FCA fines PwC $19.5M for failing to report fraud at London Capital & Finance
By Adrianne Appel2024-08-20T18:56:00
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) agreed to pay 15 million pounds (U.S. $19.5 million) for failing to report suspicions of fraud taking place at investment firm London Capital & Finance (LCF) before it collapsed, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced.
The fine marks the first time the FCA has penalized an auditing firm, the agency said in press release Friday.
LCF, registered as a public company in 2015, sold £236 million (U.S. $295 million) in bonds to investors promising returns of 6.5 to 8 percent a year. But the firm entered administration in January 2019, taking more than 11,600 investors down with it. The government has since bailed out eligible bondholders.