The U.K.’s financial watchdog has watered down some of the key compliance requirements for crypto firms as it released its first full set of rules for the industry to follow.
United Kingdom
Posted inOpinion
Chris Clarke, CCO at Bloomsbury Money, explains why asset tokenization and risk-based compliance are key FS trends
An early role in AML and due diligence in a client-facing role gave Chris Clarke his first taste of compliance. His background in Jersey, an international financial center that services global markets, made financial services an obvious choice.
Posted inRegulatory Policy
U.K. set to ramp up consumer protection against price gouging
Companies risk finding that commercially sensitive information about their pricing strategies could be made public if competition authorities and other regulators believe they have unduly hiked prices to take advantage of a spike in customer demand due to a crisis.
Posted inFinancial Services
Lawyers warn U.K. financial firms to prepare for faster regulatory changes with less consultation
The U.K. government is giving the financial and banking regulators more flexibility to make regulations without submitting these to a full consultation process.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
U.K. regulator fines Virgin Media $38 million for repeat competition offense
Virgin Media has been fined a record $37.5 million for making it unreasonably difficult for customers to close accounts or switch to a better telecoms deal.
Posted inSanctions
Sanctions penalty for Scottish energy company marks ‘new era’ of sanctions enforcement
A Scottish energy company has become the first to be named by the U.K. customs and excise authority for breaching Russian sanctions rules.
Posted inArtificial Intelligence
Companies risk violating data, consumer laws over agentic AI use
Companies are at increased risk of violating Europe’s tough privacy laws because boards have little awareness of the different types of AI or their inherent risks. While many organizations are more familiar with predictive and conversational AI tools, such as chatbots that carry little or no discernible risk, they have not grasped that generative AI—and especially agentic AI—are different animals.
Posted inArtificial Intelligence
No new rules as U.K. financial services sector champions AI
There are no new rules on the horizon as U.K. financial services firms embrace “AI-enabled, continuous and delegated services,” but a report warns that the technology could reshape the sector by 2030 in terms of how firms operate, consumers make decisions, markets compete, and risks emerge.
Posted inESG/Social Responsibility
Compliance must focus on due diligence as U.K. aligns with EU deforestation laws
Products using wood, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber and soy are set to come under new U.K. deforestation legislation.
Posted inCryptocurrency and Digital Assets
U.K.’s sanctions on cryptocurrency exchanges signal new focus on illicit digital financing
Cryptocurrency exchanges believed to be financing Russia’s war in Ukraine have been sanctioned by the U.K. government in the first attempt to prevent evasion via “dark networks.”
