Securities meaning

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note is archived and is no longer maintained. UCITS is the acronym for undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities. The expression derives from Directive (EC) 85/611 concerning the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (the Original UCITS Directive), which was adopted in 1985. The purpose of the Original UCITS Directive was to establish a single market for open-ended retail investment funds that offered enhanced protection for investors. The UCITS framework has been updated on several occasions, with the Management Company Directive 2001/107/EU adopted in 2002 and the Product Directive 2001/108/EU implemented in 2005 (together referred to as UCITS III); followed by implementation in 2011 of Directive 2009/65/EC (the UCITS Directive, also called UCITS IV), which repealed and replaced the Original UCITS Directive; and Directive 2014/91/EU (UCITS V), which was transposed into national law on 18 March 2016...

Timeline—developments from 1 January 2024 onwards This timeline charts UK-focused changes to the anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorist financing (CTF) and counter-proliferation financing (CPF) legal and regulatory frameworks affecting financial services firms. It captures the evolution and implementation record of the UK AML, CTF and CPF legislative landscape, including updates to the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, SI 2017/692 (MLRs), together with AML/CTF-related outputs from HM Treasury (HMT), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG). It further reflects supranational AML/CTF/CPF activity from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and the Wolfsberg Group. A schedule of forthcoming dates is available in: Key dates for Financial Services—horizon scanner. For earlier developments up to 31 December 2023, see: AML/CTF legal and regulatory regimes for financial services firms—timeline to 31 December 2023 [Archived]...

What this checklist covers This checklist sets out the principal matters a solicitor guiding a first time issuer must verify and, where appropriate, propose changes to, when reviewing English law terms and conditions governing an issue of debt securities...

This diagram clearly outlines the key steps for listing and admitting debt instruments for trading on the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market (LSE)...

Checklist for listing debt securities on the Irish Stock Exchange trading as Euronext Dublin (‘Euronext Dublin’) This diagram presupposes that the issuer, as follows: has listed debt securities in the past; and intends to list standard debt securities or a medium term note programme...

Before assessing whether certain aspects of the income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) regimes apply, and if an alternative tax treatment can be chosen, it is vital first to identify the existence of a restricted security in the first instance...

In this issue: Public company takeovers Equity capital markets Corporate governance Partnerships Private equity Members LexTalk®Corporate: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Public company takeovers Takeover Panel publishes note on cancellation of admission to trading The Takeover Panel (Panel) has issued a new note offering advisers guidance on cancelling an admission to trading for companies caught by the Takeover Code (Code). It confirms that companies with registered offices in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, whose securities are traded on specified markets, remain within the Code for two years after cancellation, irrespective of where central management and control is located or whether they re-register as private companies. The Panel encourages early engagement with the Panel Executive when a cancellation is contemplated, to ensure shareholders receive suitable disclosure about the Code’s continued effect, and it outlines...

ISPVs enable insurers to reduce their exposure to significant events, including natural catastrophes, by passing risk to private investors via catastrophe bonds, or 'cat bonds'. Shoib Khan, the central bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) director for insurance supervision, said the PRA will outline later this year how it plans to shorten approval times for submitted cat bond applications to ten working days, down from the current four to six weeks. Speaking at the Bank of America Securities Annual Financials CEO Conference, Khan added that the PRA intends to consult later this year on creating a new, accelerated pathway for catastrophe bond applications...

In this issue Security Sustainable finance Debt capital markets Derivatives Regulation for derivatives lawyers Claims and remedies Daily and weekly news alerts Updated Practice Notes Useful information Security HM Land Registry has revised Practice Guide 29—Registration of legal charges and deeds of variation of charge. An update to section 4 now explains how to remove a note recorded in the charges register pursuant to section 859H of the Companies Act 2006. See: LNB News 06/05/2025 2. Source: Registration of legal charges and deeds of variation of charge (PG29). Sustainable finance The European Commission has opened a call for evidence to review the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (EU SFDR). The initiative targets unnecessary burdens by simplifying and streamlining obligations, including easing environmental, social and governance reporting for financial market participants so they can focus on information most relevant to investors. Responses are requested by 30 May 2025, and the feedback will guide...

