Financial Services
Specialist Sector-Focused Advice
Financial services sector expertise
We bring together leading experts from disputes, corporate, IP, commercial and regulatory practices to deliver truly holistic support to the full spectrum of financial services businesses. Our integrated, cross-disciplinary financial services team identifies emerging risks early, navigates complex issues seamlessly, and provides clients with pragmatic, end-to-end solutions. We advise start-ups through to major corporate groups, including fund operators and managers, wealth managers, financial advisers, lenders, credit brokers, funeral plan providers, payment services firms, insurers, insurance intermediaries, fintechs and insurtechs, ensuring they receive clear, commercial and joined-up advice at every stage of their lifecycle.
“Sushil Kuner is our ‘go-to-person’ and not only is she incredibly responsive, but her deep-seated regulatory knowledge and first-hand FCA experience really shine through. She is an expert on the UK’s Consumer Credit regime and has helped us navigate the complexities of the regime in the context of our technological advancements. We have great confidence in Sushil’s technical and legal nous, as a result of which she is currently working on some of our highest profile workstreams.”
Legal 500, 2022
Sushil Kuner
Partner & Head of Financial Services Regulation
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Our expertise
Operating in one of the most heavily regulated areas of financial services, lenders and credit brokers face complex and fast-moving compliance demands. Our consumer finance experts advise start-ups through to major lending groups on the full spectrum of regulatory requirements – helping them anticipate risks, resolve issues quickly, and navigate the UK consumer credit regime with confidence.
Cryptocurrency and digital assets are a rapidly growing area in the financial services industry. Our team can advise on a broad range of regulatory matters relating to cryptocurrency and digital assets for crypto firms and managers, as well as for investors and individual consumers.
The insurance industry has seen many changes and challenges in recent years. Our team advises insurers, insurance intermediaries and brokers on a range of issues and agreements.
Our team understands the needs of fintech and payment services clients. We can support all your needs for a technology driven financial services business including regulation, emerging technologies and data management.
Our team advises on a broad range of regulatory issues affecting wealth managers and financial advisers. We can help you to navigate the complex and evolving regulatory environment confidently. Our specialists offer a fully integrated service.
We understand that our clients need practical solutions. Our team works for some of the biggest names in finance. We offer a range of specialist services tailored to support both funders and borrowers on banking and finance transactions, including cross border finance transactions.
The regulation of pension schemes is complex, sometimes counter-intuitive and still evolving. We deliver clear targeted advice in all areas of pensions law for our clients, allowing them to achieve their objectives as quickly, and with as few hurdles, as possible.
Our IT lawyers live and breathe all things technology and data. Let us support you with your legal needs in this exciting and fast moving area.
Our team has extensive experience of advising businesses ranging from entrepreneurs, SMEs and financial institutions to FTSE 100 companies. We provide expert legal advice and minimise disruption.
Related areas of expertise
Financial Services Regulation
We offer holistic, end-to-end support to a wide range of clients that draws on more than 20 years of experience including senior roles with the Financial Conduct Authority.
Financial Services Disputes
Our team has decades of combined experience acting on complex financial services litigation, regulatory enforcement action and responding to Financial Ombudsman Service complaints.
