An independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of investment firm London Capital & Finance (LCF) and the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) supervision of the firm has been formally launched. The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, has approved the FCA’s appointment of Dame Elizabeth Gloster to lead the investigation and has laid before Parliament the direction to initiate this work. Mr Glen has also announced that the Treasury will begin a wider policy review in response to the case, including a review of the regulatory regime for ‘mini-bonds’ and other non-transferrable securities.
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Eight sites for supercomputing centres have been selected across the EU to host the first European supercomputers. They will support Europe’s researchers, industry and businesses in developing new applications in a wide range of areas, from designing medicines and new materials to fighting climate change. In a major step towards making Europe a top supercomputing region globally, the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking – EuroHPC has selected 8 sites for supercomputing centres located in 8 different Member States to host the new high-performance computing machines.
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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed it is introducing reforms to fix a dysfunctional overdraft market. These changes will make overdrafts simpler, fairer, and easier to manage and will protect the millions of consumers that use overdrafts, particularly more vulnerable consumers. The changes represent the biggest overhaul to the overdraft market for a generation.
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A former customer services officer at Stockport Homes Limited (SHL) has been found guilty of unlawfully accessing personal data without a legitimate reason to do so.W endy Masterson spent time looking at anti social behaviour cases on SHL’s case management system when she wasn’t authorised to do so. She accessed the system a total of 67 times between January and December 2017.
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Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement at the conclusion of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Fukuoka, Japan: “We met at a time when the global economy is showing tentative signs of stabilizing and growth is projected to strengthen. While this is good news, the road ahead remains precarious and subject to several downside risks.   
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The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a report on crypto-assets, which considers work underway, regulatory approaches and potential gaps. The report is being delivered to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors for their meeting in Fukuoka on 8-9 June. International organisations1 are working on a number of fronts, directly addressing issues arising from crypto-assets.

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The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recently announced that they will collaborate more closely. This should better protect and improve the integrity and stability of the financial system in both countries. The agreement between the British and Dutch regulators was signed last Monday, 3 June. Since the United Kingdom announced its intention to leave the EU, several financial companies that are currently active in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have applied for a permit to work in both countries. Close cooperation and exchange of information between the FCA and AFM is therefore important for the development of international financial markets and for effective supervision of both companies and capital markets.
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The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has further considered the impact of the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU) without a withdrawal agreement (no-deal Brexit) on the trading obligation for shares (STO) under Article 23 of MiFIR and in the absence of an equivalence decision in respect of the UK by the European Commission (EC).

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Most organisations still falling short of requirements. The (UK) government is determined to toughen its approach to modern slavery following a review of the 2015 Modern Slavery Act, according to Alexandros Paraskevas a professor of strategic risk management at the University of West London. Speaking to Airmic News shortly before the results of the review are due to published, he said businesses “should expect stricter regulation, with sanctions for non-compliance and greater obligations on businesses to mitigate the risks.”
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