Payments advisory and assurance

With a focus on proactive and reactive support, our Financial Crime and Fraud team assists clients in navigating complex regulatory requirements and enhancing all aspects of their financial crime and fraud frameworks. Leveraging our subject matter expertise and regulator insights, we help clients to meet regulatory requirements and implement risk-based approaches proportionately and effectively. Our expertise covers AML/CTF/CPF, fraud, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, and tax evasion risks.  

We’re one of the leading firms working with payment service providers and financial services regulators. The range of support we’ve delivered to payments and e-money firms include numerous s166 Skilled Person reviews, safeguarding, Consumer Duty implementation, wind-down planning advisory services, and prudential capital requirements.  

Our team helps to mitigate the impact of internal and external stresses faced by businesses because of changing market conditions, regulatory intervention or increased monitoring. We provide the full range of turnaround services, including options analysis, contingency planning, cash flow forecasting, and independent business and pre-lend reviews. Our team also advises on AMA processes, non-performing loans, debt advisory and refinancing services, and solvent eliminations. We also help with wind-down planning and provide the full range of statutory insolvency appointments.   

We help our clients stay ahead of the ever-changing tax landscape and support them with the impacts of global initiatives that effect operational requirements and decision making. Our services include: 

1. FATCA/CRS (collectively AEOI) compliance and advisory services 
2. Withholding tax assistance 
3. Tax operations assistance (including tax documentation, such as the W-8/9 US forms) 
4. Reporting to HMRC / the relevant tax authority; this could be in relation to DAC6 / MDR and the upcoming crypto asset reporting framework
5. ISA assistance, such as assistance with the application to become an ISA manager, assistance with setting up controls / processes and procedures, or where these have already been deployed, to review existing controls and governance frameworks  
6.  Assistance with specific US regimes, such as Qualified Intermediary (QI)
7. Assistance with any HMRC (relevant tax authority) audits / queries

If buying, selling, refinancing or raising funds through capital markets you will want to make your next strategic move with confidence. We conduct thorough due diligence on the fine detail and providing value-focused and pragmatic advice throughout the transaction. 

We provide independent audits, characterised by professional scepticism, that meet the highest regulatory expectations. Our team further offers bespoke proprietary software and embedded data analytics to provide greater efficiency and value.
    

Our team advises regulators and corporates in the UK and internationally on a range of matters, including regulatory economics and finance, competition economics, analysis in legal disputes, and supports clients on strategic decision making. We have a detailed understanding of the payments landscape with expertise in regulatory impact assessments, competition analysis, price benchmarking, the Consumer Duty fair value assessments, cost modelling, regulatory reporting, and other analytics.