These are financial times: a human rights perspective on the UK financial services sector

This article explores the relationship between finance, financial institutions and human rights in an increasingly financialised world. Though developments have been made in human rights with respect to business, particularly with the United Nations’ endorsement of UN Special Representative John Ruggie’s Guiding Principles in Business and Human Rights, there remains a dearth of research into the ways that, specifically, the financial industry maligns human rights worldwide. This article bolsters discussion of the financial sector, human rights and the government and explores how these organisations, specifically in the United Kingdom and United States context, exploit the defuse nature of their operations and the lax government regulations on the financial industry to ensure the continuing prosperity of the financial and business world to the detriment of human rights.