Five of the world’s top banks will pay over $5 billion in fines after pleading guilty to rigging the price of foreign currencies. Attorney General Loretta Lynch unveiled the plea deal.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch: “We are here to announce a major law enforcement action against international financial institutions that for years participated in a brazen display of collusion and foreign exchange rate market manipulation, and will, as a result, pay a total of nearly $3 billion in fines and penalties. As a result of our investigation, four of the world’s largest banks have agreed to plead guilty to felony antitrust violations. They are Citicorp, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Barclays PLC and the Royal Bank of Scotland PLC.”
UBS is also expected to plead guilty to charges and pay a $500 million fine. The Justice Department is voiding a previous non-prosecution agreement with UBS over its violations of the terms. No individual bank employees were hit with criminal charges, meaning no one will go to jail.