UK Merger Control Snapshot

The Charity Commission policy team has recently published a blog discussing the pros and cons of charities engaging with cryptoassets, such as cryptocurrencies.

An independent Premier League Commission has found Manchester City in breach of financial rules spanning nine seasons, with findings that the club artificially inflated revenues and reduced costs by over £900 million. The decision marks what the Premier League describes as the most significant case in its history, though Manchester City strongly disputes the findings and intends to appeal, setting the stage for further proceedings that could reshape English football's regulatory landscape.

The UK public M&A market in 2026 has already surpassed 2025's total value in just eight months, driven by large-cap deals and a quest for transformational scale. Hostile tactics have become increasingly prominent as bidders appeal directly to shareholders amid persistent valuation gaps, while target boards leverage pre-offer processes to maximize value. This analysis examines the key trends, strategic themes, and tactical developments shaping this remarkable year for UK takeovers.

Fieldfisher's international legal experts share cutting-edge insights across multiple practice areas, from regulatory developments and franchise law to intellectual property, construction disputes, and corporate crisis management. This curated collection showcases thought leadership on emerging legal trends, regulatory changes, and strategic considerations affecting businesses globally in 2026 and beyond.

The National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA) came into force on 4 January 2022, creating a standalone regime giving the UK Government broad powers to scrutinise – and potentially intervene in – acquisitions and investments on the grounds of protecting national security. Nearly five years on, the NSIA regime is well established. It replaced the national security aspects of the UK Government’s intervention powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 and operates alongside the UK merger control regime.

Oxfam and Carillion show the need for more rigour and vigour around donations and contracts

The European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs has adopted its position on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation reform, establishing key divergences with the European Commission and Council on professional investor exemptions and fossil fuel investment criteria. With trilogue negotiations set to begin in October 2026, private markets managers face critical decisions about how to position their funds under the new three-category framework expected to take effect in early 2029.

Sexual misconduct allegations make the case that burying problems only makes them worse in the long run.

In September 2026, there were six Rule 2.7 announcements made across the UK public M&A market and eight further possible offers announced.

This Corporate Update bulletin examines the most significant UK legal developments of 2026, from capital markets reform and employment rights legislation to corporate criminal liability expansion and competition regime changes. The analysis covers ten major areas of corporate law evolution, alongside recent FCA guidance on regulatory announcements and a High Court decision on shareholder-director settlements.

California's new Senate Bill 574 introduces statutory duties for attorneys using generative AI, including mandatory citation verification and court disclosure requirements starting January 1, 2027. The law raises critical questions about how these obligations extend to AI-assisted eDiscovery review and document summarization that feed into court filings.

This issue covers U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) developments spanning inspections, enforcement, transparency, and emerging product categories. FDA’s drug center and inspections office have updated their framework for coordinating facility evaluations and inspections (ConOps 2.0), and FDA has changed how it processes post-approval facility withdrawals for New Drug Applications (NDAs) and Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs).

President Trump's Executive Order 14434 mandates federal agencies replace "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence" in official communications...

This quarterly newsletter examines critical developments in chemical regulatory law, covering litigation outcomes that reshape EPA's authority under TSCA, landmark Supreme Court decisions on pesticide labeling preemption, and emerging state and international frameworks governing PFAS and other chemicals of concern. The edition analyzes how recent Fifth Circuit rulings on methylene chloride regulations may fundamentally alter EPA's approach to risk evaluations and management rules across its entire existing

The Italian data protection authority fined IQVIA Solutions Italy €7 million for treating patient records as anonymous when they were actually pseudonymised personal data subject to GDPR. This decision demonstrates regulators' strict interpretation of what constitutes personal data, even as the EU considers narrowing this definition through the Digital Omnibus reforms.

The FDA has finalized guidance on Prescription Drug Use-Related Software (PDURS), establishing how drug labeling authorities apply to software disseminated by pharmaceutical sponsors. This regulatory framework distinguishes between software essential to safe drug use and promotional applications, while clarifying submission requirements and clinical evidence standards for including software functions in FDA-approved prescribing information.

Generative AI is transforming litigation defense by enabling in-house legal teams to manage costs and complexity more effectively across the entire case lifecycle. From early research and drafting through expert witness strategy and trial preparation, AI tools are helping defense teams work faster and more consistently. How are these technologies reshaping the way sophisticated counsel approaches multidistrict litigation, mass torts, and large-scale document management?

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed sweeping changes to its equipment authorization program that would reorganize security restrictions around where devices are manufactured rather than who makes them. These new measures could fundamentally reshape how communications equipment—from smartphones to data center hardware—enters the U.S. market, with significant implications for manufacturers relying on foreign production.

The U.S. government simultaneously extended sanctions relief to Syria while launching an aggressive economic campaign against Iran, marking a stark divergence in approach to two long-standing sanctions programs. Treasury's actions include removing Syria's State Sponsor of Terrorism designation and delisting HTS, while initiating "Operation Economic Outcast" targeting five sectors of Iran's economy with expanded secondary sanctions. These coordinated moves demonstrate the administration's willingness to purs

The Federal Trade Commission has introduced stringent new requirements for parties using technology-assisted review or artificial intelligence in document production during investigations, mandating extensive upfront disclosures, prescriptive performance metrics, and validation processes. These requirements represent a significant departure from previous FTC practice and may discourage parties from using AI or TAR due to increased complexity and agency oversight. Parties now face critical decisions about wh