Financial Services

Overview

Offering competitive advantage via a deep knowledge and understanding of financial markets and regulators

The financial services sector is one of the economy’s most important and influential sectors, with participants delivering an ever-diversifying range of products and services.  It thrives on market transformation, evolving to meet the challenges of technology and other disruptors, and responding to the ever-changing geopolitical, economic, and regulatory environment, and the needs of its customers.

Legislative change is constant and access to experienced, commercially minded advisers is vital, and as the financial services sector becomes even more digital there are many relationships and legal risks that must be managed.

Our experienced financial services team focuses on the needs of our clients in their business, markets, products, and regulations.  We have a proven track record in advising and working with financial institutions, financial services providers, intermediaries, and other industry participants.

We offer our clients a competitive advantage by providing seamless legal services that reflect a combination of our team’s corporate, commercial, regulatory, prudential, and investigation skills, matched with a deep knowledge and understanding of financial markets and regulators.

Business Practice, Regulation, Risk and Compliance

We can help you determine what is good practice for your business and assist you to manage the interests of the FCA or PRA in your business.

With our deep knowledge of FCA regulations, and our practical in-house experience, we can guide your business, however set up, to ensure it is fully compliant.

Employment law in the context of SMCR

The FCA introduced the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR) with the aim to reduce harm to consumers and strengthen market integrity, by making individuals more accountable for their conduct and competence.

SMCR is an opportunity to establish healthy cultures and effective governance by encouraging greater individual accountability and setting a new standard of personal conduct.

Working with our employment colleagues we can help you establish business practices and procedures to encourage a culture of taking personal responsibility, and make sure that staff clearly understand the business and can demonstrate where responsibility lies.

M&A work, Business Transfers intra and extra group

The FCA requires to be notified when a business is acquired or sold. We will support the change control and make suggestions to achieve good customer outcomes.

Our Transaction Services team has extensive experience in the financial services sector. See our corporate pages for more information.

Disputes

It is not unusual for disagreements and errors to lead to disputes, and we help businesses resolve any disputes to avoid the need for a tribunal, the ombudsmen, or the courts to be involved.