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20 June 2025
Issue: 8121 / Categories: Legal News , Banking , Financial services litigation , Regulatory , Consumer
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NLJ this week: Debanking reforms mark a significant shift ahead for firms

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The rules and regulations on debanking (where a bank terminates its relationship with a customer) are due to change next year. In this week’s NLJ, David Hamilton, partner at Howard Kennedy, sets out the likely changes and explores the implications for payment services firms

Hamilton writes: ‘Since Nigel Farage’s public spat with Coutts Bank in 2023, the issue of debanking has drawn sustained public, political and regulatory scrutiny, becoming emblematic of broader concerns around financial exclusion and institutional accountability.’

The amended Payment Services and Payment Accounts (Contract Termination) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (PSPA Regulations), due to apply from 28 April 2026, aim to strengthen protections for consumers and micro-enterprises when payment firms ‘debank’ them. Consequently, Hamilton says, payment services firms may be prompted to adopt a ‘more conservative risk appetite’. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Walkers—Muriel Marseille

Ashurst's Chief Risk Officer joins Walkers

Excello Law—John Osborne

Excello Law—John Osborne

Northern family lawyer John Osborne joins Excello

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

mfg Solicitors—Rebecca Rogers, Kennedy Langley & Victoria Griffiths

Trio of promotions announced at Kidderminster law firm mfg Solicitors

NEWS
A sole director can conspire with their own company for the purposes of the tort of unlawful means conspiracy, the High Court has ruled in a judgment with potentially wide implications for business disputes
The Court of Appeal has reinforced that domicile depends on intention rather than residence alone, in a significant post-Brexit ruling on cross-border financial remedy claims
The Chancery Division's long history comes to an end this autumn as it is reborn as the Business and Property Division, prompting questions over whether the shake-up is really necessary
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) continues to show that failing to disclose regulatory issues can attract harsher consequences than the original misconduct itself
Rejecting a generous settlement can prove an expensive mistake, as two recent high-profile cases demonstrate
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