Welcome to the Regulation Round Up, a regular bulletin highlighting the latest developments in UK and EU financial services regulation.

Key developments in February 2025:

28 February

FCA Handbook Changes: The Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published Handbook Notice 127, which sets out changes to the FCA Handbook made by the FCA board on 30 January and 27 February 2025.

27 February

Economic Growth / Consumer Duty: The FCA published a speech on, among other things, how the FCA is working to support growth initiatives in the economy and its approach to the Consumer Duty.

FCA Regulation Round‑up: The FCA published its regulation round‑up for February 2025. Among other things, it covers the launch of a new companion tool to the Financial Services Register and future changes to the pre‑application support services the FCA offers.

26 February

Reserved Investor Funds: The Alternative Investment Funds (Reserved Investor Fund) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/216) were published, together with an explanatory memorandum. The Reserved Investor Fund is a new UK‑based unauthorised contractual scheme with lower costs and more flexibility than the existing authorised contractual scheme.

ESG: The European Commission proposed an Omnibus package on sustainability (here and here) to amend the sustainability due diligence and reporting requirements under the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive ((EU) 2024/1760) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ((EU) 2022/2464). Please refer to our dedicated article on this topic here.

ESG: The European Commission published a call for evidence on a draft Delegated Regulation amending the Disclosures Delegated Act ((EU) 2021/2178) (Ares (2025) 1532453), the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139) and the Taxonomy Environmental Delegated Act (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2486).

FCA Asset Management / Alternatives Supervision: The FCA published a portfolio letter explaining its supervision priorities for asset management and alternatives firms.

Cryptoassets: ESMA published the official translations of its guidelines (ESMA35‑1872330276‑2030) on situations in which a third‑country firm is deemed to solicit clients established or situated in the EU and the supervision practices to detect and prevent circumvention of the reverse solicitation exemption under the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (“MiCA”).

24 February

Artificial Intelligence: The FCA published a research note on AI’s role in credit decisions.

Suitability Reviews / Ongoing Services: The FCA published a webpage and press release containing the findings of its multi‑firm review of suitability reviews and whether financial advisers are delivering the ongoing services that consumers have paid for.

21 February

Cryptoassets: The Financial Stability Board published summary terms of reference for its thematic peer review on its global regulatory framework for cryptoasset activities.

20 February

PRA Policy: The Prudential Regulatory Authority (“PRA”) published a policy statement (PS3/25) on its approach to policy.

Digital Operational Resilience: Two Commission Regulations supplementing the Regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector ((EU) 2022/2554) (“DORA”) were published in the Official Journal of the European Union (here and here).

17 February

Cryptoassets: ESMA published a consultation paper (ESMA35‑1872330276‑2004) on guidelines for the criteria to assess knowledge and competence under MiCA.

14 February

ESG: The FCA updated its webpage on its consultation paper on extending the sustainability disclosure requirements (“SDR”) and investment labelling regime to portfolio managers. Please refer to our dedicated article on this topic here.

ESG: The City of London Law Society published its response to HM Treasury’s November 2024 consultation on the UK green taxonomy.

Authorised Funds: The FCA published a document setting out its expectations on authorised fund applications.

Financial Sanctions: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published a threat assessment report covering financial services.

13 February

Financial Regulatory Forum: HM Treasury published a statement following the third meeting of the joint UK‑EU Financial Regulatory Forum on 12 February 2025.

12 February

EU Competitiveness: The European Commission adopted a Communication setting out its vision to simplify how the EU works by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and improving how new EU rules are made and implemented to make the EU more competitive.

European Commission 2025 Work Programme: The European Commission published a communication outlining its work programme for 2025 (COM(2025) 45 final).

10 February

Artificial Intelligence: The European Commission published draft non‑binding guidelines to clarify the definition of an AI system under the EU AI Act.

5 February

ESG: The EU Platform on Sustainable Finance published a report setting out recommendations to simplify and improve the effectiveness of taxonomy reporting. Please refer to our dedicated article on this topic here.

3 February

Payments: The FCA published a portfolio letter sent to payments firms setting out its priorities for them and actions it expects them to take.

Artificial Intelligence: The House of Commons Treasury Committee launched an inquiry into AI in financial services and published a related call for evidence.

For more information, please contact us at ukreg@proskauer.com.

