the classification of Non-Financial Counterparties under EMIR regulations is crucial for determining compliance obligations.

The private credit market has reached a critical inflection point in 2026, with $1.8tn in global assets under management creating both unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges.

The Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) consultation reflects the ongoing governmental and regulatory push to encourage wider retail participation in private and public capital markets and the benefits of seeking higher financial returns over pure cash savings.

The High Court in Vantage Mezzanine Fund II v Bitature granted a final charging order over UK property to assist in the enforcement of an arbitration award arising from Ugandan proceedings.

The Commercial Court's decision in Shukla v St James Bank clarifies that non-recourse lending structures cannot eliminate a borrower's equity of redemption under English law. When a lender refused to cooperate with loan repayment and attempted to retain collateral based on technical defaults, the court struck down contractual provisions that sought to forfeit redemption rights and awarded substantial damages for breach of contract.

Buying your first home is exciting but it can also feel frustrating when things move more slowly than expected.

If you are buying a property with the help of a mortgage, you may hear your estate agent, broker or solicitor talk about whether a firm is “on the lender’s panel”.

HMRC has published final guidance on the reformed UK investment manager exemption (IME), introducing significant changes that broaden its scope and remove the problematic 20% test. The updated guidance clarifies how the exemption applies to transparent funds and carried interest arrangements, providing crucial certainty for non-resident investors and UK asset managers navigating the country's tax regime.

The Bill aims to deliver key aspects of the Leeds Reforms, drive modernisation of regulation of the financial services sector, enable growth, and make consumer protections and redress fit for the digital age.

Movement in the currency market remained highly volatile last week amid conflicting signals surrounding a potential US-Iran peace agreement, the uncertainty surrounding which is likely to continue to influence trends this week.