Common Financial Tool meaning

In this issue: Competition and state Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment Insurance and reinsurance Life sciences Regulatory TMT International trade LexTalk®EU Law: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Competition and state Mergers-Commission withdraws Article 22 guidance The Commission has rescinded its 2021 communication that offered direction on the application of the Article 22 EUMR referral mechanism to particular categories of cases (the Guidance). Following a review of the EUMR’s turnover-based jurisdictional thresholds, the Commission issued the Guidance in March 2021, outlining a revised approach to Article 22. This approach permitted any Member State to invite the Commission to scrutinise a merger without an EU dimension where it nonetheless (i) affects trade within the Single Market and (ii) threatens to significantly affect competition within the territory of the Member State(s) making the request. See...

In this issue: Key R&I developments Corporate insolvency Restructuring Directors and insolvency Insolvency litigation Financial institutions R&I in Scotland Daily and weekly news alerts Corporate Rescue and Insolvency (October 2025) Key dates for restructuring and insolvency professionals New content Key R&I developments Insolvency Service announces update on INSSight system rollout The Insolvency Service confirms that deployment of its new internal case management platform, INSSight, will start in late October 2025 and continue into early November 2025. INSSight will support Official Receiver Services and Estate Accounts, including banking activities, and will run alongside the existing ISCIS Online service, which will remain available during transition. While the rollout is underway, users may face delays processing cheque or BACS payment requests, posting receipts to the Insolvency Service Account (ISA), and undertaking bulk case transfers. The Individual Insolvency Register will stay accessible, although there will be a short pause on registering new Individual Voluntary...

In this issue: EU fundamentals Competition and state aid Commercial Data protection and cybersecurity Free movement, immigration and employment Financial services Energy Environment IP Life sciences Regulatory TMT Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers EU fundamentals EU institutions sign Joint Declaration on legislative priorities for 2026 The Presidents of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission have put their signatures to a Joint Declaration that defines the Union’s law‑making priorities for 2026. It sets out ten headline themes, spanning actions to enhance competitiveness and resilience, drive regulatory simplification, bolster defence and security, protect democratic processes, manage migration, and push forward talks on the forthcoming Multiannual Financial Framework. The institutions agree to give these files precedence throughout 2026 and to review progress routinely, with a focus on spotting at an early stage any obstacles that could slow delivery. The package...

After a law firm has assessed its position, defined clear objectives and aligned on a strategy, the emphasis must move to delivery. That involves selecting suitable business development efforts, ensuring the firm has the time, people and systems to support them, and consolidating everything into a clear business development plan. This guidance covers three connected areas: choosing and executing effective business development and marketing campaigns managing the people, time, systems and budgets needed to underpin those activities building a business development plan that enables co-ordination, accountability and progress Collectively, these measures convert strategic intent into measurable action. Choosing business development and marketing activities Business development should not be selected in isolation; every initiative must clearly support the agreed goals and strategy. Before approving any campaign or initiative, the firm should be explicit about: the intended outcome of the activity the target audience the success measures responsibility and ownership the time and financial cost...

SM&CR—SMF interviews for regulatory approval This Practice Note sets out how the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and/or the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) may deploy interviews as part of the approval process for those seeking to perform senior manager functions (SMFs) at authorised firms under the UK regulators’ Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR). It confirms that interviews are a discretionary tool within the SMF approval pathway and highlights when SMF candidates are most likely to be asked to attend. It also offers practical guidance for SMF candidates and their firms on preparing for interview, including frequent areas of focus, how the regulators approach external versus internal candidates, and additional points for candidates at dual-regulated firms. This Practice Note should be read together with: SM&CR Checklist—preparing for SMF interviews, which provides a practical framework to support candidates and firms in preparing across different SMF roles SM&CR Checklist—SMF approvals: what to do when things go wrong, which helps candidates and firms identify, manage and respond to...

Overview The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA 2000) bars anyone from conducting a regulated activity in the UK unless they hold authorisation or are an exempt person; this is commonly called the general prohibition. A regulated activity means an activity of a specified type (namely, one identified in the FSMA 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, SI 2001/544) carried on by way of business in the UK. Breaching the general prohibition is a criminal offence, attracting a fine or imprisonment. This Practice Note sets out how the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) acts against unauthorised business. Further material on unauthorised business is available in Practice Note: Unauthorised business—legal and regulatory framework. Key points include: the FCA’s supervision and enforcement functions focus on disrupting unauthorised firms and individuals seeking to defraud customers and on warning customers the FCA’s Warning List—a list of firms not authorised or registered by the FCA and which the FCA knows are operating without permission or running scams—is a vital tool for...