Law360, London: Britain's terrorism reinsurer has said it has appointed Aon Securities Ltd and Howden Capital Markets as advisers for insurance-linked securities transactions.

This Practice Note examines the post-Brexit requirements of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in relation to tied agents, including FCA-registered tied agents, and covers (1) the FCA definition of a tied agent, (2) UK requirements for firms appointing tied agents, (3) notification requirements, (4) termination requirements, and (5) record-keeping requirements. For information on the appointed representative (AR) regime, see Practice Notes: • Appointed representatives • A principal's responsibility for its appointed representatives • Multiple principals and appointed representatives • Contract requirements for appointed representatives For information on the EU regime for tied agents, see Practice Note: EU tied agents. FCA definition of a tied agent In the FCA Handbook, a tied agent is defined as a person who acts for and under the responsibility of a MiFID investment firm (or a third country investment firm) in respect of MiFID business (or the equivalent business of the third country investment firm). Chapter 12 of the Supervision manual (SUP) in the FCA Handbook applies to tied agents that are appointed by a MiFID investment firm. A tied

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the UK can begin exporting poultry to South Africa after an eight-year ban on UK imports due to outbreaks of avian influenza, which has been eradicated in 2024. This announcement follows a deal reached by the UK’s Food Security Minister and South Africa’s Agriculture and Trade Deputy Ministers. Defra will work with UK poultry producers, traders, and industry bodies to ensure the smooth export of their products to South Africa.

Law360, London: The government unveiled a raft of reforms to financial services regulation on 15 July 2025 as it seeks to encourage investment in the economy, a package that includes streamlined rules for senior managers and easier capital requirements for lenders.

Law360, London: The UK government on 14 October 2025 announced a 32% increase in the fees that employers must pay to sponsor skilled foreign workers, marking the first increase in the levy since 2017.

The AI Safety Institute has announced that the UK will host a conference focusing on implementing the Frontier AI Safety Commitments reached at the AI Seoul Summit in May 2024. The conference, which will take place in San Francisco on 21 and 22 November 2024, will see AI developers, researchers and policy representatives discussing the development of national AI safety frameworks, the future of AI safety evaluations, transparency, and methods for setting out risk thresholds.

MLex: The UK creative sector can start using a national content marketplace for licensing digital content as a government pilot begins at the end of January 2026, said the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). More meetings of the AI copyright consultation working groups are due in February, according to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. They also said the government has no way forward yet on a mechanism where rights holders could opt out of having their content used for training AI models, should the government adopt the approach where content would be otherwise available to AI developers by default.

Law360: Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that prevent victims from reporting potential crimes are to become unenforceable, the government said on 28 March 2024 as it announced plans to 'clarify' the law governing the controversial contracts.

Law360, London: The bank set up by the UK government to take control of assets from Bradford & Bingley PLC and Northern Rock, the lenders that dramatically collapsed amid the 2008 financial crisis, said on Tuesday that it expects to sell its holdings in the next three years.

Law360: The government has said it will carry out a review of legislation following a £1.2bn transaction in which asset manager Aberdeen plc took over a pension plan from Stagecoach, a transport operator.

MLex: More UK companies can expect to be caught in the scope of the cybersecurity regulatory framework, as the government detailed its plans to extend obligations to additional sectors and supply chains on 1 April 2025. Details of the planned reform were revealed by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, who said the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (the Bill) would give the government the power to make regulated organisations shore up their cyber defenses. A draft Bill should be presented to lawmakers for parliamentary scrutiny later in 2025.

The HM Treasury has announced that the government along with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England (BoE), plan to transition to a T+1 securities settlement cycle by 11 October 2027. This change aims to modernise financial markets, enhance competitiveness, reduce costs for investors, and drive economic growth as part of the government's plan for change. The policy paper from HM Treasury confirms that the government has accepted all recommendations from the Accelerated Settlement Technical Group and has developed a detailed implementation plan. The FCA has also expressed its support for the taskforce's recommendations. The taskforce will oversee the transition and manage the implementation to ensure a seamless shift to the new standard.