The International Commercial Arbitration Court (ICAC) at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has published an updated recommendatory list of arbitrators for 2024 to 2028. The new list has 115 individuals in the field of arbitration and, for the first time, includes arbitrators from Egypt, Greece, Israel, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Cyprus and Switzerland. The ICAC has also highlighted that its website now offers an option to filter arbitrators by specialisation.

The International Commercial Arbitration Court (ICAC) has announced that the Ukrainian Parliament has adopted Draft Law No. 12141 in its first reading. The draft law amends Ukraine's international commercial arbitration framework by expanding the definition of international disputes, implementing UNCITRAL Model Law provisions and enabling Ukraine to serve as a seat for investment arbitration. The amendments aim to enhance legal certainty for arbitral awards and broaden the scope of arbitrable disputes through new criteria for determining international status.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has announced the launch of the Joint Insolvency Committee (JIC)’s 12-week consultation on proposed updates to the Statement of Insolvency Practice 14 (SIP 14), with the consultation closing on 5 September 2025. The revisions aim to reflect HMRC's 2020 secondary preferential status and extend their application beyond receiverships to all insolvency appointments across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This marks the first update to SIP 14 since 1999 and introduces a modernised structure that includes new sections on principles, compliance standards and general application provisions. The consultation seeks feedback from practitioners on these proposed changes prior to their implementation.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has opened a consultation on proposed amendments to Statement of Insolvency Practice (SIP) 2, which governs investigations conducted by office holders in administrations and insolvent liquidations. The consultation seeks feedback on several proposed changes: (1) the title and content of the standard will be revised to include specific analysis requirements; (2) reporting obligations to regulators will be enhanced; and (3) provisions will be updated to reflect developments since the last revision in 2016. These amendments aim to improve the clarity and effectiveness of SIP 2 in light of contemporary insolvency practice. The consultation will run until 6 August 2026.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has launched a consultation on proposed probate registration fees for 2026. The consultation details a proposed 5% fee increase to counteract inflationary pressures and meet Legal Services Board requirements, while maintaining the current compensation scheme levy. These changes are intended to generate a £13,000 surplus to cover initial regulatory setup costs. Additionally, ICAEW has emphasised that the proposed adjustments are not expected to have any adverse impact on individuals or firms based on protected characteristics such as age, disability, or race.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has released guidance on the implications of the July 2024 Court of Appeal ruling in the Virgin Media pension case. The ruling upheld that amendments affecting rights under section 9(2B) of the Pension Schemes Act in contracted-out schemes between 1997-2016 may be void without written actuarial confirmation. ICAEW’s guidance highlights that there is uncertainty in the pensions sector regarding the ruling’s implementation in scheme and employer reporting. ICAEW outlines key considerations for trustees, sponsors and auditors amid ongoing legal uncertainties. Trustees are weighing approaches from wait-and-see to detailed analysis, whilst sponsors consider accounting treatments ranging from no disclosure to remeasurement of defined benefit obligations. Auditors have been advised to carefully assess scheme circumstances when determining potential impacts on audit reports. ICAEW has confirmed that another legal case is scheduled to be heard in 2025, the outcome of which may provide clarity on the highlighted uncertainties.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) reports on HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) probate service developments as of June 2025. HMCTS data for April 2025 indicates that although caseloads have stabilised at approximately 35,000 cases as of 31 May 2025, digital grant applications are now processed in 4.9 weeks compared to 12.3 weeks for paper applications. Service enhancements include improved case ownership by support officers, the continued availability of surgery appointments for complex cases, streamlined phone support through merged lines, and targeted improvements in the scanning process to reduce document errors. The update also notes recent Law Commission recommendations from May 2025 proposing the acceptance of electronic Wills and signatures—however, implementation remains the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice policy teams, and HMCTS is monitoring these potential changes.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has reported forthcoming changes to Companies House filing requirements. Effective from 18 November 2025, identity verification will become mandatory for new directors and Persons of Significant Control (PSCs). Additionally, in the spring of 2026, third-party providers will be required to register as Authorised Corporate Service Providers (ACSPs) to file on behalf of companies.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) and the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) have published an updated Insolvency Code of Ethics following approval by the Joint Insolvency Committee (JIC). The revised Code aligns with the 2024 International Ethics Standards Board of Accountants (IESBA) Code and introduces new provisions on professional behaviour, role and mindset and technology usage. Changes include clarified conduct standards for IPs' professional lives, enhanced guidance on technology and AI implementation, and removal of Republic of Ireland provisions following regulatory withdrawals by ICAEW and ICAS. The Code is effective from 1 October 2025.

This Practice Note provides an introduction to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and looks at options for protecting brands, including via the protection of domain and trade mark rights. An introduction to ICANN ICANN oversees the domain name system which, historically, had around 20 generic top-level domains (gTLD) such as .com, .biz and .net. Following the launch of ICANN's New Generic Top Level Domain Name Program, more than 1,200 new gTLDs were launched from late 2013 onwards. That new set of gTLDs included .xyz, .top, .loan and .club, as well as some famous brand names, eg .bmw and .hotmail. New gTLDs are available to the public (eg company.inc). Consequently, the choice of domain name endings increased by more than 1,200, for example, 'amazon' could be registered as amazon.shop, amazon.books, amazon.music and so on. The uptake of individual new gTLDs is, as a whole, growing fast—more than 37.8 million domain name registrations under the new gTLDs had been registered by the end of the first quarter of 2025. With

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has published a calculation that will enable governments to inform airlines of their first carbon offsetting requirements under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). The calculation, based on 2024 international aviation growth data, allows governments to determine the specific amount of CO₂ each airline must offset to ensure carbon neutral growth in compliance with the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation. ICAO received emissions data covering 99% of CO₂ emissions in 2024 from 128 States, with the organisation estimating emissions for 10 additional States that did not provide data. The Sector's Growth Factor for 2024 has been set at 0.15405257, which governments will apply to individual airline emissions data to calculate offsetting obligations. ICAO has published the emissions data and comprehensive CORSIA documentation on its website to support transparency and accountability in the scheme's implementation.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has announced that court reporters appointed by the Court of Session in corporate insolvency cases must use the updated ICAS court reporter work programme. The requirement is set out in Practice Note No 4 of 2026 issued by the Court of Session, covering the appointment, reporting by and remuneration of insolvency practitioners in corporate insolvencies. ICAS revised the programme following discussions with the court’s commercial judges to align it with the Practice Note and promote consistency in court reporter work and documentation. Court reporters appointed by the Court of Session must ensure that their reporting and remuneration submissions meet the requirements of the Practice Note. The programme may also be used by court reporters appointed in sheriff court proceedings.