Warning Savings protection Warning The AMF and the ACPR warn the public against the activities of several entities offering investments in Forex and in crypto-assets derivatives in France without being authorized to do so

1.1 Fri 29/10/2021 - 12:00 Reference texts article 223-1 du règlement général de l’AMF Book 1 Recommendation Closing of the 2021 financial statements and financial statements examination work Closing of the 2021…

Paul Taylor, former CEO of Blue Horizon Asset Management (BHAM) has been fined £489,000 and banned from working in financial services by the FCA. The former managing director of the firm, Esmeralda Toni, has also been fined £121,200 for serious misconduct and banned by the FCA.During his time at BHAM, Mr Taylor made misleading statements and falsified information during 2 separate attempted acquisitions.While attempting to acquire a UK bank, Mr Taylor falsified, or arranged to be falsified, documents claiming to be the owner of a bond portfolio worth approximately €200m. Ms Toni knowingly assisted Mr Taylor by making misleading statements to the bank and by helping falsify the documents. Mr Taylor knew, and Ms Toni understood that it was likely, that these statements and documents would be relied upon by the FCA and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) as part of their assessment for the proposed acquisition.Ms Toni was interviewed as part of BHAM’s internal investigation into the events. During the investigation, she denied providing misleading statements and the creation of false documents.On a separate occasion, Mr Taylor tried to acquire Reading Football Club. Mr Taylor made misleading statements, again falsely claiming to own the €200m bond portfolio to make the acquisition.The FCA found that Mr Taylor and Ms Toni acted dishonestly over an extended period. Their actions were intended to mislead BHAM colleagues, counterparties and regulators.Therese Chambers, joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said:'Trust in financial services relies on those working in it to be honest. Mr Taylor and Ms Toni fell woefully short of even this minimum expectation. They lied and lied again, first for commercial gain and then to cover their backs. They have no place in our industry.'Notes to editorsRead the final notice for Paul Taylor.Read the final notice for Esmeralda Toni.Between 14 February 2022 and 17 January 2025, Mr Taylor was a chief executive and executive director at Blue Horizon Asset Management Ltd.Between 14 February 2022 and 16 December 2025, Ms Toni was an executive director at Blue Horizon Asset Management Ltd. The FCA found that Mr Taylor and Ms Toni breached Individual Conduct Rule 1, which requires individuals to act with integrity.Mr Taylor agreed to resolve the matter and qualified for a 30% discount under the FCA’s settlement procedures. Without this discount, the financial penalty would have been £698,600.Ms Toni agreed to resolve the matter and qualified for a 30% discount under the FCA settlement procedures. Without the discount, the financial penalty would have been £173,100.The FCA has banned Mr Taylor and Ms Toni from performing any function in relation to regulated activities, having concluded that they are not fit and proper persons.The FCA has the power to impose financial penalties under section 66 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and to prohibit individuals under section 56 of that act.The notices refer to certain parties in addition to Mr Taylor and Ms Toni. Any reference to those parties is made solely to provide relevant factual context to the findings set out in the notices and should not be taken as criticism by the FCA of their conduct.Find out more about the FCA.

on 1 july 2026, the bvi financial services commission (fsc) issued industry circular 20 of 2026, confirming that will not implement fees for economic substance filings through the virrgin system for the 2026 filing year. the fsc indicated that a new fee regime will instead take effect for 2027 filings, with details to follow after an industry consultation. background: the boss-to-virrgin transition key points on 1 july 2026, the bvi financial services commission issued industry circular 20 of 2026, confirming that will not implement fees for economic substance filings through the virrgin system for the 2026 filing year. the fsc indicated that a new fee regime will instead take effect for 2027 filings, with details to follow after an industry consultation. bvi fsc postpones economic substance filing fees to 2027 on 1 july 2026, the bvi financial services commission (fsc) issued industry circular 20 of 2026, confirming that will not implement fees for economic substance filings through the virrgin system for the 2026 filing year. the fsc indicated that a new fee regime will instead take effect for 2027 filings, with details to follow after an industry consultation. background: the boss-to-virrgin transition key points

