Ben Upton

3 weeks ago | freethink.com | Ben Upton

In January 2013, Paul Kolbe was at a hotel in downtown Mexico City for a meeting of oil and gas company BP’s global security team. He had joined the British multinational five years earlier, after serving 25 years in the CIA’s directorate of operations. Suddenly, his phone began pinging with calls and emails from BP headquarters. Just before sunrise, a group of armed men had attacked a gas plant in In Amenas, an Algerian town 6,000 miles (9,650 km) away.

1 month ago | lexology.com | Ben Upton |Don Holborow |Dominic Toomey |James Hawes |Joanna Lim |Josh Cairns | +1 more

Following our last article, the debanking debate has taken a new turn with NZ First MP Andy Foster's anti-debanking Member’s Bill being drawn from the parliamentary ballot barely a week after it was announced. The Bill raises questions about the balance between commercial freedom and the ‘right’ to banking services.

May 30, 2024 | lexology.com | Ben Upton |James Caird |James Hawes |Joanna Lim |Josiah Koh

The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has opened consultation on phase 2 of the “fit for purpose” financial services regulation reform agenda. Many proposals are immediately sensible. Some could create new complications. We encourage those affected to engage with the proposals as this is a unique opportunity to reshape some important elements of the regulatory environment.

Jan 17, 2024 | researchprofessionalnews.com | Ben Upton

EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships are set to return in 2024On 9 January, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council announced that it would open the sixth round of its Prosperity Partnerships programme in March, with an application deadline of 21 May. The Prosperity Partnerships scheme supports collaborative research projects involving businesses and academic partners. Full details of the sixth round of the competition have yet to be published, but it will run via two application routes.

Dec 11, 2023 | lexology.com | Ben Upton |James Caird |Jonathan Nicolle |Nina Blomfield |Sam Comber

In the latest penalty obtained by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) - Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko, Medical Assurance Society New Zealand Limited (MAS) must pay $2.1 million for failing to correctly apply policy discounts, inflation adjustments, and benefit payments to some of its entitled customers between 2014 and 2019. Key takeawaysFinancial institutions should have robust systems and processes to prevent overcharging and to calculate customer entitlements.