Paul Taylor, former chief executive of Blue Horizon Asset Management, has been fined £489,000 and permanently barred from financial services after the Financial Conduct Authority found he made misleading statements and falsified documents during attempted takeovers of a UK bank and Reading Football Club.
The £489,000 penalty reflects the seriousness with which the FCA treated the misconduct. The regulator also sanctioned Esmeralda Toni, former managing director at Blue Horizon Asset Management, fining her £121,200 and banning her from performing any function in relation to regulated activities after finding she assisted in the misconduct.
Taylor served as chief executive of Blue Horizon Asset Management between 2022 and 2025, according to Reuters. The FCA found that during this period he falsified documents purporting to show ownership of a bond portfolio worth around €200 million, and made misleading statements to counterparties and regulators during the attempted acquisitions. The regulator concluded both Taylor and Toni had breached the requirement to act with integrity and were not fit and proper to perform regulated functions.
Toni reportedly denied involvement ahead of the FCA’s findings, according to Money Marketing.
The attempted takeover of Reading Football Club is named in the FCA’s action, though the UK bank targeted in a separate attempted acquisition has not been publicly identified in available reporting. The figures show the FCA treating dishonesty during takeover activity as a serious enforcement matter — falsified documents claiming ownership of assets on that scale go well beyond a paperwork error.
No verified connection to Kent-based investors, businesses or financial intermediaries has been established in the available reporting. Any such exposure remains unverified.
Source: @TheFCA