The top 3 stories from today's briefing, narrated as a short audio episode.
Sign up free to listen. The briefing notes below are free to read.
Briefing Notes
AI & Law
EU AI Act general-purpose AI obligations become fully applicable on 2 August 2026 as the EU expands its AI Office with 38 new staff to enforce transparency and watermarking rules
EU AI Act full applicability from 2 August creates a compliance cliff edge for every UK firm with EU-facing AI deployments.
M&A
BP is preparing to sell its North Sea business after six decades of operations as part of a wider strategy revamp
North Sea decommissioning liabilities are the deal-breaker risk that will define buyer appetite and price.
Disputes
High Court rules that private equity investor Freshstream executed a pre-conceived plan to oust the founder of used-car firm Big Motoring World without exercising a contractual call option
PE call option disputes turn on whether the investor's paper trail shows a genuine disciplinary decision or a manufactured pretext.
International
Serbia secures a US sanctions waiver for Russian-owned NIS oil firm, preserving the country's energy security amid complex geopolitical pressures
OFAC waivers for Russian-owned energy assets show that sanctions compliance is now a deal-critical structuring question, not just a checklist.
Energy & Tech
BP is preparing to exit the North Sea after 60 years as industry bodies urge the UK government to protect the sector from employer flight
Mandatory bidirectional EV charging creates a new class of grid-service asset that project finance lawyers will need to structure.
Regulation
FCA confirms a woman charged with illegally promoting foreign exchange deals on social media will face trial in 2028
FCA criminal prosecutions for social media forex promotions signal that influencer liability is now a live enforcement risk, not a theoretical one.
Banking & Finance
Punjab National Bank is raising a $1 billion syndicated dollar loan underwritten by Mashreq Bank and CTBC to fund FCNR on-lending
LMA-governed FCNR facilities show Gulf and Asian banks competing directly for large emerging-market syndication mandates.
Capital Markets
Singapore REITs are poised for distribution growth in H1 2026 as lower interest rates improve debt serviceability for listed property vehicles
Lower rates unlock REIT refinancing mandates and secondary equity issuances across listed property markets.