- What is new: The FCA has published Consultation Paper 25/23 proposing new regulations for Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services, now termed deferred-payment credit (DPC), with rules coming into force on 15 July 2026. - Why it...more
7/30/2025
/ Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Compliance ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Lenders ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) ,
Third Party Funding ,
UK
The first half of 2025 brought significant developments in the regulation of digital and cryptoassets in the UK and EU. In this half-year update, we review these and look ahead to likely developments in the UK and EU in the...more
7/9/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
European Commission ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
Technology ,
UK
AIM Consultation Paper -
7 April 2025 / LSE -
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) initiated a significant consultation on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The discussion paper sought feedback from market participants...more
7/8/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Investment Management ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Shareholders ,
UK
In this article, we reflect on key trends in ESG over the first half of 2025 and look ahead at what to watch in the second half of 2025. We analyse developments, including the following major themes:
- EU Omnibus Proposals...more
6/26/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Reporting ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
UK ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Following the publication by HM Treasury of the draft legislation establishing a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK, on 28 May 2025 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Consultation...more
6/6/2025
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
HM Treasury ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
In October 2024, HM Treasury (HMT) published a consultation paper amid perceived concerns related to the “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) sector, including uninformed consumer decisions, affordability checks and levels of...more
As part of the UK government’s aim to create legislation establishing a regulatory framework for cryptoassets, on 2 May 2025 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Discussion Paper DP25/1....more
On 29 April 2025, HM Treasury published near-final draft legislation establishing a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK, along with a policy note explaining the intended policy outcomes of the...more
Below is our quarterly briefing covering the most important developments for UK PLCs, UK equity capital markets and UK public M&A.
In this issue, we review:
- Primary Market Bulletin 54 — Strategic leaks and unlawful...more
On 5 February 2025, Skadden hosted a series of panel discussions looking at the evolving EU, UK and US crypto-asset landscape... The discussion explored how market participants and investors can best anticipate and prepare...more
2/13/2025
/ AML/CFT ,
Blockchain ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
EU ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sanctions ,
UK
On 8 January 2025, the UK’s HM Treasury issued a statutory instrument amending the scope of “collective investment schemes” (the Amendment) under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Collective Investment Schemes)...more
In 2024, in line with our predictions from last year, the UK public takeover market saw a sharp increase in the number of megadeals, i.e., those valued in excess of £1 billion. Seventeen such transactions were announced in...more
In this article, we reflect on key trends in ESG over the second half of 2024 and look ahead at trends that may emerge in 2025. We analyze developments in the latter half of 2024, which were similar to those highlighted in...more
1/6/2025
/ Antitrust Division ,
Australia ,
Board of Directors ,
Climate Change ,
COP ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Green Loans ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Loan Market Association ,
Member State ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Nasdaq ,
New Guidance ,
New Legislation ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Tax Reform ,
UK ,
United Nations
As part of the UK government’s drive to develop legislation for a UK regulatory regime to govern the cryptoassets sector, on 16 December 2024 the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Discussion Paper DP24/4, which...more
12/23/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Promotions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Market Abuse ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
In her first comments since the July 2024 UK general election, Economic Secretary to the UK Treasury Tulip Siddiq MP delivered a speech at the Tokenisation Summit on 21 November 2024 that outlined the recently elected UK...more
12/4/2024
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
On November 14, 2024, the UK government unveiled its National Payments Vision (the Vision), a strategy designed to reshape the UK’s payments ecosystem. This Vision responds to the findings of the 2023 Future of Payments...more
11/27/2024
/ Bank of England ,
Banking Sector ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
Open Banking ,
Payment Systems ,
PRC ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
In the UK, 14 million people used “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) at least once in the six months leading up to January 2023. Frequent users were more than four times as likely as other consumers to have missed a payment on a...more
11/5/2024
/ Borrowers ,
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
HM Treasury ,
HMRC ,
Lenders ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Temporary Permissions Regime (TPR) ,
UK
On 11 September 2024, the UK government introduced the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill, which provides that digital assets can be considered to be personal property under the laws of England and Wales, and could therefore...more
Across industries, companies are facing new and uncertain regulatory pressures and demands in areas including artificial intelligence, sustainability, algorithmic pricing and fintech-bank relations. In this issue of The...more
9/10/2024
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Board of Directors ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Multinationals ,
Price-Fixing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sustainability ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
As the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) consider feedback to their consultation on guidance regarding the UK change-in-controller regime (consultation paper 25/23), we provide a...more
9/9/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Corporate Governance ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Investment Management ,
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
UK
On 7 August 2024, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published an update regarding its ongoing assessment of crypto firms’ adherence to the cryptoasset financial promotions rules introduced in October 2023. See our 23...more
On 17 July 2024, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) finalized revisions to the prudential framework for banks’ exposures to cryptoassets. The revisions largely introduced additional requirements relating to the...more
On 30 July 2024, the Bank of England published a discussion paper on its approach to innovation in money and payments (the Discussion Paper). A recurring theme is the Bank of England’s focus on the potential use of...more
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, and diverging opinions on approach, continued to dominate headlines across the globe in the first half of 2024. Companies and their stakeholders started the year navigating...more
7/29/2024
/ Activist ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Shareholders ,
UK
In April 2024, the UK government reiterated its vision for open finance, with UK Economic Secretary Bim Afolami (MP) announcing the creation of the Open Finance Taskforce at the 2024 Innovate Finance Global Summit. The...more
4/30/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
HMRC ,
Payment Systems ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
UK