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained. It is provided for background information only. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is an independent regulatory organisation supervising the US securities market. As part of its remit, FINRA runs the securities industry’s largest dispute resolution forum. It addresses financial and commercial disagreements between investors, brokerage firms and individual brokers, as well as disputes within and between brokerage firms and brokers. Matters are resolved through FINRA’s own arbitration process. FINRA maintains two Codes of Arbitration Procedure: the Code of Arbitration Procedure for Customer Disputes (the Customer Code or Section 12000 of the FINRA Rules), which governs arbitrations between investors and industry participants, and the Code of Arbitration Procedure for Industry Disputes (the Industry Code or Section 13000 of the FINRA Rules), which governs arbitrations between industry parties This note relates to costs under both Codes. Filing fees Any party bringing a claim—including a counterclaim, a cross-claim or a...

FORTHCOMING CHANGE relating to the modernisation of stamp taxes on shares framework: In 2027, stamp duty and SDRT are set to be superseded by a single, self‑assessed tax on securities — the securities transfer charge (STC) — to be paid and reported via a new online portal. The STC’s core features are expected to broadly reflect the proposals consulted on in 2023. Finance Act 2026 (FA 2026) confers a power for secondary legislation to let taxpayers trial the digital service, self‑assessing their stamp taxes on securities liabilities and submitting transactions electronically. For further details on the modernisation of stamp taxes on securities, see: News Analyses: Budget 2025—Tax analysis—Stamp and transfer taxes Tax update spring 2025—Stamp taxes on shares modernisation Tax update spring 2025—Tax analysis—Stamp and transfer taxes TAMD 2023—Stamp taxes on shares modernisation TAMD 2023—consultation—stamp taxes on shares Tax Administration and Maintenance Day—27 April 2023—Stamp and transfer taxes The government also consulted on modernising and clarifying...

Introduction and context This Practice Note provides a summary of the taxation of internationally mobile employees in relation to securities options (Options) charged to tax within Chapter 5 of Part 7 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA 2003). On 30 October 2024, as part of the Autumn Budget 2024 announcements, the Labour government confirmed that it would proceed with the former Conservative government’s plans to abolish the remittance basis of taxation and replace it with a residence‑based regime, scheduled to commence on 6 April 2025. These changes were enacted through Finance Act 2025 (FA 2025) and have also affected, in particular, the availability and operation of overseas workday relief. This Practice Note reflects the current position under the new tax regime; however, the previous regime is still relevant for Options granted before 6 April 2025, because any elements of the Options’ ‘relevant period’ (see discussion below—broadly, the vesting period) that occur before 6 April 2025 remain subject to certain aspects of the earlier rules. For...

STANDARD SECURITY by [ INSERT THE GRANTOR’S NAME ] in favour of [ INSERT GRANTEE’S NAME ] Security Subjects: [ INSERT DETAILS OF PROPERTY ] 1 [ I OR We ], being [ insert name of Seller under Option Agreement ] [ of [ insert address ] OR incorporated in [ Scotland OR England and Wales ] with company registration number [ insert company registration number ] and registered office at [ insert address ] ] (the ‘Grantor’), as the present heritable proprietors of the aftermentioned Security Subjects, ACKNOWLEDGING that [ I OR we ] have assumed certain obligations under the option agreement entered into between (1) [ me OR us ], the said Grantor, and (2) [ insert name of Buyer under Option Agreement ] [ of [ insert address ] OR incorporated in [ Scotland OR England and Wales ] with company registration number [ insert company registration number ] whose registered office is at [ insert address ] ] (the ‘Grantee’ and which expression includes successors...

