In this In Practice article, the author discusses the key implications of the Corporate Governance and Insolvency Act 2020 (CIGA) for securitisation transactions.
13 June 2024The UK’s new National Security and Investment Bill will create a new, standalone screening regime allowing the government to review acquisitions of “control” of legal entities and assets and to prohibit such acquisitions or impose remedies on them, if it identifies national security concerns. The new regime is expected to enter force in Summer/Autumn 2021. The government’s draft Statement of Policy Intent accompanying the Bill confirms that, “although loans are not exempt from scrutiny, the overwhelming majority of these are expected to pose no national security concerns, including within the core areas. In the rare circumstances where they do pose concerns, the Secretary of State generally only expects to intervene when an actual acquisition of control will take place (e.g. a lender seizing collateral)”. This In Practice article provides a broad summary of the main features of the new national security screening regime and highlights how loans and related security can be impacted.
13 June 2024The appeal in ZXC v Bloomberg is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court later this year. The outcome of this appeal could diminish the expectation of privacy currently afforded to individuals under investigation by law enforcement agencies. With the law on corporate criminal liability under review by the Law Commission, and a growing appetite for claims against senior executives in the financial services sector, this is a case to watch. This piece provides a refresher on the rights currently conferred on suspects.
13 June 2024Following the end of the transition period after the UK’s departure from the EU, the UK’s autonomous sanctions regime (under the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA 2018)) came into force on 31 December 2020. This regime is largely similar to the EU sanctions regime, but there are several differences which may have implications for financial institutions’ sanctions compliance programmes.
13 June 2024We are witnessing a rapid development and adoption of algorithms. At the same time, we need to develop the monitoring and managing of their safety. In the algorithmic age companies are (and should be) increasingly concerned about potential harm that their systems can cause, both in terms of reputation and financially. Knight Capital’s experience (~$450m) caused by a glitch in its algorithmic trading system is a paradigmatic example. As such, in addition to societal, legislative and regulatory pressures, companies themselves are keen to assure their systems are trustworthy.1
13 June 2024Crypto is now mainstream. Charles Kerrigan highlights the impact of this across financial markets and concludes that finance lawyers can be late to a party.
13 June 2024On 24 December 2020, the UK and EU finally reached agreement on a post-Brexit trade deal. As expected, and as acknowledged by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday 27 December,1 that agreement contains very limited provision for cross-border trade in financial services. On the same day, Chancellor Rishi Sunak suggested that the UK will now be able to “do things a bit differently” on financial services. This In Practice article briefly examines what that could mean for UK financial sector regulation in the near future and beyond.
13 June 2024In this In Practice article the authors consider the difficulties of secured personal lending by fintechs and how the application of technology can mitigate risk without requiring security.
03 June 2024Lending to individuals can be a challenging area for lenders, as they are required to comply with consumer regulations and must always consider the high-risk nature of certain individual borrowers. In this article, Sukh Ahark of RPC identifies key considerations for lenders when lending to individuals and outlines certain due diligence and legal drafting requirements that can protect lenders from any associated risks.
03 June 2024As the US “significant risk transfer” market catches up to its European equivalent, cross-practice legal teams are playing an important role in ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements for both banks and investors.
03 June 2024