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA supports the consultation drafts presented by the Federal Council for the implementation, within the Banking Act and the Liquidity Ordinance, of the measures set out in the Federal Council’s “too big to fail” report and the PInC report on the CS crisis. These are key to strengthening banking stability and the reputation of the Swiss financial centre. To achieve the best possible results, FINMA recommends that the measures proposed be implemented as a comprehensive package. In particular, it advocates for the strengthening of instruments with a preventive effect.

Warning:Unauthorised Investment Firm / Investment Business FirmUnauthorised Firm NameAbbey Croftson (CLONE)Websitehttps://abbeycroftson.com Email address usedinfo@abbeycroftson.comAuthorisation in IrelandAbbey Croftson is not authorised to operate as an investment firm or investment firm business in Ireland.Additional InformationAbbey Croftson has used the Central Bank of Ireland details of a legitimate firm of a different name, in order to deceive consumers. There is no connection between the legitimate Central Bank authorised firm and this fraudulent entity. Notes:Any person wishing to contact the Central Bank with information regarding such firms / persons may telephone (01) 224 5800 or report an unauthorised firm directly to the Central Bank.For more information on how to protect yourself from financial scams, please visit www.centralbank.ie/financialscams The name of the above firm is published under section 53 of the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013.

The FSMA wishes to draw the attention of the public to fake information sites that steal the identity of Belgian media to promote fraudulent trading platforms. These fake websites fraudulently use the visual identity and name of well-known Belgian or international media outlets (Le Soir, La Libre, HLN, Euronews, etc.) to lend credibility to the investment offers they promote. The FSMA therefore urges consumers to be particularly vigilant.Fraudsters are increasingly using fake information websites that steal the appearance of well-known Belgian and international media outlets. The fake articles they publish there are in fact disguised advertisements whose sole objective is to encourage readers to fill in a contact form in order to be contacted by a fraudulent trading platform. To lend the appearance of credibility to their contents, these fraudsters shamelessly steal the identity of Belgian celebrities. They attribute false statements to them or make it seem as if they were investing in online trading platforms. These fake press articles often describe alleged incidents occurring during a televised debate or interview aired on Belgian TV stations. In so doing, they refer to so-called ‘clashes’ between politicians, economic or financial leaders and journalists or TV hosts, during which one of the participants apparently reveals to the public that investing in a trading platform is the secret to getting rich. The fraudsters try to reassure investors by claiming that these trading platforms comply with Belgian financial legislation and regulations and that they are authorized by the FSMA or the National Bank of Belgium. These fake articles are often accompanied by deep fake photos or video clips from programmes, in an effort to enhance their trustworthiness.The FSMA has identified a fraudulent trading platform by the name of BitKeltTrade, which uses the website: https://www.bitkelttrade.com.The FSMA also identified several fraudulent information sites that redirect consumers to the fake BitKeltTrade trading platform. These sites are:https://glowrift.inkhttps://mizinlolom.cyouhttps://mofnvexa.cyouhttps://radolovbelogor.clickhttps://vworlix.cyouhttps://yogrvexa.cyouThe FSMA reminds consumers that the presence of the name or logo of a well-known media site or public person does not in any way constitute a guarantee of reliability. Before making any investments, investors are encouraged to verify that the provider is authorized to provide investment services, and to exercise great prudence if they are presented with promises of returns on investment that seem too good to be true.

