Banking and Finance Disputes

Our international reach, technical excellence, and in-depth knowledge of the financial sector means we can resolve even the most complex and technically demanding disputes. We provide strategic, pre-emptive advice, and guide our clients through the challenges of litigation or arbitration when disputes progress.

Overview

Our first-class team specialises in complex, domestic and international disputes across the financial services sector, acting for and against banks, financial institutions, trading houses, hedge funds, asset and wealth managers, financial advisers and securities brokers.

We advise on a wide range of banking and financial claims including disputes relating to structured financial products and derivatives, investment disputes, private banking disputes, mis-selling, fraud, loan defaults and security enforcement. We also specialise in defending financial professionals against liability claims, assisting with regulatory investigations and advising on disciplinary-related matters.

We are experts in obtaining time-critical remedies to trace, preserve and recover assets including search orders, freezing injunctions, and requests for information and disclosure orders.

We partner with our clients to achieve their best commercial outcome, tailoring our dispute resolution strategy from the outset. We vigorously pursue claims and robustly defend claims on our clients' behalf. In commercially sensitive cases or where disputes require a lighter touch, mediation, negotiated settlement or arbitration are options. Our international reach means we can swiftly assemble experts in multiple jurisdictions, providing a coordinated response to international and cross-border financial disputes in litigation or arbitration.

We work closely with other practice areas within the firm to advise on emerging risks and novel claims such as fin-tech and cryptocurrencies, financial crime, ESG-related claims challenging sustainable investments, cybercrime and data theft.

Featured experience

  • Acting for certain Defendants (including the former Bulgarian Minister of Finance) in their defence of a £330m claim by LIC Telecommunications SARL and Empreno Ventures Limited. The claims arise from an allegedly wrongful sale of shares in companies which were ultimately owned by Vivacom, Bulgaria’s largest telecommunications network, to a third party by auction in London. It is alleged that the sale was conceived by a conspiracy.
  • Acting for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (“BMPS”) in defence of a claim by Nomura for declarations of validity and non-liability in relation to the restructuring of a series of complex financial transactions. There were also proceedings in Italy brought by BMPS against Nomura in which BMPS claimed damages arising from the same transactions of not less than €700m. Ultimately BMPS was able to settle the case, receiving a discount from Nomura of over €400m.
  • Acting in defence of a claim by Bank Leumi for monies claimed under personal guarantee when the principal debtor entered into administration at instigation of the Bank.
  • Acting for a defendant in a £1.2billion claim by the Danish tax authority alleging global conspiracy, fraud and money laundering in connection with applications for refunds of withholding tax arising from a complex trading structure (the SKAT litigation).
  • Acting for IBRC in defence of a £16m claim by a group of investors relating to allegations of misrepresentation and breach of FSMA.
  • Acting in a $40m dispute involving allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation and unlawful means conspiracy in relation to the sale of shares in a hedge fund business.
  • Acting in a shareholder’s dispute in a £200million capitalised company, backed by institutional investors, involving whistleblowing claims, minority unfair prejudice claims and claims under LCIA arbitration.
  • Acting for multiple parties in connection with industry-wide regulatory and criminal investigations into LIBOR, EURIBOR, F/X and more discreet investigations into sanctions breaches, money laundering, bribery and corruption, and market abuse.

What our clients say

  • Great personal service.

    Legal 500, 2022 edition, Commercial Litigation London.

  • John Bramhall – an enthusiastic, seasoned campaigner who has seen it all.

    Legal 500, 2022 edition, Commercial Litigation London.

Banking and Finance Disputes key contacts

Who we are

Why choose DAC Beachcroft?

We’re a broad-based commercial firm serving a wide range of sectors with a strong heritage in insurance,
health and real estate. We combine excellent legal skills and cutting-edge delivery expertise to design
solutions that fit the needs of our clients – often involving clever uses of technology.