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Getting your house in order: Governance in 2025 As we enter 2025, companies face continued pressure to maintain high governance standards. A focus on transparency continues to underpin updates to relevant legislation and regulation across the world. The UK government and regulatory bodies are... Labour's plans to reshape employment: a new era for the workplace In October 2024, the UK government introduced The Employment Rights Bill 2024 (the Bill) into Parliament, the most significant piece of employment legislation in decades. In doing so, it met its deadline to introduce legislation within the first 100 days... Beyond linear: moving towards a circular economy The concept of a “circular economy” is being increasingly adopted in legislation, including in mandatory reporting and disclosure frameworks. This highlights the circular economy’s role in ensuring a sustainable future. A circular economy is a system that... Clarity across borders Towards the end of 2023, we reflected on the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) and the due diligence-related implications for companies and financial institutions. With the CS3D having come into... M&A Outlook for 2026 2025 was a year of fluctuating momentum. Dampened confidence at the start of year gave way to cautious optimism and a willingness to press on with corporate deal activity despite market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty. The future of merger control As geopolitical tensions, industrial policy, and competitive pressures reshape global markets, merger control is undergoing recalibration across the EU, UK and US. Although the foundational principles remain steady, enforcement is being reshaped by... Private equity – a more dynamic deal environment Private equity deal makers also faced a year of fluctuating momentum in 2025. The U.S. “liberation day” tariff announcements froze sentiment and pushed many Q2 transactions onto the back burner. Financing in 2026 Debt markets were resilient in 2025. Strong issuer fundamentals met with a more accommodating economic backdrop to drive higher volumes and tighter spreads across almost all areas of financing. Bright Spots in Real Estate Markets Against a backdrop of elevated geopolitical risk and tougher financial conditions, investment in traditional property sectors has stalled in the past few years both in terms of deal values and volumes. The future of UK equity markets UK equity markets have entered a period of renewed optimism, bolstered by regulatory reforms, a rebound in IPO activity and a greater focus on increasing institutional and retail investment in UK equities.