Financial services sector

We’re trusted financial services lawyers on a huge variety of matters to our clients in the financial services sector. We have a true understanding of the changing regulatory frameworks, the pressure to prevent cyber risk and invest in technology and the increasingly important ESG matters - and our legal advice is provided within this wider context.

We provide valuable advice and guidance to various financial services market organisations, from established financial institutions and participants, to new entrants in the financial services industry. Our financial services clients include:

Private equity firms;
Venture capital firms;
Large UK banking groups;
Alternative debt providers;
FinTech businesses;
Funds and investment managers;
Manufacturers, distributors and purchasers of financial products;
Suppliers of associated technologies and other services within the sector Asset- based lenders;
Consumer credit lenders;
Brokers;
Credit reference agencies;
Administrators; and
Building societies.

To provide this contextual advice we have legal experts in banking and finance, M&A, private equity, venture capital, equity capital markets, venture debt, consumer credit, financial services assets, corporate structuring, restructuring and insolvency, digital and sourcing, arbitration and litigation, FinTech, payment services and electronic money.

Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)

What we do

Our expertise in financial services regulatory and compliance matters ensures that our clients are well-equipped to navigate the complex landscape of the financial services industry while adhering to regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Working closely with financial services clients’ compliance, legal and risk teams, we have extensive experience in advising on own account issues, addressing issues across the spectrum of regulatory supervision and enforcement processes and procedures, including the ‘controllers’ (change in control) regime, investigations and notifications, the ‘senior managers and certification regime’ (SMCR), ‘Solvency II’, ‘skilled person’ reports, and whistleblowing.

Financial services regulation

We advise on environmental, social and governance (ESG) sustainability and responsibility matters, as financial services firms are increasingly subject to regulatory requirements and investor demands.

ESG

We combine our award-winning transactional experience with our financial services sector expertise to advise on a wide range of complex UK and cross-border transactions on all sides – acting for administrators, disruptive FinTech businesses, large UK banks, private equity firms, venture capital investors, alternative debt providers, management teams and many others.

We take pride in our experienced solution-driven approach and understand it is key we have in-depth knowledge of the sectors in which our clients operate.

Mergers, acquisitions and funding

Financial services regulatory and compliance

Financial services regulation

ESG for financial services

ESG

Financial services transactions

We take pride in our experienced solution-driven approach and understand it is key we have in-depth knowledge of the sectors in which our clients operate.

Mergers, acquisitions and funding

Banking

We represent a major challenger bank on its HR and employment issues, and have also advised on enhancing its senior employee risk management programme, including via its UK D&O coverage.

Consumer credit

We advised a household-name consumer goods business on a strategic project to distribute, as an appointed representative, credit products alongside sales of goods. This was a significant new departure for the client and involved extensive work on policies and procedures, including as to contractual governance, financial promotions and IT systems and controls, and customer-facing documents.

Fintech

We have advised an innovative high-growth payment institution about the impact of the safeguarding regulations on its novel business model and assisted it with relevant elements of its FCA authorisation application.

FS assets, funds and investment sectors

We advised a leading supplier of IT-based analytics for fund performance on its contractual terms with an authorised investment manager, protecting commercial rights and interests but without risking any undertaking of regulated activity.