When the Hong Kong Stock Exchange knocks, open the door and cooperate

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (SEHK) recently published its new Guidance Note on Cooperation (Cooperation Note) and revised Enforcement Sanctions Statement (Sanctions Statement). The Cooperation Note is a brand new guidance note that stresses SEHK’s expectations regarding cooperation. It sets out examples of good cooperation with the possible benefits and examples of uncooperative conduct with the possible consequences. Read more

Edinburgh Reforms – Webcast series

On 9 December 2022, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of reforms to the UK financial services sector – the "Edinburgh Reforms". We posted a summary of the Edinburgh Reforms here. To help you digest the proposals, we have created a series of webcasts which will explain:
  • what the key proposals are
  • who they might impact
  • next steps and timing
  • the potential significance and impact of the proposals
Read more

The Financial Services and Markets Bill – a new vision for future UK financial services

In a speech delivered at Mansion House on 19 July 2022, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP, sets out the government's vision for the future of UK financial service and discusses proposals which aim to keep the UK "the most open, inclusive, welcoming, competitive, safe, and transparent place to do financial services business, in the world". The government's vision for a "more open, competitive, green, and technologically enabled" financial sector is being delivered in the form of the Financial Services and Markets Bill (Bill) which was introduced in Parliament today. Read more

FCA consults on functioning of equity secondary markets

The FCA has published a consultation on proposals aimed at improving the functioning of equity secondary markets (CP22/12). The proposals include changing aspects of trade reporting, waivers from pre-trade transparency and the tick size regime, and replacing the systematic internaliser (SI) status criterion for establishing when an investment firm is required to report transactions with a new designated reporter regime. Read more

A tale of two markets: Regulatory divergence between the EU and UK securitisation frameworks

The UK voted to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016 and then officially ceased to be an EU Member State on 31 December 2020. Nearly five years later, the long drawn-out process of Brexit has still not come to an end, as the UK and EU continue to clash over borders and trade issues.  In this article, we review some key aspects of the ways in which the securitisation regulatory regime differs between the UK and the EU, and consider where the two paths may lead in the future. Read more