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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is well underway, and across the UK, workplaces are buzzing. This has only increased now England are in the quarter finals, facing Norway at the weekend. But alongside the excitement sit certain obligations that employers cannot afford to ignore. This is particularly relevant where employers are hosting viewing events, sending staff to supporter hospitality, and, for those in the hospitality and events sectors, fielding teams of workers at packed venues. Spirits will be high, and alcohol will be available. This sounds like fun, but the combination of alcohol, high-spirited groups of workers, and third-party venues can be as unpredictable and dangerous for employers as a penalty shootout.

M&A involving FCA and PRA-regulated firms requires careful consideration of regulatory issues that can materially affect transaction timing, valuation and execution risk. Against a backdrop of heightened supervisory intensity — including the post-Consumer Duty landscape, increased use of tools like the VREQ and growing EU/UK divergence — acquirers should focus on the following five areas from the earliest stages of deal planning.

From 24 July 2026, most of the remaining changes to the DCO process introduced by the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 will come into force. These changes represent the most significant overhaul of the NSIP consenting regime since its introduction, and include the well-publicised removal of the statutory pre-application consultation requirements, which is the focus of this Insight, along with a raft of other changes.

Saudi Arabia’s labor and employment framework continues to evolve through a series of changes. The combined effect of the changes is reshaping how employers engage, manage, and deploy talent across the Kingdom. This update provides an overview of changes in three areas: the Qiwa platform, Labor Law amendments, and workforce deployment and mobility initiatives, including Premium Residency and the Ajeer frameworks.

The FCA has now published the final UK cryptoasset regime, completing its Crypto Roadmap and confirming that crypto activities will be brought fully within the existing FSMA framework from 25 October 2027. The headline messages are contained in the accompanying FCA press release and new overview webpage, which together provide a useful guide through what is a substantial package of policy statements, guidance and consultations. While much of the architecture was already visible through earlier consultations, firms now have something they have lacked throughout much of the process: certainty. The significance of today's package is not that it changes the direction of travel, but that it finalises the framework and provides a clear route to implementation. Firms have three months until the authorisation gateway opens and less than sixteen months until the regime comes into force. That is a comparatively short implementation period given the governance, operational, and prudential changes many firms will need to make. The challenge is no longer understanding what regulation might look like. It is demonstrating readiness to operate within it. The FCA has also used the final package to reinforce a broader message running through much of its recent work: the UK's crypto regime is intended to support innovation, growth and competitiveness while maintaining high standards of consumer protection and market integrity. The final framework reflects a regulator that has listened to industry feedback in several key areas, while remaining firmly committed to bringing crypto firms within mainstream financial services regulation.