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Banks face CMA probe into swapping UK bond information in chatrooms

Citigroup and Deutsche Bank admitted to their involvement in the unlawful activity

The CMA said the banks still have an opportunity to make representations on the matter
The CMA said the banks still have an opportunity to make representations on the matter Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The UK’s competition watchdog has asked five banks to respond to provisional findings that they broke competition law in the aftermath of the financial crisis by exchanging sensitive information in chatrooms during UK bond transactions.

The Competition and Markets Authority said in a 24 May statement that the five banks – HSBC, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Royal Bank of Canada – are alleged to have unlawfully shared the information “through one or more series of one-to-one conversations in chatrooms” at varying times between 2009 and 2013.

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