On 30 January 2024, the UK government announced its first equivalence decision in relation to the new overseas funds regime (OFR). The government has granted equivalence in respect of the pan-EEA UCITS regime, meaning that UCITS funds established in the EEA can be marketed to UK retail investors once the OFR becomes operational later this year. The FCA set out its proposals to operationalize the regime in December 2023.

On 4 December 2023, the FCA published a consultation on rules and guidance to integrate the Overseas Funds Regime (OFR) into the Handbook and to enable recognition of overseas funds from jurisdictions approved by HM Treasury. The new rules and guidance will operationalize the OFR, implementing the regime’s framework to allow recognized overseas funds to be marketed to UK retail investors. The proposals include the information to be submitted with an application for recognition, notifications of changes, and enhanced disclosures regarding lack of access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and Financial Ombudsman Service.

Following its February 2023 consultation and call for evidence on a future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, HM Treasury issued its policy statement on the wider cryptoasset regulatory regime on 30 October 2023. The policy update was published alongside a flurry of publications on the regulation of cryptoasset services, including interlinked policy documents covering regulation of fiat-backed stablecoins and the failure of systemic digital settlement asset (DSA) firms. This briefing covers the so-called “Phase 2” regulation of wider cryptoasset activities.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. The Act is a landmark development in the UK Government’s long-standing efforts to enhance the UK’s economic crime enforcement framework, and the Act introduces a number of important measures designed to improve corporate transparency and tackle economic crime in the UK
and abroad.

Following its February 2023 consultation and call for evidence on a future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, HM Treasury issued its policy statement on the wider cryptoasset regulatory regime on 30 October 2023. The policy update was published alongside a flurry of publications on the regulation of cryptoasset services, including interlinked policy documents covering regulation of fiat-backed stablecoins and the failure of systemic digital settlement asset (DSA) firms. This briefing covers the so-called “Phase 2” regulation of wider cryptoasset activities.

In a long-awaited update on its plans for the UK’s crypto regulatory framework, on 30 October 2023, HM Treasury issued three interlinked policy documents on the future regulation of crypto, covering fiat-backed stablecoins, the wider cryptoasset regulatory regime, and the failure of systemic digital settlement asset (DSA) firms. This briefing covers stablecoin regulation and the failure of systemic DSA firms.

Our London Financial Services Regulatory Group recently hosted a webinar where they discussed recent developments about the Mansion House Reforms presented by the Chancellor in July 2023 and what they mean for the industry. We are pleased to share with you a recording of this webinar, for the benefit of those who weren’t able to catch it.

The FCA’s final rules for cryptoasset financial promotions, published in June 2023, will take effect from Sunday, 8 October 2023. Those marketing in-scope cryptoassets to UK consumers, including those based overseas, will need to ensure without delay that preparations are in place for the start of the rules.

In brief The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) plays a key role in monitoring how UK-regulated financial institutions guard against financial crime risks, and how effectively they implement financial crime policies and procedures. In recent months, as the UK and other governments have placed increasing focus on preventing the circumvention…

The UK financial services regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has published a consultation to update its guidance on social media financial promotions.