Posted in UK/EU Financial Regulation
Tags: Regulation Round Up
Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of John Verwey John Verwey

John Verwey is a partner in the Private Funds Group. John advises on a wide number of regulatory issues at a national UK and European level, including firm authorisations, appointed representative arrangements, change in control, market abuse. He represents a variety of clients…

John Verwey is a partner in the Private Funds Group. John advises on a wide number of regulatory issues at a national UK and European level, including firm authorisations, appointed representative arrangements, change in control, market abuse. He represents a variety of clients that range from small start-up fund managers to established global fund advisers and managers.

A particular area of focus for John is Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II).  This includes advising on pre-marketing and marketing strategies for fund managers, advising on the Level One and Lever Two requirements under AIFMD and implementing UK rules and legislation, and advising on the organizational and conduct of business requirements under MiFID II.

Read more about John Verwey
Show more Show less
Photo of Andrew Wingfield Andrew Wingfield

Andrew Wingfield is an M&A partner and member of the Private Capital Team.

Andrew undertakes a broad range of domestic and cross-border corporate and commercial work for both corporate and private equity clients, advising on acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, mergers and public…

Andrew Wingfield is an M&A partner and member of the Private Capital Team.

Andrew undertakes a broad range of domestic and cross-border corporate and commercial work for both corporate and private equity clients, advising on acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, mergers and public takeovers, flotations and equity capital markets and private equity investment.

Andrew is called upon by financial institutions, private equity houses, management and corporates to lead on complex and high-value transactions. Andrew has a very strong financial institutions practice and has been recognized by Chambers UK and Legal 500 in recent years as the “go-to regulatory M&A lawyer” for regulated institutions such as banks, lenders, payment providers, insurance companies, wealth managers or other financial institutions transactions.

In addition, Andrew is widely recognized as a leading M&A and private equity lawyer. In Chambers UK, Andrew has been noted as “dynamic and commercial” and for providing “tailored, practical advice.” A client told Legal 500, “Andrew Wingfield – best lawyer I ever worked with. Super helpful, goes extra mile where needed.”

Read more about Andrew Wingfield
Show more Show less
Photo of Richard Bull Richard Bull

Richard Bull is a partner in the Corporate Department and a member of our Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups.

Richard advises on a wide range of corporate work, including M&A, private investments, corporate venturing, joint ventures and corporate restructurings. Richard has…

Richard Bull is a partner in the Corporate Department and a member of our Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups.

Richard advises on a wide range of corporate work, including M&A, private investments, corporate venturing, joint ventures and corporate restructurings. Richard has extensive experience of acting on private equity, growth and expansion capital transactions of all types and sizes for sponsors and management teams, both of a domestic and international nature, with a particular focus in the financial services and technology industries.

Richard is described by Legal 500 “as one of the most capable PE lawyers in the market” and “truly excellent.” Richard was also identified by a survey of private equity sponsors undertaken by The Lawyer as one of the top private equity lawyers based in London, and as a highly regarded private equity and M&A lawyer by IFLR 1000.

Read more about Richard Bull
Show more Show less
Photo of Oliver R. Howley Oliver R. Howley

Oliver Howley is a partner in Proskauer’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group. He is a trusted advisor to businesses in the technology, manufacturing, sports and financial services sectors, providing valued input on IP, technology and data-related strategies and transactions.

Oliver is a multi-specialist…

Oliver Howley is a partner in Proskauer’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group. He is a trusted advisor to businesses in the technology, manufacturing, sports and financial services sectors, providing valued input on IP, technology and data-related strategies and transactions.

Oliver is a multi-specialist, with a day-to-day practice covering commercial contracts, IP, technology and data protection work. He regularly advises on the structuring and terms of contracts relating to the creation, licensing and monetisation of technology and data products, with a particular focus on machine learning and artificial intelligence systems. He also has extensive experience in advising on the IP, technology, data and carve-out aspects of corporate transactions (including joint ventures, acquisitions, disposals and investments) and on sponsorship, image rights and endorsement deals in the sports sector.

Oliver has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in The Legal 500 for consecutive years. Recent professional directories note that “no matter how complex the landscape, no detail escapes [Oliver’s] attention” and that his “logical… and forensic analytical approach make him a force to be reckoned with”. He also receives praise for his commercial contracts work and “niche in robotics and artificial intelligence”.

