The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has revised its guidance on applying for a licence to provide sanctioned trade services. The revision consolidates the previously separate sections on purposes and licensing grounds, clarifying that the DBT considers licensing grounds to be examples of activities that align with the aim of sanctions. The guidance includes further examples of information that may be required before making an application for a licence. The guidance also states that due to case complexity, the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) cannot provide definitive timescales for application responses.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Export Control Joint Unit have published the updated guidance titled ‘Complying with professional and business services sanctions related to Russia'. Updates include the addition of new sections on aims of the prohibitions and compliance and scope.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation have updated their guidance on countering Russian sanctions evasion and circumvention. The updates include changes to the UK goods considered at higher risk of circumvention and the list of third country exporters. The guidance, originally published on 7 January 2025, provides advice to help UK businesses identify and mitigate risks associated with the evasion of Russian trade sanctions.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) have updated its guidance on countering Russian sanctions evasion and circumvention.  The changes include an update to the non-exhaustive list of countries where businesses should consider conducting enhanced due diligence on customers based within them and additions to the list of higher-risk goods that Russia is believed to be seeking to procure from UK companies, often via third countries.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has updated its guidance on the statutory reporting requirements for payment practices and performance for companies and limited liability partnerships.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has updated its guidance on statutory payment practices and performance reporting requirements for companies and limited liability partnerships, adding new reporting requirements for businesses with reporting periods that started in January 2025 and specific reporting changes for businesses with qualifying construction contracts, which came into effect on 1 March 2025. The guidance also reflects upcoming regulatory changes, including changes to the thresholds for defining medium-sized companies, effective from April 2025.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has updated its guidance on reporting suspected breaches of trade sanctions. Additional information has been added to explain what happens next if an individual’s report is about another person or business (not about themselves, their business, or a business they represent).

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has updated its guidance on the Register of Overseas Entities to detail new trust information access provisions effective from 31 August 2025. Under the Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/231), individuals can request access to previously non-public trust information from Companies House for a fee of £55 per entity. Applicants must demonstrate legitimate interest when requesting information about multiple entities or persons under 18. Companies House can impose conditions on information use and may refuse applications on grounds including national security or ongoing criminal investigations.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has updated its Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update to reflect numerous changes to the implementation dates for various aspects of the Employment rights Act 2025 and to add additional detail on some of the incoming measures.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has varied the General Trade Licence for sanctioned iron and steel which permits the importation of certain prohibited goods into the UK. The variation introduces a new paragraph to the General Trade Licence to reflecting changes to the 'manufactured or produced before date' in paragraph 6 and 7. The date has been changed from 21 April 2023 to 23 June 2023.

Mealey's WASHINGTON, DC: The District of Columbia Circuit US Court of Appeals on 13 February 2026 issued a consolidated affirmance of two cases in which federal judges found jurisdiction over petitions to confirm arbitral awards collectively worth more than 252US$m in favour of investors whose assets in the Crimean peninsula were found by separate tribunals to have been expropriated in 2014 by the Russian Federation in breach of a bilateral investment treaty (BIT).

Defined contribution (DC) consolidation is the idea of moving members’ savings into fewer, larger default arrangements to create economies of scale and enable schemes to diversify their investments. This Practice Note focuses on the merits of DC consolidation and the various measures being adopted to achieve this, including the scale requirement, asset allocation requirement and contractual override provisions of the Pension Schemes Act 2026 (PSA 2026). Merits of DC consolidation DC consolidation is the idea that scale matters, with the aim being to enhance the benefits of scale for pension scheme members and the economy. The UK DC market has already achieved high levels of consolidation, with the number of DC schemes falling to 790 in 2025, continuing 2024’s decline, where the number of DC schemes fell below 1,000 for the first time. There is strong industry support for further DC consolidation and for moving the focus of the DC pensions market away from an ‘excessively narrow’ focus on cost to delivering value for savers in the long term. In line with the focus on value, there is a drive