Financial Services
Experienced financial services lawyers who understand the unique intersection of regulatory scrutiny, legal risks, and commercial pressures in your business.
Successful financial services firms are continually balancing risk and ambition. In fast-moving markets, you need a proactive legal partner with substantial experience in the financial services sector.
Whether you operate in, or provide services to, private equity, banking, insurance, cryptoassets, Fintech, payments, lending, or any other area of finance, our financial services solicitors can provide the advice you need to help keep your business running smoothly.
Our specialists across financial services regulation, corporate and private equity, debt finance, insurance law, commercial law, data protection, employment law, intellectual property (IP), disputes, investigations and enforcement can guide you through regulation, contracts, debt structuring, employment issues, corporate governance, and much more – whether your aspirations are regional, national, or global. Find out more about how we can help you below.
Financial services regulation
We provide regulatory and compliance advice to businesses across the financial services value chain. We have particular expertise in advising innovative tech-focussed businesses, in the insurance, Fintech, consumer credit, and cryptoasset spaces.
Our specialist advisory financial services lawyers give regulatory perimeter guidance, cross-border coordination, advice on systems and governance, as well as senior managers and certification regime responsibilities, consumer duty, and all other regulatory obligations that an ambitious financial services firm needs to meet.
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Corporate and private equity
We support financial services providers throughout the corporate lifecycle, from mergers and acquisitions and investment rounds to restructurings and governance projects. Our experience advising businesses and investors in this highly regulated sector means we understand the opportunities and pressures that shape corporate decision-making, and can provide practical, commercially focused support.
Our financial services lawyers provide expert guidance during corporate deals, particularly regulatory due diligence and making change of control applications. Our work in the financial services sector includes: supporting growth and venture capital clients with portfolios in the sector; mergers and acquisitions in the consumer credit and insurance industries; helping insurtechs and fintechs handle investment rounds.
Corporate & PE at Capital
Company secretarial services
We provide company secretarial services and corporate governance advice to UK companies across the financial sector. Our support spans the full lifecycle of the business. Our deep knowledge of company law and financial services regulation means we can help with corporate governance requirements and board level responsibilities of a regulated firm, including in relation to the Consumer Duty, SMCR, SYSC and broader company law obligations.
We offer a standard annual service as well as packages that can be tailored to your business’ requirements such as attendance at board meetings/minute taking, including the annual Consumer Duty board meeting, noting important regulatory decisions and actions to be taken.
Debt finance
Whether for strategic growth or to help manage a period of disruption, debt financing works best when you have an experienced partner in your corner. At Capital we have supported firms across the full range of debt financing transactions – from leveraged financing or structured arrangements through to simple loans.
We have helped clients with all aspects of intercreditor and security arrangements, in the UK and internationally.
Commercial
Our commercial law services are built around how organisations work, in practice. We provide advice and documents that take into account the particular risks and regulations of the financial services industry.
We support firms of all sizes, with a wide variety of commercial activities including intellectual property management and disputes and the continually evolving area of data protection regulation.
We design our commercial contracts to meet regulatory, legal and commercial requirements, including support with the legal aspects of distribution and delegated authority, material outsourcing, technology contracts and app deployment, data sharing, and the application of consumer law to regulated businesses.
Commercial disputes
Every dispute is unique, yet they all require a balance of extensive expertise and an innovative approach to assessing the situation, the relevant legal frameworks, and the nature and motivations of the parties involved. This is a balance that we pride ourselves on delivering.
We have advised many financial services companies, such as insurers in claims for breach of binding authority agreements, and fund managers on the terms of their litigation funding agreements with third-party law firms. We have also acted on behalf of a payment processor, the cofounders of a crypto company, and regulated pension trustees in claims for breaches of the FCA Code of Conduct.
In addition, our lawyers have many years of experience assisting financial services companies in previous roles, including acting on their behalf in claims for professional negligence and fraud, and our colleagues have acted as panel lawyers for professional indemnity claims against solicitors and valuers for high street banks.
We aim to build the most suitable team for any dispute from the experienced lawyers across our firm, ensuring we can put experts to work for you from day one – whether the dispute is new or already ongoing. We also offer bespoke litigation funding solutions to ensure companies of all sizes, and individuals, can access this expertise when needed.
Investigations
Our investigations lawyers help financial services businesses navigate their most sensitive employment, business crime and FCA investigations. Advising organisations, senior executives, HR teams and compliance professionals, we combine technical expertise with commercial insight to deliver clear, strategic advice when it matters most.
We understand that every investigation has legal, regulatory, and reputational implications. Our team works closely with our employment and commercial disputes specialists, ensuring strategy is aligned from the earliest stages through to resolution if a matter becomes contentious. With a clear, strategic approach, we help clients manage risk, meet regulatory expectations, and protect both their organisation and their people.
We ensure that lessons and recommendations resulting from investigations are carefully incorporated into future policies, practices, and working approaches to ensure ongoing compliance.
Employment
For firms operating in regulated markets, Capital’s Employment & Immigration team provides specialist support on the workforce, governance, and people issues that can create significant legal and regulatory risk. We advise established financial institutions, fintechs, and insurtechs on everything from day-to-day HR matters to complex employment disputes, executive exits, workforce restructures, whistleblowing concerns, Employment Tribunal litigation and IR35/employment status issues. The team combines technical employment law expertise with a strong understanding of the regulatory environment in which financial services businesses operate.
We help businesses build robust and scalable people frameworks. Through our dedicated HR consultancy service we support organisations at every stage of growth, from start-ups preparing for investment through to established businesses undertaking acquisitions, restructuring, or expansion. We provide practical advice on contracts, policies, compliance, and governance to ensure companies are well-positioned for growth and regulatory scrutiny, and we can also train your managers to ensure they are fully compliant with current employment legislation and practices. Our HR consultancy service can also act as an outsourced HR function when needed.
We also deliver training to boards, senior leaders and HR teams through the Capital Employment Academy, covering key employment and workplace issues, and are proud supporters of the Fintech Wales Foundry accelerator programme, where our lawyers mentor high-growth Fintech businesses as they scale. This gives us first-hand insight into the challenges facing both emerging and established financial services organisations.
Real estate
Real estate ownership, management and development is an important part of financial services businesses that are established and operating in the UK. Our real estate solicitors support across the real estate lifecycle through clear and commercially astute advice, working as a strategic partner, whether that’s securing new premise or lease renewal negotiations, complex construction projects, dispute resolution, or environmental obligations.
We have supported a number of financial services clients on real estate matters such as new lettings and ongoing asset management, including a UK bank, financial technology membership organisation Fintech Wales (with leasing), and insurance and underwriting firms.
Our property lawyers support the ongoing management of commercial property portfolios, lease breaks, disposals, relocations, and exits, ensuring compliance with the appropriate laws and regulations, to maximise value at all stages.
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Our financial services lawyers cover all areas of law that affect the work of FS companies. Contact us today for an initial conversation about your needs.
