Latest articles on business law, trust and ethics

Members are reminded that the duty to protect client confidentiality under the ICAEW Code of Ethics applies both externally and within the firm. Sophie Wales, Regulatory Policy Director, ICAEW, explains why firms need strict controls over how confidential information is shared, managed and used across their organisation.

The Insolvency Service is inviting insolvency practitioners to submit case study papers highlighting how professional and ethical standards operate in practice, with selected contributors given the opportunity to present their insights at a Joint Insolvency Committee (JIC) strategy day. Deadline is 28 August 2026.

New guidance is available for when you are applying as a tax agent with HMRC. Ensure your processes are up to date.

In our recent webinar on ICAEW's Practice Assurance Monitoring Report 2026, Dean Neaves, Senior Manager, Quality Assurance Department, joined Quality Assurance Reviewers Dan Bevington and Hilary Barrett to discuss findings from more than 2,000 reviews completed in 2025. While the report highlights recurring areas requiring attention, the results show that most firms are meeting expected standards, with high levels of compliance, positive feedback on the monitoring process and strong awareness of cyber security risks.

The Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies has launched a discussion about ethical AI use. It wants you to consider how to approach five ethical dilemmas.

Parliament has approved the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026, introducing 15 targeted reforms to strengthen the UK’s AML regime while reducing unnecessary compliance burdens on firms. The amendments came into effect on 30 June 2026.

Since 19 June, all UK-based organisations are legally required to handle data protection complaints and have procedure in place to do so. Find out what you need to know.

Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 17 June 2026, including an update from the government on HMRC’s efforts to tackle high street tax fraud.

In charity investigations, one issue consistently sits at the heart of the most serious regulatory interventions. According to a recent Charity Commission blog post, a case manager noted that conflicts of interest come up in investigations ‘more than almost anything else.’ Despite being a fundamental area of governance, the Commission has observed a steady upward trend in conflict-related cases, which now feature in many of the cases of misconduct and mismanagement.

During our recent webinar ICAEW's AML supervision team provided an update on key regulatory developments and shared practical insights from monitoring reviews across ICAEW-supervised firms.