STOP PRESS : Significant reforms to the UK prospectus regime came into force on 19 January 2026 Major changes to the UK regime for public offers and admissions to trading took effect on 19 January 2026. The framework for securities offers and UK market admissions is now chiefly contained in the Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations 2024, SI 2024/105 (the POATRs), together with the FCA sourcebook, The Prospectus Rules: Admission to Trading on a Regulated Market (PRM). The UK Prospectus Regulation and the FCA Prospectus Regulation Rules have been repealed. The reforms aim to simplify capital raising and substantially lessen the circumstances in which a company must publish an FCA-approved prospectus for a further share issue. For full details of the changes, see Practice Note: UK prospectus regime reform. This Practice Note sets out the prospectus regime that applied before 19 January 2026...

[ insert date of letter ] [ insert name of employee ] [ insert address of employee ] Dear [ insert name of employee ] [ insert name of Company ] (the Company ) I am pleased to inform you that the directors of the Company have authorised the award of an enterprise management incentives (EMI) option ( Option ) to you. Enclosed is a copy of the option agreement, which must be signed by you and the Company for the grant of the Option to become effective. The Option gives you the right to purchase [ insert maximum number and class of shares which can be exercised pursuant to the Option agreement ] shares in the Company ( Shares ) at a price of [ insert exercise price of shares ] per Share [ upon an ‘Exit’ event of the Company (which broadly means a takeover of the Company [ , an asset sale or a listing of its shares ] [ , a...

Recognised growth market exemption from stamp duty and SDRT The recognised growth market exemption from stamp duty and SDRT covers securities admitted to trading on a recognised growth market, provided they are not listed on any market. Although people often say AIM shares are ‘listed on AIM’ or ‘AIM listed’, they are in fact unlisted; it is therefore better to describe them as ‘AIM traded shares’ or simply ‘AIM shares’. They are classed as unlisted because they are not included in the UK official list. Under section 1005(3) of the Income Tax Act 2007 (ITA 2007), a security admitted to trading on a UK recognised stock exchange counts as ‘listed’ only if it appears on the UK official list. Furthermore, section 99A(3) of the Finance Act 1986 confirms that the meaning of ‘listed’ in ITA 2007, s 1005(3)–(5) also applies to the references to ‘listed’ within the recognised growth market exemption from stamp duty and SDRT...

Passporting provisions in the Prospectus Regulation Under the Prospectus Regulation, an issuer must publish a prospectus and have it approved by a competent authority when offering securities to the public in the EEA or when applying for admission of securities to a regulated market, where no relevant exemption applies. To streamline cross-border share offerings within the EEA, the EU prospectus regime provides passporting arrangements that permit companies to produce a single prospectus usable throughout the EEA, avoiding the preparation of multiple documents for separate jurisdictions. Articles 24 to 26 of the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 set out these passporting provisions, stating that a prospectus approved by the competent authority in one EEA state (the home member state) can be relied upon in another EEA state (the host member state) without requiring the prospectus to be approved again by the competent authority in the host member state. As a result, a UK issuer has been able to undertake a cross-border share offer across the EEA on the basis of...

Termination payments qualifying for £30,000 exemption As set out in Practice Note: Termination payments qualifying for £30,000 exemption, where a compensation payment for loss of office or employment is made in circumstances where it does not fall to be taxed as: earnings within section 62 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA 2003) (see Practice Note: Termination payments taxed as earnings) benefits-in-kind (see Practice Note: How employment income is taxed—non-cash earnings or benefits) benefits from an employer-financed retirement benefits scheme employment-related securities (see: Employment-related securities—overview) disguised remuneration, where termination payments or benefits are provided by a third party (such as an employee benefit trust) rather than the employer (see: Disguised remuneration and EBTs—overview) restrictive undertakings (see Practice Note: Taxation of payments for restrictive covenants or undertakings) and for terminations for loss of office since 6 April 2018...