Future-Proofing UK Talent Strategies in 2026

As an outcome of the intro of the UKLR sourcebook in July 2024, both the London Stock Market (LSE) and FTSE Russell made substantial modifications to their guidelines. In July 2024, the LSE verified modifications to its Admission and Disclosure Standards to reflect the collapse of the previous premium and basic listing segments into the new business business classification.

, chaired by Charlie Geffen. The goal of the taskforce was to consider the possible benefits of the UK moving to a T +1 securities settlement cycle and detail how this change might be executed.

On 19 February 2025, the UK government revealed it accepted the suggestion and the UK market means to move to a T +1 settlement cycle on 11 October 2027. Among the suggestions from the UK Secondary Capital Raising Review resulted in the facility in July 2022 of the Digitisation Taskforce, chaired by Sir Douglas Flint.

Navigate Mid-Market Expansion in 2026

In July 2023, the taskforce published an Interim Report (read our summary here) which made a variety of suggestions, including: legislation must be advanced, and business short articles of association changed, as quickly as practicable to stop the issuance of new paper share certificates; the government ought to bring forward legislation to require dematerialisation of all share certificates at a future date; the government needs to speak with provider and investor representatives on the preferred disposition of "residual" paper share interests and whether a time frame ought to be imposed for the identification of untraced Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs); andintermediaries need to have a commitment, as a condition of involvement in the clearing and settlement system, to put in location typical innovation that enables them to react to UBO demands from providers within a really short time frame.

ANSR July UK PRs

Digitisation would target listed companies with a view to minimizing costs and waste, and simplifying investor interaction. The report proposes extra procedures to make sure that UBOs within the intermediated securities chain would have the ability to work out investor rights that are presently just guaranteed for signed up shareholders, along with measures to enhance interaction between business and UBOs.