Global: We have a bumper bulletin for May, with recent developments indicating a clear expansion of litigation risk, regulatory scrutiny and judicial intervention across environmental and human rights issues. Novel climate change and supply chain litigation and green claims continue to feature, and we also have important updates on sustainability regulation in the UK and EU.

United Kingdom: The FCA’s consultation paper CP26/15 proposing amendments to the consumer credit financial promotions rules in CONC 3 marks a targeted but significant step in its wider programme of simplifying the Handbook following implementation of the Consumer Duty.

United Kingdom: The pressure to use AI is everywhere but if you are a regulated financial services business, you also have a world of regulation with which to comply. In this episode, we examine what financial services businesses need to consider when using and contracting for AI services to ensure they keep both their customers and the regulators happy.

New Zealand: The Modern Slavery Bill passed its first reading in Parliament on 27 April, signalling momentum towards a modern slavery reporting regime in New Zealand. The Bill advanced as a private member’s bill – albeit one with cross-party support, allowing the Bill’s introduction to Parliament to be expedited. The current Bill’s progress past a first reading and with cross-party backing suggests that, this time around, the Bill is likely to make it through Parliament. If this Bill is passed, it will put New Zealand’s law in line with established international reporting regimes (such as those in Australia and the UK).

New Zealand: A New Zealand Court has imposed civil penalties on QEX Logistics Limited (a company formerly listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange), together with is founder, CEO and sole director Jingjie Xue in relation the failure by QEX to file its financial statements with the Companies Office over a period of several years.

United Kingdom: Dentons and BE News brought together an excellent panel of senior industry figures for a life sciences roundtable at Dentons’ London offices.

Australia: The 2026 IP Australia report has once again shown vigorous activity in the trade mark sector in Australia. According to the report, 2025 saw a record number of trade marks filed in Australia (some 97,345 trade mark applications filed) representing an increase of 13.3% above the 2024 levels.

Australia: Australia's financial services regulatory framework has been challenged to keep pace with the development of digital assets and new payment technologies. Whether a given digital asset was a "financial product" subject to licensing, disclosure and conduct obligations was not always clear-cut, requiring careful, case-by-case regulatory analysis and prompting a series of ASIC enforcement actions with varying outcomes.

India: To keep readers informed, this edition provides a concise overview of the Director General’s investigative powers and the recent IBC amendment affecting the timing of CCI approval in insolvency-related combinations, followed by key insights from recent Delhi High Court and NCLAT decisions, significant enforcement orders passed by the CCI, combinations approved by the CCI, and details of upcoming competition law events.

United Kingdom: The government has published its draft Code of Practice on the new statutory right of trade union access to workplaces. The regime creates a structured and enforceable framework with significant operational and financial implications for employers.

Iowa Code 91A – the Wage Payment and Collection Act is specific regarding its requirements for Iowa employers. It states that employers must pay employees at least monthly, semi-monthly, or bi-weekly, on regular paydays, with certain exceptions for commissions. While wages may be mailed upon request by the employee, the employer is required to maintain a copy of the request for mailing for as long as it is effective and for “at least two years thereafter.”

Australia: The Victorian Government has announced that from January 2027, independent and other Victorian schools will be required to implement policies restricting student use of personal electronic devices during school hours. The change follows growing evidence that electronic devices can disrupt students’ focus, learning and social interaction. Schools should begin planning now to ensure they are ready to meet these new requirements.

India: The GIFT International Financial Services Centre, established in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is India's first international financial services centre with the intent of catering to global MNCs and financial institutions in alignment with international standards of business. To ensure that the utmost benefits can be provided, the entire zone has been equipped with world-class infrastructure akin to global standards. This newsletter navigates the journey of GIFT IFSC and the International Financial Services Centres Authority set up under the International Financial Services Centres IFSCA Act 2019.

United States: Empty desks. Full rent checks. Across industries, companies are paying for office space they no longer need. Hybrid work, lingering pandemic-era reductions, economic headwinds, and shifting workplace strategies have left lease portfolios out of step with workforce realities, yet long-term obligations remain locked in. Resolving this growing financial burden increasingly falls to in-house counsel.

Singapore: The Singapore Court of Appeal’s decision in Singapore Commodities Group Co Pte Ltd v Founder Group (HK) Ltd clarifies the limits of insolvency proceedings where debts are subject to arbitration agreements, reaffirming that such disputes should ordinarily be resolved by the agreed tribunal. It underscores that an unresolved arbitral dispute may deprive a creditor of standing to invoke the court’s winding up jurisdiction, absent clear and unequivocal admission of liability.

Global: Recent geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty across the Middle East has created a more complex operating environment for organisations with regional operations and international partnerships. As wider market commentary has observed, institutions operating internationally are increasingly having to reassess operational resilience, continuity planning and contractual flexibility in response to a less predictable regional landscape. International education is no exception.

Indonesia: This article discuss the key recommendations under the Circular Letter, including the proposed one-day-per-week WFH arrangement and workplace energy efficiency measures, as well as the practical implications for employers in Indonesia.

On April 29, 2026, following the conclusion of multilateral charter negotiations in Montréal, Canada was unanimously selected by the 19 founding member nations as the future host country for the headquarters of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), a newly established multinational financial institution purpose-built to finance defence, security and resilience projects for NATO members and allied nations.

This article surveys the seven principal government programs and initiatives currently facilitating Indigenous equity ownership in Canadian infrastructure, and identifies key themes for clients considering Indigenous equity partnerships.

Australia: IP Australia has released its annual intellectual property (IP) report for 2026. The Australian IP Report 2026 examines recent trends in Australia’s patent and design systems and provides insight into how filing activity is evolving in response to global economic shifts, technological change and increasingly competitive markets.