Notable work
- Acting for a private equity backed firm in c.£50,000,000 worth of acquisitions in the UK insurance market, focussing on specialty insurance intermediaries and managing general agents
- Acting for a leading UK online provider of interest-free “buy now pay later” credit in relation to a £60,000,000 investment and funding round and providing ongoing regulatory advice
- Providing ongoing regulatory compliance support and assisting to streamline an automotive franchise dealer’s processes, ensuring these sales processes are FCA-compliant and practical for the business
- Advising a lending platform provider on acting as lender of record in relation to a loan book of regulated mortgage contracts with a total value of around £4billion
- Acting for a wealth manager in a joint venture with a UK local authority to establish a £75,000,000 social impact fund aimed at public sector investors
- Advising a fintech start-up on payment services and its key agreements in respect of its new product aimed at revolutionising how employees are paid
- Acting in relation to a cross border recovery action in respect of a multimillion pound Ponzi scheme in which investors funds had been misappropriated and the identity of the fraudulent parties was initially unclear
- Advising funeral plan providers on applying to the FCA to become authorised following the sector being brought within the FCA’s regulatory perimeter and advising on their key agreements and compliance processes
- Advising an online investment platform on financial promotions and the layout of its platform
- Advising a start-up equity investment platform on structuring its business and the platform, the design of the platform, its agreements with key suppliers, its agreements with clients and its ongoing regulatory obligations
- Acting for a Trustee in Bankruptcy and successfully obtaining a declaration that a charge secured on a bankrupt’s matrimonial home was unenforceable under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
- Advising The Fair By Design Fund on the structuring of a £20m fund aimed at generating returns from investments (equity and debt) in ventures designed to reduce the poverty premium. The fund is part of a wider campaign designed to reduce the poverty premium and involves high profile organisations including Children in Need, Big Society Capital and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Advising Buckingham Gate on a £50m refinancing of a prestigious residential development in the West End of London involving complex debt structures in multiple jurisdictions. Ultimately, we were able to deliver a more commercial and simplified debt structure that worked for our clients
- Advising a mortgage and insurance adviser and broker on its agreements with key suppliers and structure of its business
- Acting for a regional fund lending to start-ups including completing a review of the fund’s pre-contract information, regulated credit agreements and post-contractual documents
- Advising a UK tyre manufacturer on its lending activities and commercial processes to ensure that these were exempt from FCA regulation
- Advising a number of clients in respect of business interruption insurance claims for COVID-19 related losses
- Advising a lender on their suite of consumer finance documentation
- Advising credit brokers and insurance intermediaries on their consumer documentation and sales processes
- Advising a building society, credit brokers, insurance intermediaries and personal pension providers on SMCR and regulatory references
- Advising an over the counter cryptocurrency derivatives margin calculation agent on the EU regulations relating to margin calculation and EU risk mitigation requirements for over the counter derivatives that are not cleared by a central clearing house
- Advising cryptocurrency businesses on regulatory issues relating to providing cryptocurrency services in the UK and the relevant anti-money laundering requirements
- Acting for financial adviser subject to FCA investigation in respect of pension mis-selling allegations arising out of the collapse of the British Steel Pension Scheme
- Advising a fashion retailer on bringing a claim on its business interruption insurance policy for COVID-19 related losses
- Advising on the special administration process in relation to a SIPP provider facing a number of mis-selling claims (of an approximate value of £8million) which arose following the decision in Berkeley Burke SIPP Administration Ltd v Financial Ombudsman Service Limited
- Advising an insurtech start-up on its data driven home insurance product, including securing FCA authorisation, advising on an ongoing basis on a number of legal issues and advising on and drafting its key agreements with its carriers and Appointed Representatives
- Advising a mortgage broker on an FCA investigation.
Acting for a credit broker and insurance intermediary in relation to FOS complaints and litigation in relation to mis-selling claims - Advising a multi-national retail chain on payment services and e-money requirements
- Advising a client on a multi-million pound claim involving several million pounds worth of alleged consumer loans provided by an unauthorised lender
- Provides on-going employment law and HR advice to mutual building societies, including day to day issues, regulatory issues (including Senior Managers regime come and regulatory references), strategic advice to the Senior Management Team and Board including Diversity & Inclusion and equal pay
- Supported Companies with the necessary employment law and regulatory issues when converting to a FCA regulated business, including amending contracts, training and TUPE issues
- Assisted senior executives subject to FCA/PRA SM&CR rules with regulatory reference queries, fitness and propriety assessments, remuneration packages, settlement agreements and exit/team moves.
Experience of advising regulated investment fund management businesses on day to day HR issues
Memberships
We are proud members of the National Franchised Dealers Associations.
Testimonials
“[Sushil is] an impressive practitioner… naturally intelligent and commercially astute, backed by extensive experience from the FCA’s Enforcement D...
The Legal 500, 2025
“Sushil Kuner is an excellent lawyer; pragmatic, knowledgeable and quick.”
The Legal 500, 2025
Related news & articles
Meet our team
Adrian Hackett
National Head of Taxation Services
Andrew Maxwell
Partner and Head of Competition
Graeme Danby
Partner | National Head of Insolvency & Creditor Services
Sushil Kuner
Partner & Head of Financial Services Regulation
Melanie Stancliffe
Partner
Will Richmond-Coggan
Partner
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Whatever your legal needs, our wide ranging expertise is here to support you and your business, so let’s start your legal journey today and get you in touch with the right lawyer to get you started.
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