As part of the UK government’s drive to develop legislation for a UK regulatory regime to govern the cryptoassets sector, on 16 December 2024 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Discussion Paper DP24/4, which...more
12/23/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Promotions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Market Abuse ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
In her first comments since the July 2024 UK general election, Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury Tulip Siddiq MP delivered a speech at the Tokenisation Summit on 21 November 2024 that outlined the recently elected UK...more
12/4/2024
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
On November 14, 2024, the UK government unveiled its National Payments Vision (the Vision), a strategy designed to reshape the UK’s payments ecosystem. This Vision responds to the findings of the 2023 Future of Payments...more
11/27/2024
/ Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
Open Banking ,
Payment Systems ,
PRC ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
A new initiative to consolidate various European Union environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting obligations into a single regulation aims to simplify the regulatory landscape and enhance the EU’s competitiveness....more
In the UK, 14 million people used “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) at least once in the six months leading up to January 2023. Frequent users were more than four times as likely as other consumers to have missed a payment on a...more
11/5/2024
/ Borrowers ,
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
HMRC ,
Lenders ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Temporary Permissions Regime (TPR) ,
UK
On 29 June 2023, the EU’s new Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 restricting sale in the EU of products that may cause deforestation or the degradation of forests (EUDR) entered into force.
The EUDR is expected to have global...more
10/22/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Regulations ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Sustainability
On 11 September 2024, the UK government introduced the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill, which provides that digital assets can be considered to be personal property under the laws of England and Wales, and could therefore...more
Across industries, companies are facing new and uncertain regulatory pressures and demands in areas including artificial intelligence, sustainability, algorithmic pricing and fintech-bank relations. In this issue of The...more
9/10/2024
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Board of Directors ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Multinationals ,
Price-Fixing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sustainability ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
As the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) consider feedback to their consultation on guidance regarding the UK change-in-controller regime (consultation paper 25/23), we provide a...more
9/9/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Corporate Governance ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Investment Management ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
As the deadlines approach for multinationals to make their first disclosures under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU’s new sustainability reporting law, they are confronting the significant time...more
9/6/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Multinationals ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sustainability
On 30 July 2024, the Bank of England published a discussion paper on its approach to innovation in money and payments (the Discussion Paper). A recurring theme is the Bank of England’s focus on the potential use of...more
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, and diverging opinions on approach, continued to dominate headlines across the globe in the first half of 2024. Companies and their stakeholders started the year navigating...more
7/29/2024
/ Activist ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Shareholders ,
UK
The EU’s adoption of the Regulation on the Transparency and Integrity of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Rating Activities (the ESGR) made the EU the first jurisdiction in the world to formally regulate the growing...more
In April 2024, the UK government reiterated its vision for open finance, with UK Economic Secretary Bim Afolami (MP) announcing the creation of the Open Finance Taskforce at the 2024 Innovate Finance Global Summit. The...more
4/30/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
HMRC ,
Payment Systems ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
UK
The Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Opinion Continues To Spawn Challenges to DEI Programs -
Businesses can expect continued challenges to DEI programs, as emboldened opponents to these programs seek to expand the reach...more
12/15/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Students for Fair Admissions v University of North Carolina ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Following the declaration of the international artificial intelligence (AI) “Safety Summit” at Bletchley Park (Bletchley Summit) on November 1, 2023, and the White House’s October 30, 2023, Executive Order on AI (Executive...more
12/13/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Machine Learning ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
On 30 October 2023, the HM Treasury (HMT) published its much-anticipated response (Consultation Response) to its March 2023 consultation paper (Consultation) on the UK’s future financial services regime for cryptoassets....more
11/10/2023
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HM Treasury ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
UK
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 landscape of cryptoasset regulation in the UK entered a new phase in October 2023 with the extension to cryptoassets of marketing restrictions for financial products and services. In particular, crypto firms based outside...more
As predicted in our February 1, 2023, client alert, “ESG in 2022 and Predictions for 2023,” a global economic slowdown and ongoing backlash in the U.S. have slowed the momentum of some aspects of the environmental, social and...more
7/18/2023
/ Activist Investors ,
Biodiversity ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Reporting ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Green Energy ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Remuneration ,
Sustainability ,
UK
The European Union and U.K. are establishing comprehensive regimes for the regulation of cryptoassets. The Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 9,...more
Changing CEOs is one of the most critical decisions any board faces. In this issue of The Informed Board, we offer tips on how to avoid the mistakes we most often see. We also explain the problems companies could face if the...more
5/25/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Board of Directors ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Requirements ,
Financial Institutions ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Mergers ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Technology ,
Technology Sector
On 1 February 2023, the U.K. Treasury launched a consultation and call for evidence on a series of proposals for the future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets. The proposals mark the next stage of the...more
Following another year of increasing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations by companies, investors and regulators alike, ESG appears to have cemented its position in the corporate landscape...more
2/2/2023
/ Business Plans ,
Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Green Energy ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance