Corporate Bulletin, July 2015

The Irish Government has published the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026, establishing a comprehensive framework for supervising and enforcing the EU AI Act in Ireland. This legislation creates the AI Office of Ireland as an independent statutory body to coordinate AI regulation, introduces a distributed oversight model involving multiple sectoral authorities, and provides detailed procedures for adjudication and administrative sanctions. The Bill addresses critical questions about how Ireland

Ireland has introduced significant amendments to its beneficial ownership registers in 2026, implementing the Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6) framework. These reforms fundamentally restructure access rights to the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Trusts and Corporate Entities, moving away from unrestricted public access toward a tiered system that balances transparency with privacy rights while maintaining accessibility for legitimate anti-money laundering purposes.

The Omnibus 1 Directive (EU) 2026/470 (Omnibus 1 Directive) was published in the Official Journal on 26 February. This new Directive, which amends the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)...

The European Union has published revised sustainability reporting standards and introduced a voluntary framework that fundamentally changes how companies approach CSRD compliance. These reforms reduce reporting complexity through fewer datapoints and introduce value chain caps that limit information requests from smaller businesses. Understanding these changes is critical for both mandatory reporters and voluntary participants as implementation deadlines approach in 2026 and 2027.

Our corporate team were happy to advise AMCS on their latest acquisition as the business continues to grow their international footprint and scale.

This legislative update examines Ireland's Autumn 2026 legislative agenda, including reforms to director address disclosure and cooperative societies law, while analyzing key governance trends from the UK proxy season and the European Commission's corporate law harmonization priorities. The analysis explores shareholder activism, board diversity expectations, and the EU's ambitious "EU Inc." framework aimed at creating unified company law across Member States.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is advancing the Charities (Amendment) Bill, which introduces significant regulatory changes for charities operating in the jurisdiction. The legislation grants the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland expanded enforcement powers, overhauls accounting and reporting frameworks based on charity size, and clarifies the status of cross-border charitable organizations.

The Dublin office of leading international law firm, Maples and Calder, recently advised Cantor Fitzgerald on its agreement to acquire Merrion Capital Group.

Understanding cookie consent policies is essential for website compliance and user privacy. This content explores the implications of accepting all cookies, including analytics and targeting cookies, and what it means for data collection practices.

After months of intense negotiations, the European Parliament (the “Parliament”) and the Council of the European Union (the “Council”) have agreed new laws that substantially revise and simplify the EU’s corporate sustainability rulebook. Final approval of the package has been obtained and the amended “omnibus” directive (Directive (EU) 2026/470) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 February 2026.

Ireland's Budget 2027 introduces a lower exit tax rate for fund investors, clearer rules for Irish ETFs, and a new Retail Investment Account, while leaving the controversial eight-year deemed disposal rule unchanged. The package also includes Pillar Two updates, interest relief reforms, and a capital gains tax reduction, offering targeted refinements for the financial services sector rather than the fundamental reform many had anticipated.

The Supreme Court, in Delaney v The Personal Injuries Assessment Board, the Judicial Council, Ireland and the Attorney General [2024] IESC10, has upheld the legality...

The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has introduced sweeping changes to anti-money laundering audit requirements for investment funds, mandating independent audits of entire compliance programmes by September 2026. This marks a fundamental departure from previous practice where internal AML officers could conduct their own testing, raising critical questions about implementation timelines, qualified auditor availability, and compliance costs for funds operating in the jurisdiction.

The EU Retail Investment Strategy is a legislative package which introduces significant changes to the UCITS Directive and AIFMD, as well as MiFID II, the Insurance Distribution Directive and the Solvency II Directive via an omnibus directive (Omnibus Directive).

Ireland has introduced significant amendments to its beneficial ownership registers in 2026, implementing the Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6) framework. These reforms fundamentally restructure access rights to the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Trusts and Corporate Entities, moving away from unrestricted public access toward a tiered system that balances transparency with privacy rights while maintaining accessibility for legitimate anti-money laundering purposes.

The European Union has reached a political agreement to amend the AI Act, introducing targeted changes aimed at simplifying compliance requirements for businesses while maintaining protective standards.

The Listing Act Directive introduces significant reforms to the MiFID II research regime, allowing investment firms greater flexibility in paying for research and execution services. This briefing examines how the removal of market capitalisation thresholds restores bundling as a commercial option and establishes a new EU framework for issuer-sponsored research.

Following President Trump's recent confirmation that U.S economic sanctions on Iran will be reinstated, Muireann Reedy looks at the penalties ...

The European Commission's proposed overhaul of the SFDR regime is entering crucial trialogue negotiations, with the Irish Presidency aiming to reach agreement by year-end. While the Council and Parliament have aligned on key issues like professional investor opt-outs, significant divergences remain on exclusion criteria for Transition funds, PAI reporting requirements, and engagement strategy disclosures that will shape the future of sustainable finance regulation.

On 1 October 2026, AMLA finalised three sets of regulatory technical standards (RTS) defining key measures companies and professionals must apply to reduce money laundering and terrorist financing risks.