In Practice
169
Motor finance: the FCA’s powers, and what the future might hold
The recent redress reforms from HM Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) were first raised in a Call for Input in November 2024, followed by consultations on specific proposals in July 2025. These reforms aim to bring greater consistency to the redress system, including enabling earlier intervention by the FCA and closer alignment to its rules. Both of the Chancellor’s Mansion House speeches to date highlight the uncertainty the current redress framework creates which poses a risk to economic growth. An acute live example of this is motor finance commission. This article examines how the FCA has used its statutory powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) in its proposed motor finance redress scheme, published in October 2025, and considers how these powers might be affected by the proposed reforms to the redress framework.
22 November 20252025: Was consultation involvement key to avoiding regulatory divergence?
In this In Practice article, Charlie McGarel-Groves and Kate Patane reconsider whether consultation by regulators has been effective in encouraging regulatory alignment and avoiding divergence between the EU and UK securitisation frameworks.
22 November 2025Practical considerations for data protection and cybersecurity when deploying AI
The adoption of AI is accelerating across the UK financial services sector. Accordingly, institutions must navigate a complex landscape of regulatory expectations, technological risks and ethical responsibilities. The goal is to remain agile, while aligning with core compliance requirements.
22 November 2025The transfer of receivables in cross-border fintech securitisations: key considerations for originators
Fintech lenders expanding into new jurisdictions may look to securitisation to grow their loan book and expand their distribution. This In Practice article focuses on one issue that arises on cross-border securitisation transactions: the transfer of the receivables from the originator to the issuer. The flexibility these businesses require makes these considerations particularly relevant for fintech securitisations compared to others (such as RMBS backed structures) which may only fund receivables from one or two jurisdictions.
22 November 2025The future of UK AIFMD: what does this mean for fund managers?
In April this year, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a Call for Input on the future regulatory framework for alternative investment fund managers in the UK (CfI), alongside a concurrent consultation by HM Treasury, which sets out several proposals on the perimeter of the regulatory framework (the Consultation). The CfI outlined the FCA’s vision for a more proportionate, flexible and internationally aligned regime that supports growth, innovation and competition, while maintaining investor protection and market integrity in the asset management sector.
25 October 2025Securitisation shake-up: will streamlined due diligence and new sanctions ignite or inhibit the EU market?
In this In Practice article, the authors consider the European Commission’s proposed amendments to the EU Securitisation Regulation, spotlighting streamlined, principle-based investor due diligence and weighing the benefits of these changes against the introduction of administrative sanctions of up to 10% of global turnover for failing to comply. The article assesses practical compliance challenges, potential impacts on investor appetite, and implications for EU and third-country securitisations.
25 October 2025Navigating the new landscape of AI-driven credit assessment: legal and regulatory considerations for financial institutions
The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into credit assessment processes has fundamentally transformed how financial institutions evaluate borrower risk and make lending decisions. As AI systems become increasingly sophisticated, they present both unprecedented opportunities for enhanced risk management and complex legal challenges that require careful navigation. This In Practice article examines the key legal and regulatory considerations that financial institutions must address when implementing AI-driven credit assessment systems.
29 September 2025NAV facilities to PERE funds
This In Practice article looks at the key features of net asset value facilities (NAV facilities) for private equity real estate funds and discusses some of the points of difference when compared to NAV facilities for private equity buyout funds.
29 September 2025Project financing co-located renewable assets
Targets for domestic power decarbonisation have recently been accelerated by the UK government, including the goal to quintuple the instalment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) by 2030. (BESS store electrical energy in batteries for later use and can therefore manage the intermittency of renewable energy). Consequently, it is expected that the co-location of larger-scale renewable generation projects with BESS assets (where the BESS is installed alongside another power generation source) will be an important feature of the UK’s energy transition. Norton Rose Fulbright recently advised Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners on the innovative project financing of the Cleve Hill Solar Park,1 a 373 MW solar PV + 150 MW BESS project in Kent (Cleve Hill). Cleve Hill is both the only solar Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project under construction in the UK, and the project with the largest corporate Power Purchase Agreement for solar offtake in the UK. Cleve Hill serves as a useful case study in crafting a bankable legal framework for the project financing of utility-scale co-located projects.
29 September 2025Supreme Court motor finance commission ruling: what next for lenders?
In this In Practice article we consider what comes next, after the Supreme Court judgment on secret commission payments in motor vehicle finance transactions.
29 September 2025