Read more about Oliver R. Howley
Show more Show less
Photo of Mary Wilks Mary Wilks

Mary Wilks is an antitrust partner in the Corporate Department and a member of our Private Equity Transactions and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups.

Mary advises on a broad range of EU and UK competition law issues, including multijurisdictional mergers, behavioral investigations, complex supply…

Mary Wilks is an antitrust partner in the Corporate Department and a member of our Private Equity Transactions and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups.

Mary advises on a broad range of EU and UK competition law issues, including multijurisdictional mergers, behavioral investigations, complex supply and distribution arrangements, and foreign investment controls including, notably, the UK’s newly adopted National Security and Investment Act. She advises clients on the competition aspects of transactions including M&A, equity investments, consortium transactions and secondaries.

Mary works across all sectors, with particular experience in consumer products, healthcare, TMT and financial services.

Mary regularly counsels clients on their engagement with the Competition and Markets Authority, the European Commission, and other prominent international enforcement agencies and regulatory authorities.

Mary Wilks has a reputation as an “excellent lawyer” who “plays a leading role on a range of high-profile cases.” According to sources, “She is always fully on top of the detail but also able to pull out the most important points for the case.”

Prior to joining Proskauer, Mary was a counsel in the antitrust, competition and trade department at another leading law firm in London.

Read more about Mary Wilks
Show more Show less
Photo of Rachel Lowe Rachel Lowe

Rachel E. Lowe is a special regulatory counsel in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Investment Funds Group.

Rachel advises on financial services regulation specializing in sustainable finance and ESG regulation. She has particular expertise in drafting and advising on…

Rachel E. Lowe is a special regulatory counsel in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Investment Funds Group.

Rachel advises on financial services regulation specializing in sustainable finance and ESG regulation. She has particular expertise in drafting and advising on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and the Taxonomy Regulation. Rachel has also supported with EU MiFID and AIFMD sustainability updates for clients, including from a governance and organizational perspective, as well as providing drafting and training support. She also advises on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), including analysis of its applicability for large international group structures.

From a UK perspective, Rachel supports clients with the TCFD-related requirements in the Financial Conduct Authority’s ESG Sourcebook and is increasingly engaged on the UK’s Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR).

More broadly, Rachel has worked with litigation colleagues to assist clients with understanding and mitigating greenwashing-related legal and regulatory risk.

Read more about Rachel Lowe
Show more Show less
Photo of Sulaiman Malik Sulaiman Malik

Sulaiman Malik is an associate in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Funds Group.

Sulaiman advises clients on a range of UK and international financial regulation. He advises private equity funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and other asset managers…

Sulaiman Malik is an associate in the Corporate Department and a member of the Private Funds Group.

Sulaiman advises clients on a range of UK and international financial regulation. He advises private equity funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds and other asset managers, as well as banks, FinTechs, broker-dealers and governments.

Prior to joining Proskauer, Sulaiman trained at Simmons & Simmons in London, where he was seconded to Brevan Howard. He has also spent time at the UK’s Ministry of Justice and as an adviser to the Mayor of Brisbane, in Australia.

Sulaiman is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. He previously worked at Rare, a market-leading diversity consultancy, and provides pro bono legal advice to a range of community and civil rights organizations.

Read more about Sulaiman Malik
Show more Show less
Photo of Michael Singh Michael Singh

Michael is an associate in the Private Funds Group in the Corporate Department.

Michael advises clients on a variety of regulatory issues both from a UK and European perspective. He also helps clients on fund related transactions. His clients include private equity firms…

Michael is an associate in the Private Funds Group in the Corporate Department.

Michael advises clients on a variety of regulatory issues both from a UK and European perspective. He also helps clients on fund related transactions. His clients include private equity firms, investment managers, FinTech companies and wealth management businesses.

He is dual-qualified as a German lawyer (“Rechtsanwalt”) and Solicitor of England and Wales and previously was in-house counsel at Deutsche Bank.

Read more about Michael Singh
Show more Show less
Related Posts
UK Financial Regulators Drop Diversity and Inclusion Rules but Keep Culture in Focus
March 14, 2025
Defence – A Sustainable Investment?  A View From The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority
March 12, 2025
FCA’s Private Market Valuations Review – Good Practice but Room for Improvement
March 10, 2025