United Kingdom: Directors and Officers

When liquidators of Styles & Wood Group assigned potential claims against directors to a third party, the directors challenged this decision in the High Court. The court had to determine whether the directors had standing to bring the challenge and whether the liquidators' decision to assign the claims was objectively reasonable.

The decision explores the limits of the Court of Appeal’s findings in Sequana as to when dividends may be transactions at an undervalue, and suggests a “common sense” approach to identifying the relevant transaction.

The Crime and Policing Act 2026 significantly expands the circumstances in which a company can be held criminally liable for the actions of its senior managers.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has fundamentally transformed director obligations in UK companies, introducing stringent identity verification requirements...

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has fundamentally transformed compliance requirements for UK company secretaries, introducing new identity verification mandates, enhanced filing obligations, and stricter enforcement mechanisms.

With the UK government’s identity (“ID”) verification system at Companies House now up and running, the Maples Group’s UK fiduciary services team – as an Authorised Corporate Services Provider (ACSP) – has successfully completed the ID verification process for numerous clients.

Without a BCP, your business may face contractual breaches, regulatory action, data protection issues and potential director liability.

UK listed companies face significant changes to share issuance procedures, sustainability reporting requirements, and regulatory enforcement standards. How will the FCA's recent amendments to listing rules...

On 25 March 2026, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) published a consultation paper: Open for Business: Implementing a UK Corporate Re-domiciliation Regime.