How would you like to pay? Moving towards the digital pound
In a significant step, the Bank of England and HM Treasury have declared that it is "likely" that a digital pound—the catchy moniker for a UK retail central bank digital currency—will be needed in future. As illuminated in a joint... Read more
Faces and breaches: ICO doubles down on tailored approach to UK data enforcement
In the first few weeks of 2023, the ICO has continued to espouse its commitment to exercising its full spectrum of enforcement powers. Monetary penalties increasingly form only a small part of the UK’s regulatory picture as the ICO shifts from... Read more
UK and US Governments crack down on ransomware criminals
Handling ransom demands (and whether it possible and/or desirable to pay) is one of the most critical aspects of managing a cyber attack. This involves considering the applicable, and evolving, sanctions position, among other risks. Last week, the... Read more
Are the Floodgates Opening? The Future of Large Datasets in AI
The use of large third-party datasets in the development of AI models has been a contentious issue for some time now. In the latest development, Getty Images are bringing a copyright claim in the UK against AI developer Stability AI, in... Read more
Cryptoassets: the next chapter
Yesterday, HM Treasury published its much anticipated vision for the future of the financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets. Comprehensive, detailed, and 82 pages long, this consultation paper and call for evidence brings some... Read more
Crypto: Promo Go Slow (Part 2)
Just a week after the FCA's review of AML registration applications by crypto firms, we've now got two important publications from the UK government on the future regulation of cryptoassets. It feels like they're my 43 bus from London Bridge (or... Read more
Crypto-ing the line
Back at the very beginning of 2020 Covid-19 still hadn't been designated a pandemic, Brexit still wasn't quite 'done' and you could start a cryptoasset business in the UK without needing to so much as notify the FCA you were doing so. In the... Read more
To borrow or not to borrow: key considerations for “venture debt” deals
If you are a tech start-up, or your organisation invests in or helps develop them, you will have seen market speculation that 2023 is likely to be a difficult year for tech businesses to raise venture capital. At the end of last year, we set out... Read more
