The Bank of England’s planned development of UK regulatory initiatives continued in June 2022 with the Prudential Regulation Authority’s release of CP6/22, “Model risk management principles for banks”. This will have considerable impact on how banks conduct risk modelling.

Despite EU agreement on its taxonomy for sustainable investment, it may not only prove to be ineffective in driving a green transition, but is potentially shrouded in legal uncertainty. 

There is anecdotal evidence that investment bankers in the UK are piling into physical bullion for their personal portfolios due to fears over counterparty risk in the financial system, severe inflation and political uncertainty.

The introduction of the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR) back in 2016 struck fear into many bankers with its onerous requirements and penalties. However, recent research suggests that the conduct regime is almost toothless. 

As the dust settles on the 2022 proxy season, the time is ripe for banks and other financial services institutions to explore investor sentiment arising from the annual roundtables.

The delayed consumer protection rules will have a very significant impact on firms serving the UK financial retail market by imposing increased accountability and compliance oversight obligations.

The UK’s long-awaited finance bill was supposed to unshackle the City of London from ‘unnecessary’ red tape, much of it inherited from the EU, but in the end it left the financial services sector underwhelmed and disappointed.

The Basel Committee’s paper on climate change might lack ambition by the standards of European initiatives, but it may nudge the rest of the world in the direction of sustainability, and thereby ensure a more level playing field globally.

Some retail banks potentially face having to review their business and pricing models as they will have to ensure they deliver fair value to consumers following the FCA finalising its consumer duty rules on July 27.