On 7 August 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a Statement setting out that it is concerned about a number of risks among unregulated lenders, safe custody providers, money brokers and financial leasing companies (Annex 1 firms). Firms including unregulated lenders, safe custody providers, money brokers and financial leasing companies, need to be registered with the FCA for anti-money laundering purposes.ConcernsIn particular, the FCA is concerned that such firms are relying too heavily on the financial crime controls of their parent company. It reminds such firms they must assess whether the financial crime controls of the parent company are appropriate for their financial crime risks, governance and operations and that they also cannot rely on off-the-shelf procedures designed for a different company. Each firm must have controls tailored to the way they operate and the risks they need to manage.The FCA is also concerned about the risks to consumers and markets from unregulated lending often conducted through complex structures, including special purpose vehicles. Closer scrutinyTo address these risks, the FCA states that it is closely scrutinising applications to register as an Annex 1 firm and as such firms should expect registration applications to take longer.Information requestThe FCA has also sent an information request to around 900 Annex 1 firms to improve its understanding of their activities, business models and risks. This follows on from the work the FCA did with 300 Annex 1 firms in late 2025 and means the FCA will have contacted all registered Annex 1 firms.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) today published its latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk dashboard, showing continued stability in banks’ transition and physical climate risk indicators across the EU/EEA in second half of 2025. The results also indicate gradual improvements in the availability and quality of climate-related data, particularly for energy efficiency assessments of mortgage portfolios, supporting more robust climate risk monitoring in the banking sector.

July 22, Chicago—NFA has ordered Hardee Brothers LLC, an NFA Member commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor in New York, N.Y., to withdraw from and not reapply for NFA membership or principal status with an NFA Member at any time in the future. NFA also ordered Sidney Curtis Hardee, an associated person and principal of Hardee Brothers, to withdraw from and not apply for NFA membership or reapply for NFA associate membership or principal status with an NFA Member at any time in the future.

22 July 2026 ICMA’s AI in Capital Markets Working Group today published their response to the Financial Stability Board (FSB) public consultation on “Sound Practices for Responsible Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI)”.ICMA’s consultation response builds on its consistent engagement with policymakers and regulators on AI in Capital Markets. The full response, along with previous consultation submissions from the AI in Capital Markets (AICM) Working Group, can be accessed on our website here.Key points: ICMA members support the responsible adoption of AI within financial services and agree that AI oversight should be proportionate to the risk and materiality of each use case. ICMA supports a technology-neutral and flexible approach to AI governance, allowing frameworks to adapt as technologies evolve while maintaining robust risk management standards. Where possible, ICMA members encourage AI governance to be embedded into existing governance and risk management frameworks, rather than requiring separate AI-specific structures. ICMA members highlight that many risks stated in the report are not unique to AI applications (e.g. cybersecurity, data breaches, third-party dependency), whilst recognising that AI adoption can amplify existing risks and increase the surface area for vulnerabilities in organisations. They also encourage a clearer distinction between traditional AI and machine-learning applications and newer AI technologies, to ensure supervisory attention remains focused on the genuinely new or materially different risks. The proposed sound practices are broadly comprehensive and appropriate for senior management and board level individuals. However, greater emphasis should be placed on workforce readiness, skills development, training, and strategic workforce planning to support effective AI adoption. In the capital market, each business line will have different outputs and risk levels unique to their position, necessitating a devolution of responsibility into the relevant teams. The report would benefit from the inclusion of additional capital market case studies, such as using AI to extract information from bond documentation, enhance liquidity management, improve the accuracy of bond rating assessments, and make pricing predictions. ICMA encourages greater public-private collaboration, including through initiatives such as BIS Project Noor and CMORG, to foster a shared understanding of AI-related implications for financial stability and the broader financial system. Contact:emma.thomas@icmagroup.org

A significant number of reporting issuers, particularly junior mining issuers, have taken advantage of the listed issuer financing exemption (“LIFE” or the “Exemption”) to raise limited amounts of capital since it was introduced in November 2022. Following a significant increase to the capital-raising threshold under the Exemption in May 2025, LIFE offerings have continued to gain momentum with the emergence of larger offerings and expanded dealer participation....By: Stikeman Elliott LLP