Property Disputes analysis: When will mistakes on the face of a service charge demand invalidate that demand? A landlord had demanded greater sums from his tenant than he was actually entitled to under the lease, having wrongly calculated that the tenant’s proportion of the expenditure was a 1/24 rather than a 1/31, share. The tenant argued that the service charge demands were invalidated by this mistake, such that the jurisdiction of the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) did not arise under section 27A of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (LTA 1985). The court held that the demands were formally valid. If a demand sought more than a landlord was entitled to under a lease, or was mistaken in claiming expenses that were irrecoverable, the demands were not invalidated. These were errors falling squarely within the FTT’s jurisdiction to determine what was actually payable pursuant to LTA 1985, s 27A. Written by Diane Doliveux, barrister, at Tanfield Chambers.

See Code.

The ‘Blue Economy’ is made up of economic activities which rely or have an impact on coastal and marine resources. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the blue (or ocean) economy is expected to double in size to US$3tn by 2039, employing 40 million people worldwide compared to 2010. The financial sector will be key to this growth and, although still relatively new, it appears that blue bonds in particular will have an important role to play in achieving a sustainable blue economy. This Practice Note considers: • what are blue bonds? • blue bond issuances in the market • steps to issuing a blue bond, and • what are the prospects for blue bonds? The potential and growth in significance of blue bonds can be seen through the publication of Bonds to Finance the Sustainable Blue Economy (the Guidance), the result of a collaboration between the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Capital Market Association (ICMA), IFC, United Nations Environment Programme—Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The Guidance aims

The European Union's blue economy encompasses all industries and sectors related to oceans, seas and coasts, whether they are based directly in the marine environment (eg shipping, seafood, energy generation) or on land (eg ports, shipyards, coastal infrastructures). To fully embed the blue economy into the Green Deal and the recovery strategy, the European Commission has adopted a new approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU.

A leading company that is well-established and is regarded as at a low-risk of failure (derived from the colour of high value poker chips).

A radio technology that enables the transmission of signals over short distances between mobile phones, computers and other devices. It is typically used to replace cable connections.

Corporate Crime analysis: On 17 March 2023, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) published details of its Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPA) with Bluu Solutions Limited (BSL) and Tetris Projects Limited (TPL). The DPA's, approved by the Court on 9 July 2021, were published after reporting restrictions were lifted following the acquittal of three individuals in criminal proceedings, and include financial penalties of over £2.62m and disgorgement of profits of £604,407. Quinton Newcomb and Farheen Ishtiaq-Stansfeld, Partner and Senior Associate in Fieldfisher's Commercial Crime team consider the Deferred Prosecution Agreements entered into with Bluu Solutions Limited and Tetris Projects Limited and the practical lessons to be learned.

The Bank of England (BoE) has published a speech delivered by its Director of Markets, Andrea Rosen, at the Centre for Central Banking Studies’ ‘Transforming Monetary Policy’ conference. Rosen announced the launch of the Market Participants Group (MPG), a new senior-level forum designed to enable direct engagement between financial market participants and members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). The MPG will meet three to four times a year, with agendas and minutes published to ensure transparency. Up to 16 members will be selected through an application process, with half rotating every two years. The first meeting is scheduled for November 2025. This initiative forms part of the BoE’s broader Monetary Policy Transformation Programme and aims to enhance the quality of market insight available to policymakers, complementing the Bank’s existing market intelligence (MI) framework.

The Bank of England (BoE) has accepted the nine recommendations from the Independent Evaluation Office’s (IEO) June 2025 report on its approach to horizon scanning, which was commissioned by the Court of Directors in December 2023. The evaluation found that while horizon scanning is actively used across BoE, significant variation exists in definitions, tools and integration across departments, limiting effectiveness and coordination. To address this, the BoE has committed to adopting a shared definition, enhancing organisational architecture and fostering a culture of strategic foresight through new working groups, cross-Bank collaboration, and external engagement.

The House of Lords Financial Services Regulation (FSR) Committee has published a letter to its chair,  Lord Forsyth of Drumlean from Dave Ramsden, Deputy Governor (Markets and Banking) at the Bank of England (BoE), addressing  the evidence of Sam Woods’s, Chief Executive Officer of the Prudential Regulation Authority, given to the FSR Committee on 8 January 2025. The letter responds to a question from Baroness Bowles, in which Sam suggested the BoE would explain further the rationale for the current calibration of the indicative total assets threshold for setting a bail-in preferred resolution strategy and consequently requiring a firm to meet a minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL).

The Bank of England (BoE) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have issued a joint report of their third survey of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in UK financial services. The report covers various aspects, including AI adoption and use cases, third-party exposure, materiality, understanding of AI systems, strategies and governance, benefits, risks, and constraints.

The Bank of England (BoE) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have concluded that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which governs how the BoE and FCA cooperate with one another in relation to the supervision of financial market infrastructure (FMI) remains effective.