Claim brought by over 200 institutional investors and supported by Woodsford reaches its conclusion.
London, 5 December 2025: A large group of institutional investors, organised and funded by Woodsford, settled its securities litigation against Standard Chartered PLC. The shareholder group comprises over 200 institutional investors representing over 1,000 investment funds.
The investors were pursuing claims pursuant to sections 90 and 90A of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Their allegations included that they had suffered losses in share value following disclosure failures relating to the bank’s facilitation of US dollar transactions involving Iranian or Iran-linked entities in contravention of US sanctions.
This settlement marks the conclusion of a string of successes for the investors in this action. They defeated multiple attempts by Standard Chartered to strike out the case, including one that went to the Court of Appeal and another, relating to the issue of reliance, was due to be heard by the Court of Appeal in January 2026. As a result of the settlement, that appeal will not proceed and the High Court’s decision not to strike out the claims of so-called passive investors or tracker funds will continue to stand, preserving an important pathway for such investors to pursue similar actions.
Commenting on the outcome, Woodsford’s Chief Investment Officer Charlie Morris said, “Woodsford is proud to have assisted this large group of institutional investors in seeking to hold Standard Chartered to account and achieving compensation for them. Securities litigation remains an essential part of an investor’s stewardship toolkit and an important form of private regulation. It helps to ensure that listed issuers conduct their business responsibly and lawfully, which in the interests of our society and economy more broadly, and demonstrates that there are meaningful consequences when they do not.”
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