Insights

The growing debate around Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) has begun to focus increasingly on the question of cross-border payments. A number of pilots around the world have begun to test the practical questions of whether CBDCs can improve global trade invoicing. These discussions and the review of pilots have generally been confined to CBDC specialists and a…

This week, Senior Practice Director Conan D'Arcy is joined by Tom Wheeler, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and a Senior Adviser at Global Counsel. Serving under President Barack Obama, Tom was a key figure in pushing the US adoption of net neutrality and remains active in the debates driving US tech regulation.

For patients given a timely cancer diagnosis, survival rates have never been better and, with revolutions in genomics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) gathering pace, the tide could soon turn comprehensively in favour of patients. However, the key to ensuring patients can benefit from this innovation is providing a comprehensive and accessible national screening service,…

This week, Conan D'Arcy is joined by Associate Bart Myners to unpack the UK government's new Draft Media Bill. Channel 4 privatization is off the table, but the bill is still a meaningful change in the regulation of streaming services and a move towards proactive promotion of British broadcasters and radio stations on connected devices. Conan and Bart unpack how the bill…

With wholesale gas prices falling, the retail energy market has shown signs of opening up. Last month Ovo launched the first tariff deal where customers can pay £225 less than the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee. 

This week on the podcast, Conan D’Arcy is joined by Associate Theresa Duemchen to discuss a new white paper released by the UK government on the regulation of artificial intelligence. But as generative AI products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT explode in popularity, can the government stay ahead of the area’s rapid advancements? 

Welcome back to the Global Month Ahead, your preview of the key events of the month to come.

This week on the podcast, Conan D'Arcy is joined by Ugonma Nwankwo to discuss new momentum among US lawmakers to pass a federal data protection law. They unpack the new proposals, explore why Congress has been unable to pass similar legislation for over two decades, and what political risks remain for these new measures.

On March 20th, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its summary for policy makers of the Synthesis Report covering the latest research on climate change and its impacts. It condenses hundreds of pages into a digestible soundbite to inform policymakers and policymaking. The resounding call is for urgent and immediate action with current national…

On the latest episode of Top in Tech, Conan D'Arcy is joined by John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner, for a wide-ranging conversation on data privacy and big tech, reform of the UK’s GDPR, the independence of the ICO, Edward's decision to intervene with Lancashire Police, ‘government by WhatsApp’ and much more.

In November 2021, over 135 countries signed up to the OECD / G20 ‘Inclusive Framework’ to reform international taxation rules. The two-pillar plan aims to ensure that multinationals pay their fair share of tax wherever they operate, regardless of where they are headquartered. The agreement looked like a triumph for multilateralism. But 18 months on, the two supposedly…

This week on the podcast, the Global Counsel financial services team surveys the new regulatory landscape created by the rise of digital and cryptocurrencies.

Platforms such as ChatGPT and DALL-E are revolutionising how we create, communicate, learn, and work, with millions of users globally leveraging the benefits. However, just as quickly as generative AI technologies entered the spotlight, so did concerns about how these tools could be used to cause harm. Policymakers across the globe are under pressure to ensure that…

Despite plenty of wider volatility, UK trade and transit data for 2022 begin to reveal the longer-term implications of both EU exit and the covid pandemic.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has unleashed global concern over the health of the banking sector and triggered newfound worries about the strength of the tech industry. Regulators in the US have taken dramatic action to secure deposits in the bank. In the UK, HSBC has assumed control over the firm's UK unit in a rescue deal facilitated by the government.

In an extraordinary series of developments on March 12th, US policymakers – the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) – jointly announced that the federal government would protect all depositors of SVB Financial (ticker: SIVB). The parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, a major financier to the US venturebacked…

Discussion of food policy in Brussels is dominated by the Common Agricultural Policy, an instrument created 60 years ago and the frequent subject of fierce renegotiation. A series of reforms in recent decades have sought to shift emphasis from subsidising production towards supporting rural development and incentivising stewardship of the environment.

This week on Top in Tech, Conan D'Arcy is joined by Associate and first-time guest Ilana Kunkel to discuss new developments in the frequently tense US-EU data-sharing relationship. A new proposal may resolve longstanding gaps in personal data transfers, but time is running short to reach an agreement.