Daily Briefing Podcast

M&A

McCormick acquires Unilever's food business in a $65 billion cross-border deal as Q1 2026 global M&A hits $1.2 trillion

Cross-border volumes at $454bn reset advisory demand — UK-listed targets mean Takeover Code compliance adds a layer US-only deals don't require.

Disputes

UK Supreme Court absolves financial company of £1.7 million liability for failed property investment losses, ruling it was not responsible for the actions of an appointed firm

Supreme Court draws the line on appointed-intermediary liability — AR networks across UK financial services must now reassess their contractual oversight frameworks.

AI & Law

FCA partnership with Palantir signals AI-powered regulatory supervision as lawyers warn other agencies will follow and reshape enforcement strategy

AI-powered FCA supervision raises the bar for compliance infrastructure — regulated firms must now assume the regulator sees everything their own systems generate.

Banking & Finance

Blue Owl raises $2.9 billion for Asset Special Opportunities Fund IX as private credit's opportunistic strategies attract record allocations

Rising leveraged loan defaults push allocators into special situations funds — boosting fee income for private credit managers and restructuring mandates for lawyers simultaneously.

Energy & Tech

New UK electricity network charges take effect from April 2026, raising fixed costs for commercial and industrial users under Ofgem's RIIO-T3 price control

Five-year RIIO-T3 network charge lock-in drives PPA structuring demand — corporate energy lawyers are fully activated by the April reset.

Regulation

UK Pensions Regulator urges DC scheme trustees to act immediately ahead of consolidation legislation as smaller schemes face compliance deadlines

DC consolidation deadlines are forcing wind-up decisions now — trustees who wait for final legislation will run out of time to comply cleanly.

International

Japan Post Insurance acquires a 2.9% stake in UK emerging markets asset manager Ashmore Group and commits $1 billion to its funds in a cross-border strategic partnership

Japanese institutional capital routing into London-listed EM managers reflects a structural yield search that will drive minority stake transactions for years.

Capital Markets

IG Group launches £125 million share buyback programme in two phases as London-listed fintech returns capital to shareholders

Phased buybacks under UK MAR safe harbours require precise volume and pricing compliance — sloppy execution creates market abuse exposure.