Technology

The English Court has issued a number of recent judgments in respect of arbitration matters and its supervisory powers under the Arbitration Act 1996  We summarise some of the more important decisions emerging, including those relating to “apparent bias” challenges against an arbitrator. Progas Energy Limited v Pakistan [2018] EWHC 209 (Comm) (9 February 2018) […]

Smart contracts are one of the major developments arising out of the distributed ledger and are intended to simplify how contracts are made and executed.   This briefing considers what they are and how they fit into the law of contract. What are smart contracts? There is no standard, generally accepted definition of smart contracts but […]

An enterprise management incentive option (EMI option) is a type of employee share option which is a useful remuneration tool for employees in smaller higher-risk trading companies.  It also provides for generous tax treatment for both the employee and the company. Since the tax benefits are only available to companies with certain qualifying business activities, […]

The Asset Management Market Study carried out by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) raised concerns about weak price competition and the ability of investors to seek the best value. Therefore the FCA has decided to introduce new rules and guidance applicable to authorised fund managers (AFMs) in respect of their management of authorised funds subject […]

Fladgate LLP has advised GCC Group on its second acquisition in three months. The deal to buy Perfect Dynamics is the second in a planned series of acquisitions intended to make GCC Group one of the UK’s largest managed IT services providers. Corporate partner Ian Brent led the transaction. GCC Group CEO Chris Harthman commented: […]

This quarterly round-up looks into some of the main regulatory developments and trends in fintech regulation during the first quarter of 2018. Moves to regulate The appetite of governments and supervisors to regulate the crypto-world is increasing and, although short-term the position remains uncertain, it is clear that regulation is on its way. Within the […]

Cities are the future, and future cities will be smart. Urbanisation is one of the continuing trends of the twenty first century.  In 1800, just 2% of the world’s population was urbanised.  In 2008, that figure passed 50%.  If current growth trends continue, 65-75% of the world’s population will live in urban centres by 2050.  […]

Following an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection watchdog, WhatsApp has signed a public commitment not to share personal data (i.e. data which identifies individuals) with Facebook until data protection concerns are addressed. Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014, and the ICO’s investigation commenced in August 2016 to address concerns being […]

2017 was an exciting year for fintech but 2018 promises to be even more eventful.  This briefing considers some of the regulatory developments that took place in 2017 and what these are likely to mean for fintech regulation in 2018. Please see link below for full briefing. Fintech regulation: Looking ahead to 2018  

Introduction As is beginning to become apparent, Brexit has wide-ranging consequences in many commercial and business areas. This is equally true in the sphere of data protection, where much of the applicable legislation has developed at an EU level.  This is readily understandable, given (i) the wide-ranging technological advances that have occurred since the UK […]

Against the backdrop of soaring, if volatile, prices for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and a rapidly changing global regulatory landscape, the adoption of blockchain technology and its use in raising significant funds for start-up ventures is accelerating. Fladgate is committed to a leading position in this exciting sector and is already advising technology entrepreneurs on […]

Fladgate has advised the founders of Teachers2Parents (T2P) on the sale to Education Brands. Many parents will be familiar with T2P’s software, which enables schools to communicate with parents and parents to pay for school services. Education Brands is a leading provider of educational software solutions, backed by US private equity firm Insight. After a […]