In this issue of the Agenda, our recently launched Corporate department film which articulates our approach to advising startup, scaleup and mature businesses throughout their life cycle.
As momentum builds in the establishment of a new framework for platforms for trading private company shares, the latest briefing in our PISCES series discusses the publication of the FCA's final rules for the PISCES framework and the opening of the PISCES sandbox. As start-up companies look for alternative methods of fundraising, we also take a look at the rise of Advance Subscription Agreements (ASAs) and Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFTs).
We cover the key elements of UK's new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which will come into force on 1 July 2025 and will require registration of arrangements with foreign powers to carry out political influence activities in the UK and registration of a broader range of arrangements with specified foreign powers and entities controlled by them.
In the regulatory sphere, we reflect on both the FCA's proposals for changes to the safeguarding regime for payments and e-money firms and the abolition of the Payment Systems Regulator.