Expert Analysis

• How Companies House Enforcement Powers Are Growing

  

  Companies House's recently increased ability to assess what material is submitted to the U.K. register of companies, and to proportionately enforce where violations have occurred, may require some degree of cultural shift within many companies, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.

• How New Sanctions Office Will Affect UK Trade Landscape

  

  The recent launch of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation will help to create a more comprehensive civil enforcement terrain, but the potential for multiple investigations means businesses should reassess their systems to ensure they do not inadvertently incur civil liability, says Julia Pearce at Robertson Pugh.

• FCA Savings Update Focuses On Good Customer Outcomes

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent cash savings update emphasizes its expectations of firms to deliver fair value to consumers by documenting the rationale for actions at each stage, considering customer communications and demonstrating that potential harms are acted upon, say Matt Handfield, Charlotte Rendle and Caroline Hunter-Yeats at Simmons & Simmons.

• Opinion

  Why The UK Gov't Should Commit To An Anti-SLAPP Law

  

  Recent libel cases against journalists demonstrate how the English court system can be potentially misused through strategic lawsuits against public participation, underscoring the need for a robust statutory mechanism for early dismissal of unmeritorious claims, says Nadia Tymkiw at RPC.

• 5 Takeaways From UK Justices' Arbitration Jurisdiction Ruling

  

  The U.K. Supreme Court's recent judgment in UniCredit Bank v. RusChemAlliance, upholding an injunction against a lawsuit that attempted to shift arbitration away from a contractually designated venue, provides helpful guidance on when such injunctions may be available, say attorneys at Fladgate.

• FCA's Broad Proposals Aim To Protect Customer Funds

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority’s proposed changes to payments firms’ safeguarding requirements, with enhanced recordkeeping and fund segregation, seek to bolster existing regulatory provisions, but by introducing a statutory trust concept to cover customers’ assets, represent a set of onerous rules, says Matt Hancock at Greenberg Traurig.

• Complying With Growing EU Supply Chain Mandates

  

  A significant volume of recent European Union legislative developments demonstrate a focus on supply chain transparency, so organizations must remain vigilant about potential human rights and environmental abuses in their supply chain and make a plan to mitigate compliance risks, say lawyers at Weil.

• Takeaways From Upcoming Payment Fraud Delay Legislation

  

  Lawyers at Hogan Lovells discuss what to know about new legislation that will allow payment service providers to delay payments when third-party fraud is suspected, and share pointers for providers to consider ahead of the Oct. 30 effective date.

• What New EU Packaging Regulation Will Mean For Companies

  

  The forthcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation aims to regulate the entire life cycle of products from design to end-of-life waste, and will present particularly challenging deadlines for organizations, especially regarding recyclability and substances of concern, say Marcus Navin-Jones and Ward Overlaet at Crowell & Moring.

• Modernizing UK Trade Settlement Standard: The Road Ahead

  

  Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP consider the rationale and challenges of a potential U.K. trade settlement acceleration, part of an initiative to modernize the financial market infrastructure, and suggest that incorporating distributed ledger technology as a synchronized recording system would facilitate the move.

• ICO Reprimand Highlights Importance Of Cookie Use Consent

  

  The Information Commissioner's Office's recent reprimand of Bonne Terre's unlawful use of online advertising cookies confirms that companies using third-party tracking technologies are considered data controllers responsible for ensuring compliance, say Nessa Khandaker and Lynn Parker Dupree at Finnegan.

• Analyzing The Implications Of 1st FCA Crypto ATM Crackdown

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent criminal prosecution of Olumide Osunkoya, its first enforcement action against a crypto-asset trading firm's owner, is an unambiguous sign of the regulator’s commitment to actively pursue transgressors, but may be a hindrance to the U.K. crypto industry, says Asim Arshad at Lawrence Stephens.

• What EU Antitrust Guidelines Will Mean For Dominant Cos.

  

  The European Commission’s recent draft antitrust guidelines will steer courts' enforcement powers, increasing the risk for dominant firms engaging in exclusive dealing without any apparent basis to shift the burden of proof to those companies, say lawyers at Latham.

• Draft Merger Control Guidance Allows CMA To Cast Wide Net

  

  The Competition and Markets Authority's recent draft merger control guidance, reflecting the regulator's strengthened powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act, introduces extensive change and potential procedural improvements, specifically concerning reviews of private equity firms, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

• Key Points From Cayman's Beneficial Ownership Regime

  

  While recent expansion of the Cayman Islands Beneficial Ownership Act's scope means it now encompasses many entities with previously minimal obligations, the changes ensure a welcome level playing field with workable alternative routes to compliance, says Lucy Frew at Walkers Global.