Banking and Finance analysis: Microfinance is a type of banking service that offers financial services to low-income individuals and businesses who otherwise would not have the opportunity to access credit. However, recent research from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has indicated that simply providing access to microcredit does not lead to a substantial increase in household income. Alyssa Fu, summer intern at P.R.I.M.E. Finance and Camilla Macpherson, head of secretariat at P.R.I.M.E. Finance consider the benefits and limitations of microfinance.

CASE HUB ARCHIVED–this archived case hub reflects the position at the date of the decision of 6 March 2013; it is no longer maintained. Case facts Outline European Commission Article 102 TFEU investigation into Microsoft over non-compliance with commitments (case number COMP/39.530). Latest developments The European Commission has fined Microsoft €561m for failure to comply with the 2009 commitments. The size of the fine reflects the seriousness of the breach by Microsoft and also the Commission's

CASE HUB ARCHIVED—this archived case hub reflects the position at the date of the decision of 15 May 2023; it is no longer maintained. See further, timeline. Case facts Outline European Commission merger investigation into the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc. by Microsoft Corporation (M.10646). The transaction involves horizontal overlaps in the supply of gaming consoles. Latest developments On 15 May 2023, the Commission cleared the transaction, subject to commitments. The Commission accepted a package of remedies from Microsoft Corporation, to address the Commission’s competition concerns. Parties •Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft): Microsoft  is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington, US. Microsoft offers a wide range of products and services to customers through the following operating segments: (i) Productivity and Business Processes; (ii) Intelligent Cloud; and (iii) More Personal Computing. Microsoft is active as a developer and publisher of games for PCs, game consoles and mobile devices as well as a distributor of games for PCs and consoles. In addition, Microsoft offers the Xbox gaming console and related services.•Activision Blizzard,

CASE HUB Appeal lodged before the CAT in Case No.1590/4/12/23 ARCHIVED—this archived case hub reflects the position of the decision of 26 April 2023; it is no longer maintained. See further, timeline. Case facts Outline UK merger investigation into the anticipated acquisition by Microsoft Corporation of Activision Blizzard, Inc. The transaction involves horizontal overlaps in the supply of gaming consoles. Latest developments On 26 April 2023, the CMA issued its final report, finding that transaction may be expected to result in an SLC in the supply of cloud gaming services in the UK, due to vertical effects resulting from input foreclosure. As a result, the CMA found that prohibition would not be disproportionate to protect competition and consumers in the UK from the concern identified in the UK cloud gaming market. The CMA therefore decided to prohibit the transaction. Parties • Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft). Mcrosoft operates is a US based company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. It produces computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers and related services.• Activision Blizzard, Inc. (ABK): ABK is a US based company headquartered

CASE HUB ARCHIVED—this case hub reflects the position at the date of the decision of 12 September 2025; it is no longer maintained. See further, timeline and related cases. Case facts Outline CASE HUB—European Commission Article 102 TFEU investigation into whether Microsoft abused its dominant position by tying Teams with its core SaaS productivity applications included in its suites for businesses Office 365 and Microsoft 365 (AT.40721 and AT.40873). Latest development On 12 September 2025 the Commission accepted commitments from Microsoft (see details below), and therefore closed its investigation. Parties Microsoft: Microsoft, based in the US, is a global technology company offering productivity and business software, cloud computing and personal computing. Background First complaint and launch of Commission’s first investigation On 27 July 2023, the Commission launched its first formal investigation following a complaint by Slack Technologies Inc (which is now owned by Salesforce, Inc).Microsoft’s changes to Teams After the launch of the Commission’s first formal investigation, Microsoft introduced changes in the way it distributes Teams. In particular, Microsoft started offering

MLex: Microsoft has been approved to support the European Commission in its defense of a trans-Atlantic data transfer agreement at the EU's highest court, after arguing that a ruling to block data transfers would change its legal position, according to an EU court order. The appeal marks the third time the EU Court of Justice will review an EU-US data transfer deal, after it annulled two previous arrangements.

MLex: Microsoft's EU status as a digital 'gatekeeper' meant it had to formally inform EU tech policymakers about its intended takeover of Activision Blizzard, according to the website of the European Commission. The submission took place in October 2023 and illustrates the interplay between the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and M&A.

Law360: Microsoft failed on 7 July 2026 to block a reseller's £140 million (USD 188 million) claim over alleged anticompetitive restrictions in the secondary software market, as the Court of Appeal ruled that an antitrust tribunal could decide the copyright issues underpinning the dispute.

MLex: Microsoft and Austrian educational institutions broke EU data protection law over their use of Microsoft 365 Education, Austria's privacy regulator has found. It found unlawful tracking of students and incomplete responses to data access requests, ordering both schools and the Austrian education ministry to provide fuller disclosures, while requiring Microsoft itself to explain how it uses user data for its own business purposes.

Local Government analysis: The Upper Tribunal (UT) considered the definition of cooking facilities as part of the test for whether a building is an HMO set out in section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 (HA 2004) and in particular whether that term was satisfied by the presence of a microwave (alone). The property concerned had no other facilities for cooking. The UT held that the presence of a microwave on its own was not sufficient to amount to cooking facilities such as to take the property out of the definition of an HMO and as such held that the property was part of an HMO and subject to the controls of HA 2004. Written by Josef Cannon KC, barrister at Cornerstone Barristers.

Those frequencies from about 1 gigahertz upward that use microwave frequencies for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint communications, including common carriers, cable TV communications providers, broadcasters, and private operational fixed users.

In-span handover, where there is an interconnection between two communications providers and the handover circuit terminates at a point between the communications providers’ premises.