On June 3, 2025, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) published the UK Stewardship Code 2026 (the “Code”), following the conclusion of its consultation on the proposed amendments to the UK Stewardship Code 2020. The revised…
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/ Business Organizations, Finance & Banking, Securities Law
On June 2, 2025, the Civil Justice Council (“Council”)—a public body that reviews and makes recommendations to the UK Government about the English civil justice system—published its much-anticipated report on litigation funding…
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/ Civil Procedure, Commercial Law & Contracts, Law Practice Products & Services
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced updates to the requirements, directions and limitations applied to firms. This follows a review which identified that certain data was out of date, superseded by new content…
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/ Administrative Law, Consumer Protection, Finance & Banking
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued written letters to several major social media and platform companies—including X, Meta, TikTok, Alphabet, Telegram, Snap, Amazon, Apple, Google and Reddit—urging…
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/ Communications & Media Law, Consumer Protection, Finance & Banking, Securities Law
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published consultation paper CP25/14 (CP) on stablecoin issuance and cryptoasset custody, accompanied by an updated webpage. This follows the FCA's discussion paper published in…
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/ Consumer Protection, Finance & Banking, Securities Law
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published consultation paper CP25/15 on its proposed prudential regime for cryptoasset firms, also accompanied by an updated webpage. This is intended to be read together with CP25/14…
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/ Finance & Banking, Securities Law
UPC case law on the assessment of inventive step is still evolving. Most local division (LD) decisions have indicated a slightly diverging practice from the EPO’s problem-solution approach. However, more recently, others have…
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/ Intellectual Property
On May 29, 2025, the staff of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) issued a statement concluding that certain proof-of-stake blockchain “staking” activities do not involve the offer or sale of “securities”…
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/ Administrative Law, Science, Computers, & Technology, Securities Law
On May 23, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“CAFC”) issued a precedential opinion reversing a final written decision from the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) finding the challenged…
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/ Intellectual Property, Science, Computers, & Technology
On May 22, 2025, the Hellenic Parliament passed long-expected legislation to establish Greece’s first national mechanism for the screening of foreign direct investments (FDI) on grounds of national security and public order…
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/ International Law & Trade, Mergers & Acquisitions
The study on enhancing EU competitiveness in the banking sector, requested by the ECON, has been published by the Economic Governance and EMU Scrutiny Unit. The study emphasises the importance of a resilient and efficient…
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/ Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Finance & Banking
The study on enhancing EU competitiveness in the banking sector, requested by the ECON, has been published by the Economic Governance and EMU Scrutiny Unit. The study emphasises the importance of a resilient and efficient…
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/ Finance & Banking
Welcome to your weekly update from the A&O Shearman Pensions team, covering all the latest legal and regulatory developments in the world of workplace pensions…
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/ Administrative Law, Finance & Banking, Taxation
On May 23, 2025, in a significant decision with implications for future short-swing trading claims, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Court affirmed two district court decisions holding that a controlling…
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/ Business Organizations, Civil Remedies, Securities Law
The government has published its response to the consultation on the exhaustion regime for IP rights. The overall conclusion is that the UK will permanently maintain its UK+ IP exhaustion regime, the bespoke (and asymmetrical)…
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/ Health, Intellectual Property, International Law & Trade
