On 12 December 2023, the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) published the first of two near-final policy statements on the implementation of revisions to the Basel 3 standards, known in the U.K. as Basel 3.1. This...more
1/18/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Basel III ,
Capital Markets ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Pillar 2 ,
Proposed Rules ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Risk Management ,
UK
In this episode of “The Standard Formula” podcast, which focuses on Solvency II developments, Skadden partner Rob Chaplin is joined by colleague Olivier Peeters to discuss the U.K.'s change in control regime for insurers and...more
UK regulators have recently announced a number of reforms for banks and other financial institutions.
- On 23 November 2023, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (together,...more
1/8/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hedge Funds ,
Holding Companies ,
Investment Firms ,
Investment Management ,
Limited Partnerships ,
New Guidance ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Remuneration ,
Sovereign Wealth Funds ,
UK
Global M&A Activity Endures Headwinds in 2023 and Displays Resilience Going Into 2024 -
Despite market headwinds, dealmakers have looked to carveouts, spin-offs, joint ventures and other creative deal structures to engage...more
12/22/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Banking Sector ,
Capital Markets ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Commercial Real Estate Market ,
Competition ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cross-Border ,
EU ,
Exit Strategies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Geopolitical Risks ,
Global Dealmaking ,
HKEx ,
Insurance Industry ,
Joint Venture ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Securities ,
Short-Term Loans ,
Takeovers ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
On 24 November 2023, the industry-led Technology Working Group of HM Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce (Group) released an interim report (Report) outlining a strategic blueprint for the implementation of fund...more
12/5/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HM Treasury ,
Innovative Technology ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Technology ,
Tokenization ,
UK
Own funds is the Solvency II term for the items that constitute a (re)insurer’s regulatory capital. These are principally balance sheet items, with limited allowance for off-balance sheet items.
Own funds are items that...more
On 16 November 2023, the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) released draft measures to address perceived risks in the market for funded reinsurance, which is widely used as part of transactions that shift pension scheme...more
On 6 November 2023, the Bank of England (the UK’s central bank) issued a discussion paper on the regulation on stablecoins, alongside another paper by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (DP23/4) and a “Dear CEO” letter...more
The United Kingdom has long been a target destination for activist investors. It is the venue for nearly half of all of recent activist campaigns in Europe. In previous articles, we have discussed how informed boards should...more
11/15/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist Investors ,
Asset Valuations ,
Capital Gains ,
Debt Securities ,
Equity Markets ,
Foreign Governments ,
Government Bonds ,
HMRC ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment Trust Companies ,
Mergers ,
NAV ,
Railroads ,
REIT ,
UK ,
Venture Capital
In a speech at the Investment Association’s Annual Dinner on 11 October 2023, Ashley Alder, chair of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), expanded upon the FCA’s discussion paper, “Updating and Improving the UK Regime...more
The UK’s Metro Bank announced a landmark refinancing package on 8 October 2023, following a series of regulatory setbacks and concerns in the markets over the financial condition of the bank. The proposal now awaits...more
As discussed in our November 2022 and July 2023 newsletters, the UK government is implementing a comprehensive set of proposals for regulation of financial services in the UK, including for insurers. This follows the UK’s...more
This edition of The Standard Formula looks at the updated proposals set out in the consultation paper published by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) on July 28, 2023, which relate to the BMA’s plan to enhance the...more
The EU’s Solvency II regime came into force in the UK on 1 January 2016, following many years of development in which the UK was deeply involved. In June 2020, post-Brexit, the government announced a wide-ranging review of...more
The bulk purchase annuity (BPA) market — whereby UK defined-benefit pension schemes offload liabilities and assets to specialised life insurance carriers — continues to expand. Industry estimates predict that the UK life...more
This edition of Skadden’s quarterly Insights looks at the latest trends in shareholder activism, the scrutiny companies are facing over their ESG disclosures and employment considerations for using AI in the workplace, among...more
6/27/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist Investors ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Capital Markets ,
Confidential Information ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Disclosure ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Member State ,
Mergers ,
New Rules ,
No-Action Requests ,
Private Equity ,
Proxy Season ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Technology ,
UK
The UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has reiterated its concerns regarding the UK bulk purchase annuity market. This contributes to a broader international theme of regulators expressing concern regarding the rapid...more
UBS’ acquisition of Credit Suisse sent waves across the global markets and raises questions about possible impacts on the availability of regulatory capital in the insurance sector....more
In late January 2023, the UK government issued a detailed consultation paper to introduce a long-awaited resolution regime for UK (re)insurers. The new regime addresses long-standing concerns about how the UK would manage one...more
The UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) laid out its priorities for insurance supervision this year in a 10 January 2023 Priorities Letter. In this newsletter, we summarise the broad themes emerging from the Priorities...more
1/30/2023
/ Business Plans ,
Creditors ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Exit Planning ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insurance Industry ,
Investment ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Insurance ,
Market Conditions ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Reinsurance ,
Risk Management ,
Solvency II ,
UK
In this episode of “The Standard Formula” podcast, host Robert Chaplin is joined by investment management partner Greg Norman to discuss the Edinburgh Reforms, which serve as the UK’s most significant divergence to date from...more
Following the recently introduced Solvency UK for insurers, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt (the UK finance minister) has announced the Edinburgh Reforms, a further series of reforms aimed at the UK financial...more
12/20/2022
/ Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Investment ,
Investment Management ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
Following the UK’s departure from the European Union (Brexit) on December 31, 2020, the UK is now exercising its freedom to move away from key EU insurance prudential regulatory standards. These moves include liberalization...more