UK to ease finance sector rules to boost investment post-Brexit

Britain set out plans on Thursday to ease key banking and insurance rules in the latest attempt to boost its vital financial sector following the country's departure from the European Union.

Brexit has cut off Britain's finance industry, which accounts for about 12 per cent of UK economic output, from much of the EU and sector officials want the government to speed up reforms to help it remain globally competitive.

London's financial hub also faces tough competition from New York in company listings, and a survey on Thursday showed Singapore is now almost neck-and-neck with the British capital in global financial centre rankings.

Continuing with the "Edinburgh Reforms" outlined in December, the finance ministry set out a public consultation on proposed secondary legislation to implement recommendations made in a review conducted by a panel led by Keith Skeoch, a former investment fund boss.

The draft legislation proposes to increase the threshold at which so-called ring-fencing applies to banks from 25 billion pounds ($30 billion) to 35 billion pounds.

Britain introduced the ring-fencing rule in January 2019 following the costly taxpayer bailouts of banks during the global financial crisis over a decade ago. It aims to ensure that deposits are safe even if riskier investment banking activities - outside the ring fence - lose value. That adds costs for banks.

UK financial services minister Andrew Griffith said the planned changes would make the rule more adaptable and reduce the risk of unintended consequences.

"It will improve outcomes for banks and their customers, increase competition and improve the competitiveness of the UK banking sector," Griffith said, adding the changes would also boost lending to smaller firms.

The government intends to put forward secondary legislation - a law created by ministers under powers provided by an act of Parliament - for implementing the reforms in early 2024, with the changes coming into effect as soon as they clear parliament.

'Unlocking billions'

The Bank of England (BoE) on Thursday also set out a reform of Solvency II insurance capital rules that were inherited from the EU.

Their reform is seen by the insurance industry and by lawmakers who supported Britain's exit from the bloc as a "Brexit dividend" to unlock up to 100 billion pounds for investment.

A so-called matching adjustment seeks to ensure that assets held by insurers generate enough cash to cover future payouts on policies and pensions, subject to a "discount".

"We propose to adjust regulations to reflect the decisions made by the government about the level of financial resilience that should be required of insurance companies," Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods said in a statement.

"These proposals aim to promote policyholder protection while enabling the annuity sector to meet its commitments to the government to increase investment in the UK economy."

The government overrode the BoE to insist on a less onerous discount, and the BoE said the limit it has proposed, along with other proposed reforms, would not stop insurers from meeting their stated commitments for "unlocking tens of billions of pounds for potential investments at implementation".

The change would come into effect on June 30, 2024.