All United Kingdom articles
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ArticleU.K. ‘buy now pay later’ regulation signals end of ‘Wild West’ fintech loans system
Firms offering “buy now, pay later” financing will become part of the regulated financial services sector in the U.K. from July 15. Compliance teams must act now to ensure they are ready to introduce rules and establish creditworthiness assessment processes, adapt systems, and change data processes before the deadline.
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ArticleEU and U.K. demand evidence to back sustainability claims
Businesses must come clean about green. The U.K. and the EU are enhancing and clarifying rules around corporate sustainability claims, with supply chains in their sights.
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ArticleU.K. financial regulator cuts cases to focus on investigations that achieve results
The U.K. financial regulator has dropped 100 investigations without action over the past three years, but compliance should expect a refocus of resources rather than a retreat from enforcement.
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ArticleU.K. lawmakers push for guidance, rules around AI in financial services
British lawmakers have warned that neither the U.K. government nor key financial regulators are doing enough to manage the risks presented by AI to consumers.
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ArticleDecision time for compliance as U.K. CCI regime ditches formulaic reporting to engage investors
A new U.K. Consumer Composite Investments regime comes into force on April 6 and will apply to all firms that manufacture or distribute CCI products to retail investors in the U.K. This includes some firms that are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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News BriefEY compliance partner leaves after independence failings prompt regulatory investigation
Four senior partners at Big Four accountancy firm Ernst & Young, including a leader in the firm’s compliance function, have left the company because of spiralling repercussions from a costly compliance failure.
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ArticleU.K. insider trading case highlights benefits to self-reporting suspicious activity
The U.K. has recently initiated a series of comprehensive crackdowns on financial fraud, particularly in the financial services sector. A recent enforcement action highlighted the effectiveness of one of the Financial Conduct Authority’s lesser-known weapons in its fight to combat insider trading—the Suspicious Transaction and Order Report (STOR).
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ArticlePrada cleans up supply chain with zero tolerance for compliance failings
Luxury fashion brand Prada has terminated contracts with over 200 suppliers in the past five years after a focused “zero tolerance” supply chain audit aimed at identifying compliance failings.
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ArticleEU investigation into Grok may expose problems with DSA rather than compliance failings
The European Commission has launched a formal investigation against Elon Musk’s X under the Digital Services Act over fears that its AI tool Grok may be producing and disseminating illegal material.
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ArticleU.K. Employment Rights Act will lead to rise in tribunal claims
The number of U.K. employment tribunal cases could rise following reforms in the Employment Rights Act 2025. Several changes take effect this year, including shorter unfair dismissal qualifying periods, day-one worker rights, stronger protections for pregnant women, and an end to exploitative contracts.
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ArticleSFO head to step down as speculation grows over future of agency
Nick Ephgrave, director of the U.K.’s main anti-corruption enforcement agency, the Serious Fraud Office, will retire at the end of March—about halfway through his appointed five-year term. Experts say he leaves the agency in a lot better position than he joined it in September 2023.
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ArticleU.K. government scraps long-awaited audit reforms to prioritize growth
Long-awaited reforms to the U.K. audit regime have been “scrapped” from the government’s legislative plans. The decision has led to an outburst of disappointment and frustration from audit bodies and pension funds that argued the reforms would increase trust in companies and support growth.
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ArticleU.S. sees steep drop in penalties in 2025, while fines elsewhere increase
Firms worldwide got a break in 2025 on penalties for anti-money laundering (AML) failures, a new report has found.
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ArticleU.K. regulators move to curb AI nudification tools as scrutiny of Grok grows
The U.K. government’s spat with Big Tech owner Elon Musk over the more risque capabilities of X’s AI assistant Grok has exposed more cracks than the chatbot was ever meant to.
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OpinionExperts outline core skills compliance teams need to develop in 2026
Compliance teams will face a range of ongoing challenges in the coming year, as well as greater demands from boards and management for better, wider, and more real-time assurance on an increasing range of risk topics.
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ArticleEU vows to reform financial single market rules to unlock growth and boost investment
Financial markets thrive on consistent rules across the widest markets. This is the thinking behind the European Commission’s package of measures intended to simplify and streamline the zone’s single market for financial services.
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ArticleTech and compliance 2026: What to watch for in AI, cybersecurity and quantum computing
What will be the critical tech issues for compliance in 2026? We asked experts what tech, digital, and cyber issues they believe compliance teams should be focusing on in the year ahead.
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ArticleTop of mind compliance topics in 2026: Finance, immigration, supply chains and sustainability
What will you be doing in the coming year? We asked experts in a range of sectors to gaze into their crystal balls and highlight one legal development or compliance topic that will be critical for compliance teams in 2026. This is an edited version of what they told us.
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ArticleU.K. sets out strategy to combat bribery and corruption
The U.K. is introducing tougher safeguards and compliance checks in its latest drive to cut down on financial crime and stem the flow of dirty money that continues to be laundered by British businesses, facilitated by accountants and lawyers.
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ArticleFCA indicates path for future crypto regulation
The U.K.’s financial regulator has proposed a set of rules to regulate the growing crypto industry after recognising that consumers are interested in exploring the market despite persistent warnings about price volatility, the high-risk of losses, and investment scams.