Siân Cowan

  1. People /

Siân Cowan

Siân Cowan

Senior Associate

  1. People /

Siân Cowan

Siân Cowan

Senior Associate

Siân Cowan

Senior Associate

London

T: +44 (0) 20 3400 2600

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Biography

Siân is experienced in the complex financial regulatory issues faced by financial institutions and individual members of senior management.

Siân has represented clients under regulatory investigation by the FCA, PRA and other government enforcement agencies. She has also worked on several corporate internal investigations concerning allegations of bribery and other misconduct.

In addition to her contentious practice, Siân advises clients on compliance policies and procedures covering anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing. She also has experience of advising clients on their ESG risk, which includes both modern slavery and conducting supply chain due diligence.

Siân is also involved in several pro-bono initiatives at BCLP including assisting clients with their applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, supporting members of the Afghan Judiciary with applications to relocate to the UK and assisting UK-based charity Amicus on their death penalty project in Florida.

Admissions

  • England and Wales

Experience

  • Conducting a cross-border internal investigation on behalf of a multinational corporate in relation to allegations of bribery and theft in connection with procurement and contract opportunities.
  • Advising and representing the former Head of Financial Crime of a UK challenger bank in relation to an ongoing FCA enforcement investigation into the bank’s financial crime framework.
  • Successfully defending an individual subject to an Asset Freezing Order in relation to an HMRC investigation concerned with the source of funds and potential money laundering offences.
  • Investigating whistleblower allegations of misconduct including an employment bribery scheme and other non-financial misconduct for a global financial institution.
  • Representing the CEO of a UK bank in relation to an ongoing PRA investigation covering a broad range of allegations, including the adequacy of the bank’s risk management framework.
  • Representing an individual client in an FCA investigation in relation to allegations of insider dealing and destroying evidence.
  • Advising a global investment bank in relation to an internal investigation into its FX sales and trading business as required by an overseas regulator and related issues.
  • Acting as an external advisor to a large UK insurer in relation to a PRA commissioned Section 166 (Skilled Person) review into corporate governance and parent company influence. 
  • Representing various offshore CFD providers in relation to the FCA’s use of ‘own initiative’ statutory powers to restrict their business in the UK.
  • Representing an individual client in relation to an identity theft fraud involving pay-day lenders, in a case which was referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (pro-bono).
  • Advising clients in relation to cryptoasset related matters.

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The majority of the provisions in the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill (the Bill) have been seen before: they were included in the Draft Registration of Overseas Entity Bill, which fell away in 2018. It sat gathering dust somewhere in the bowels of government until, earlier this year, the government was forced to confirm that an ‘Economic Crime Bill’ would be tabled in the third session of Parliament later this year. A Bill was in fact tabled on Tuesday, having been published on 28th February. But why now? And what’s new?