Those national regulators in the EU which had put in place temporary restrictions on any short selling of securities admitted to trading on regulated markets in their jurisdictions have all confirmed that the prohibitions will not be extended. However, firms should be aware that ESMA’s temporary lower net short reporting threshold will remain in force … Read more

In this blog post, we round-up forthcoming developments in the UK and at EU and International levels in financial services regulation which are expected for May 2020. Read more

On 7 April 2020, the FCA released its Business Plan for 2020/21. The FCA had planned to focus on the areas identified in its Sector Views published on 18 February 2020 (see our blog post here), but recognises that its work will be fundamentally reshaped by the impact of COVID-19. Aware that the current circumstances create the need for it to both respond to change and initiate it, the FCA outlined plans for transforming fundamentally the way the FCA works and regulates, with a view to becoming a more efficient and effective regulator. Read more

On 1 April 2019 the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its final report to the European Commission (EC) setting out its technical advice on the impact of the inducements and costs and charges disclosure requirements under MiFID II (Directive 2014/65/EU). ESMA expresses some concerns over the efficacy of the current inducements disclosure regime … Read more

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a ‘Dear CEO’ letter (the letter) with an update on key issues in light of COVID-19 to firms providing services to retail investors. In addition to the measures it has taken with the Bank of England (BoE) and HM Treasury (HMT), the FCA has considered many requests for … Read more

In this blog post, we round-up forthcoming developments in the UK and at EU and International levels in financial services regulation which are expected for April 2020. Read more

On 27 March 2020, the House of Lords EU Financial Affairs Sub-Committee published a letter from its Chair, Lord Sharkey, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP,  emphasising the importance of the UK remaining actively engaged in shaping the future relationship with the EU in financial services. In the letter, Lord … Read more

On 19 March, the UK Government published guidance requesting that schools and other educational institutions provide limited care for children whose parents have roles that are critical to the COVID-19 response. This includes parents working in certain financial services roles that are essential to the functioning of the economy (referred to as “key financial workers” … Read more