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Briefing Notes
Capital Markets
Meta raises $25 billion in a bond sale to fund its dramatically expanded AI capital expenditure programme
Tech giants funding AI capex through bond markets rather than equity signals a structural shift in how innovation gets financed.
International
The EU–Mercosur free trade agreement takes provisional effect on 1 May 2026, opening the world's largest inter-regional trade corridor after more than 25 years of negotiations
Provisional effect means EU–Mercosur tariff cuts start now, triggering immediate supply chain restructuring mandates for international trade lawyers.
M&A
North American buyers drive European M&A to a decade-high $117.5 billion in Q1 2026 as the transatlantic valuation gap hits its widest since 2022
The US–Europe valuation gap is the sharpest deal catalyst City M&A practices have seen since 2022.
Energy & Tech
Slaughter and May and Cravath advise as UK water company targets £800 million capital raise, while a KKR-led consortium's £5 billion bid for an Irish energy business is rejected
Regulated infrastructure's inflation-linked revenues make water and energy assets the most contested PE targets in Europe right now.
Regulation
FCA charges banned mortgage broker Shaun Lawrence with operating without authorisation under the Financial Services and Markets Act, with a Hull Magistrates' Court hearing set for July 2026
Criminal charges for perimeter breaches show the FCA treats banned individuals who reoffend as a prosecution priority, not just a civil matter.
Disputes
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk appeals a four-year Football Association doping ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after receiving the maximum available suspension
An £89 million player serving a four-year ban exposes Chelsea to contract termination disputes, insurance claims, and CAS arbitration simultaneously.
AI & Law
EU competition lawyers warn Brussels that aging merger control rules risk blocking the creation of European champions, in technology and AI among other strategic sectors, capable of competing with US and Chinese rivals
If EU merger rules can't assess technology and AI market power accurately, every major deal in those sectors faces regulatory risk based on the wrong analytical framework.
Banking & Finance
Private lenders Sallie Mae and Navient position for a surge in US graduate borrowing as Trump's 'big beautiful bill' eliminates the federal Grad PLUS loan programme
Federal lending retraction hands private credit a captive graduate market worth billions annually from July 2026.