Ashurst

3 weeks ago | ashurst.com | Frank Bi |Li Jiang

The revised Hong Kong Listing Rules (LR) and Corporate Governance Code (CG Code) will take effect on 1 July 2025. The new rules will apply to corporate governance reports under the CG Code (CG Reports) and annual reports in respect of financial years commencing on or after 1 July 2025. The changes relating to Overboarding INEDs / Long Serving INEDs (respectively defined in sections A and B under "What the changes are" below) will be subject to a transitional period.

3 weeks ago | ashurst.com | Will Chalk

Companies House given powers to annotate the registerAs we have previously reported, a key objective of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCTA) is to improve the accuracy and transparency of information held on the public register at Companies House. To that end, the Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (Annotation) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/573) (Regulations) have been published, together with an Explanatory Memorandum.

1 month ago | ashurst.com | Will Chalk

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) has published a final version of its Cyber Governance Code of Practice, alongside other materials, to support directors in driving greater cyber resilience. The final Code follows the previous administration's call for evidence in January 2024 (see AGC Update, Issue 48 - Item 2) and the current administration's response a year later.

2 months ago | ashurst.com | Will Chalk |Rob Hanley

In AGC Update, Issue 63 - Item 10, we noted that directors of companies registered with Companies House (including overseas directors of both UK companies and UK 'establishments') will, from 8 April 2025, be able to verify their identity on a voluntary basis. Companies House guidance on how to do so can be accessed here. How can a director voluntarily verify their identity?

2 months ago | ashurst.com | Sophie Law

On 3 April 2025, the UK's financial sanctions authority, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), published the second of its sector-specific assessments of threats and vulnerabilities relating to UK financial sanctions (read our summary of the first threat assessment here).