The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) has published a European Commission study examining third-party litigation funding (TPLF) regulation across the EU. The study, responding to the European Parliament's September 2022 resolution calling for TPLF legislation, maps existing regulations across EU member states and four non-EU jurisdictions. It combines legal analysis with consultation feedback from 231 stakeholders and evaluates three potential regulatory approaches: no regulation, light-touch regulation and strict regulation. The Commission will use findings to determine its regulatory response.

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) will host a panel discussion on 9 July 2025, focusing on recent developments in public international law cases in UK courts, including the issue of immunities. Chaired by the Rt Hon Lord Justice Dingemans, the panel will feature practitioners such as Hussein Haeri KC, Professor Dan Sarooshi KC, Professor Philippa Webb and Can Yeginsu. The discussion will explore how domestic courts interpret and apply international legal principles and examine emerging trends in this area. The event will be held at BIICL’s London headquarters—Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square.

Building information modelling (BIM)

There is no ‘standard’ BIM (building information modelling) protocol that is required on all projects in the UK using BIM—parties involved in construction projects where BIM is to be adopted can choose the protocol that they wish to use, it is not mandated and is simply a matter for agreement on a project by project basis. The parties may choose to use one of the published forms that are available, or may agree their own bespoke protocol (alternatively, the parties may decide to have no protocol at all, and choose to include all the BIM obligations in the contract conditions and technical documents). As the use of BIM has increased, a number of protocols have been developed by organisations seeking to bring efficiency, consistency and best practice into such protocols. None of these are yet ‘industry standard’ but this is perhaps getting closer—having a ‘standard’ would be likely to assist in terms of insurance, offer consistency and certainty over parties' duties and responsibilities and therefore the risk profile of those involved in the project. The following published forms

A BIMBO enables a company to re-shuffle its allocation of share capital to bring about a change in management. Internally, a group of managers will acquire enough share capital to ‘buy out’ the company from within. An outside team of managers will simultaneously ‘buy in’ to the company management. Both parties may require financial assistance from venture capitalists in order to achieve this end.

A BIMBO enables a company to re-shuffle its allocation of share capital to bring about a change in management. Internally, a group of managers will acquire enough share capital to ‘buy out’ the company from within. An outside team of managers will simultaneously ‘buy in’ to the company management. Both parties may require financial assistance from venture capitalists in order to achieve this end.

The Supreme Court of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) has ruled that asylum seekers were unlawfully detained on Diego Garcia for more than three years. The Court rejected the Commissioner's arguments that the restrictions were necessary for security reasons, finding instead that the confinement to a small camp constituted arbitrary detention. The judgement criticised the former Acting Commissioner for having "only a limited appreciation of the fundamental importance of liberty". Prior to the ruling, the UK Government had transferred most claimants to the UK. The Court will now proceed to assess damages for false imprisonment, marking a significant development in the treatment of asylum seekers in British overseas territories.

The (former) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills created in June 2009 following the merger of BERR and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. On 14 July 2016 BIS was merged with DECC to form BEIS.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Basel Committee has published a voluntary framework for disclosing climate-related financial risks, mandating that institutions provide both qualitative and quantitative information about their exposure to climate risks. Designed with sufficient flexibility to accommodate the evolving accuracy, consistency, and quality of climate-related data, the framework recognises that a comprehensive overview of banks' exposures may require multiple metrics. As implementation is voluntary, jurisdictions are invited to consider whether to incorporate the framework into their domestic regulatory systems. Additionally, the Committee has committed to monitoring relevant developments—including the adoption of other reporting frameworks and ongoing disclosure practices by internationally active banks—to assess whether revisions to the framework may be needed in the future.

The Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) has announced further steps to promote the adoption and maintenance of harmonised ISO 20022 data requirements to enhance cross-border payments. These steps include establishing a panel of global ISO 20022 market practice groups in early 2025 to support the regular maintenance of the data requirements. The CPMI will maintain these harmonised data requirements at least until the end of 2027, as part of the G20 cross-border payments programme. The CPMI plans to convene the panel in 2025, with semi-annual meetings following the ISO 20022 standard maintenance process.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub has announced the first six projects in its 2024 work programme. They focus on safety and security, green finance, and next generation financial infrastructures. Additional projects on advanced data analytics and tokenisation are also planned.

The BIS Innovation Hub (the Hub) has published its 2025-26 work programme, an update on its mission and recent activities. The Hub aims to foster international collaboration on innovative financial technology within the central banking community. Its mandate includes identifying critical technology trends, developing public goods to improve the global financial system, and serving as a network for central bank experts. As of early 2025, the Hub's portfolio includes 26 active projects and 31 completed projects since its inception in 2019, with 16 new projects initiated in 2024.