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FCA seeks feedback on final proposals for the cryptoasset regime, covering Consumer Duty, conduct standards, redress, safeguarding, and other key rules for crypto firms – responses due by 12 Mar 2026

FCA Consultation Paper CP26/4 sets out proposed rules and guidance on how existing UK Handbook requirements will apply to firms conducting regulated cryptoasset activities, covering areas such as the Consumer Duty, conduct of business standards, redress and dispute resolution, regulatory reporting, training and competence, senior management oversight (SM&CR), cryptoasset safeguarding, and retail collateral treatment in crypto borrowing, with the aim of promoting…

FCA consults on the Application of Consumer Duty to cryptoasset firms, urging them to protect retail consumers, ensure clear disclosures, vet high-risk cryptoassets, and act swiftly against fraud and FC – comments by 12 Mar 2026

The FCA’s GC26/2 guidance sets out how cryptoasset firms should apply the Consumer Duty — Principle 12 and its supporting rules — to their regulated activities, helping them deliver good outcomes for retail customers in a high‑risk, fast‑evolving market by embedding customer interests across products, pricing, communications and support, while recognising differences between crypto and traditional finance; the guidance supplements existing Duty guidance and is part of the UK’s broader framework to protect consumers and…

CPS orders money launderer who facilitated the movement of proceeds from a large-scale investment fraud in China to repay £5.6M or face additional jail time

Qian transferred a total of 67.7 Bitcoin to wallets controlled by Ling in February 2024 and then a further 16 Bitcoin were transferred to him in April 2024. After receiving the cryptocurrency, he then converted these into other cryptocurrencies, including Tether, the price for which is linked to the price of the US Dollar. Some of these funds were then transferred abroad and paid into bank accounts in the United Arab Emirates. Some of the cryptocurrencies held by Ling were sent to third parties and converted into cash…

UK Treasury Committee’s ‘AI in Financial Services’ Report warns AI is outpacing regulation, putting consumers and markets at risk and calling for clearer rules, stress testing and stronger oversight of tech providers

The report highlights concerns around opaque decision-making, fraud, cybersecurity, market concentration and heavy reliance on major tech and cloud providers, concludes that regulators have been overly reactive, and calls on the FCA, Bank of England and HM Treasury to issue clear AI guidance, introduce AI-specific stress testing and strengthen oversight of critical third-party providers to ensure innovation does not undermine trust or stability in the financial system…

LSRA’s Gibraltar ‘Risk Scoring Policy’ introduces a refined risk-based methodology, clearer supervisory guidance, and stronger alignment with AML/CFT/CPF standards to better detect and mitigate FC risks

The policy explains how the LSRA applies a risk‑based approach—combining assessments of technical compliance (quality of policies, procedures, client due diligence, SARs, etc.), effectiveness in preventing financial crime and sanctions evasion, and materiality (the likelihood and impact of failures)—to assign an overall risk score to each firm. These risk scores help the LSRA categorize firms by risk level and determine appropriate supervisory actions, ensuring targeted oversight of legal practices engaged in relevant financial activities…

CoLP’s Report Fraud launch marks the UK’s shift from passive reporting to real-time, intelligence-led action, linking cases, detecting patterns, and tackling large-scale, cyber-enabled, and cross-border fraud

The platform provides a single, streamlined gateway for victims and businesses to report incidents, enables real-time intelligence sharing and triage across law enforcement and industry, and aims to identify serious and complex cases more quickly while ensuring consistent victim support. With fraud now accounting for around half of all crime and costing the UK billions annually, Report Fraud is designed to strengthen collaboration, disrupt criminal networks faster, and better protect the public and the economy…

Companies House delays presenter-related reforms until no earlier than November 2026 to prioritise completing identity verification under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act

The latest update to the transition plan confirms that Companies House will postpone the planned Spring 2026 introduction of presenter measures so it can focus on delivering identity verification for directors and people with significant control and respond to stakeholder feedback. The revised timetable reflects a sequencing decision within the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act reforms to ensure core verification and data-quality changes are embedded before further filing and enforcement measures are introduced…

UK and EU sign a MoU to strengthen oversight of critical third-party providers, establishing coordinated cooperation, information sharing, and joint supervision against cyber-attacks and system outages

It aligns the UK’s Critical Third Party regime with the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), promoting cross-border consistency while reducing regulatory duplication. The agreement aims to enhance financial stability, operational resilience, and market confidence, enabling faster, coordinated responses to risks affecting critical service providers and ensuring more effective supervision across both jurisdictions…

FCA’s new cryptoasset regime, effective 25 Oct 2027, will regulate key crypto activities – firms can learn more at the Authorisations Introductory Webinar on 29 Jan 2026 to stay compliant

This webinar will introduce the upcoming changes to the regulatory regime for cryptoassets under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). We’ll cover who will be affected by these changes and outline our expectations when assessing applications. The session will highlight the support available to applicants and provide information about our upcoming events and webinars designed to support industry. The webinar will end with an opportunity for Q&A…

Resistant AI’s APP Fraud Whitepaper reveals how criminals exploit real-time payments and money mule networks, urging banks and fintechs to adopt stronger controls, real-time monitoring, and collaboration

It emphasizes the growing scale of APP fraud globally, the financial and reputational risks for banks and fintechs, and the urgent need for stronger controls, enhanced onboarding, real-time monitoring, and data-driven defenses. The paper also addresses emerging reimbursement regimes for victims and calls for industry-wide collaboration and investment in fraud prevention to safeguard customers…

UK Dept for Business and Trade issues draft guidance clarifying how to identify individuals with significant influence or control for Companies House’s PSC register, strengthening corporate transparency

The guidance interprets the statutory criteria in Schedule 1A of the Companies Act 2006 to help companies determine whether an individual or entity exercises significant influence or control — beyond just holding shares or voting rights — and therefore qualifies as a Person with Significant Control. It supports transparency by explaining how rights, powers or actual influence over decisions and company governance trigger PSC reporting and registration obligations with Companies House…

NCA’s UK FIU releases its 2025 SARs Annual Report, highlighting 860,000+ reports filing, stronger asset-denial via DAML, global collaboration, and new digital tools driving AML/CTF effectiveness

The report highlights an exceptional year for the UK Financial Intelligence Unit, with over 860,000 SARs received, the highest-ever value of assets denied through Defence Against Money Laundering requests, and continued global leadership in exploiting SARs to disrupt money laundering and criminal finance. It also details strengthened public-private and international cooperation, extensive reporter engagement, and significant advances in SARs IT reform, including the rollout of the new SARs Portal and Digital Service to improve data quality, analytics, and law-enforcement outcomes…

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