Corporate insolvencies surge as firms struggle to survive harsh economic climate January 17, 2023 The number of company insolvencies in December 2022 was 76 per cent higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic, new data from the ONS revealed on Tuesday. There were 1,964 company insolvencies in December 2022, 32 per cent higher than the previous year and 76 per cent higher than the 1,119 registered in December 2019. Fladgate’s [...]
Financial crime: Anti-money laundering and crypto fines surge to £4bn in regulatory crackdown January 22, 2023 Anti-money laundering fines globally surged 53 per cent in 2022 while fines to crypto firms rose over 90 per cent as regulators cracked down on financial misconduct, data from Fenergo shows. In total, financial institutions were fined nearly $5bn (£4.04bn) in 2022. According to Fenergo’s financial crime policy manager Rory Doyle, the jump was linked [...]
Financial crime fines fall 88 per cent globally – but agencies aren’t about to go easy on wrongdoers August 24, 2023 The total value of fines handed out to banks and financial services firms for financial crime violations slumped in the first half of this year, according to new data. But experts argued regulators aren’t going easy on wrongdoers. According to data from compliance firm Fenergo, regulators worldwide issued 97 financial crime-related fines in the first [...]
Debanking: Number of account closures since 2016 skyrockets as banks take tough line on financial crime July 30, 2023 The number of bank accounts being closed climbed to nearly 350,000 last year as banks adopted an increasingly vigilant stance towards their customers. According to data from a freedom of information request submitted by the Daily Mail to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the number of accounts being closed has increased from under 50,000 in [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? February 4, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Guinness Global Investors Guinness Global Investors has hired a renewable energy specialist as its new head of sustainable infrastructure. David Freeder will lead the development of the firm’s broader strategy and investor offering in sustainable infrastructure and energy. After holding positions with Big Four [...]
Next snaps up collapsed Made.com in £3.4m swoop November 9, 2022 NEXT snapped up the brand, domain names and intellectual property of Made.com for £3.4m in a prepack administration this morning, just 18 months after it made its £775m London debut. In a statement this morning, Made.com confirmed it had appointed administrators PwC to sell off its other assets and pay off its debts. Former chief [...]
Watchdogs in focus as proposed shakeup of financial regulation returns to parliament June 5, 2023 The UK’s financial regulators will be in focus as lawmakers consider a range of proposals to boost the accountability of watchdogs. A range of amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Bill have been put forward, focusing on the scrutiny of regulators as the Bill returns to parliament this week. Regulatory scrutiny has been a [...]
CMA probes Asda’s £611m Co-op petrol station takeover deal over fears it could hike fuel prices March 14, 2023 Asda’s £611m takeover over of 132 Co-op petrol stations has come under scrutiny from the UK’s competition watchdog over concerns the deal was likely to push up fuel prices. After the supermarket snapped up the sites last October the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a Phase 1 investigation at the start of this year [...]
Adobe and Figma scrap £16bn merger after regulators criticise deal December 18, 2023 Adobe and Figma have ditched their $20bn (£16bn) tie-up after struggling to secure regulatory approval in both the UK and Europe.
Twitter’s Brussels office exodus raises alarm bells for online safety November 24, 2022 Twitter has reportedly disbanded its entire Brussels office, as Elon Musk continues his rampage of headcount. According to initial reports from the Financial Times, Julia Mozer and Dario La Nasa, who were in charge of Twitter’s digital policy in Europe, left the company last week. The pair were reportedly instrumental to the social media company’s [...]