Recent News

On January 14, 2026, the National Bank of Ukraine introduced the next stage of easing currency restrictions for companies. The key idea is to give businesses more tools to work with currency, loans, and investments without disrupting financial stability.Key changesA new “borrowing limit” has been introduced - an additional mechanism that allows companies to carry out currency transactions within the amount of funds received in the form of external credits and loans after January 1, 2026.This limit allows, in particular:to repay “old” loans and pay interest on them (received before June 20, 2023);to pay for imported goods delivered before February 23, 2021;return prepayments to non-residents for goods paid for before February 23, 2022;finance their foreign separate divisions;repatriate dividends in excess of standard limits.Stimulating currency liberalization is expanding — the old restrictions work in conjunction with the investment limit (which is tied to the volume of foreign investment in authorized capital from May 2025), and now also to the borrowing limit. This effectively gives businesses several “windows” for conducting currency transactions that were...

On 21 January 2026, the States of Jersey adopted the Companies (Jersey) Amendment Law 2026 — a substantial package of reforms to the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991, which will come into force in June 2026. Despite the breadth of the amendments, their underlying rationale is straightforward: to remove outdated formalities, codify practices long adopted by businesses in practice, and ensure that the Jersey company remains a practical and effective vehicle for modern corporate structures.Among the numerous changes introduced, several reforms stand out as having a systemic, rather than merely cosmetic, impact.First, the legislator has abandoned artificial restrictions that no longer serve a meaningful purpose. Public companies will no longer be required to have at least two members, and private companies will no longer automatically lose their private status upon exceeding the threshold of 30 shareholders. Historically, these rules operated more as signalling mechanisms than as genuine safeguards. Their removal eliminates unnecessary regulatory consequences, including mandatory audit requirements and financial statement filings. For companies with a broad investor base, this allows...

Lithuania is preparing to implement significant changes to labor and corporate tax regulations starting from January 2026. The government has confirmed that the statutory minimum wage will increase by 10 percent, a move that will directly affect millions of employees and businesses across the country. This means that the minimum monthly wage for full-time work will rise to EUR 1,153 gross, while the minimum hourly wage will increase to EUR 7.05 gross. Employers will continue to calculate social insurance contributions based on these new wage levels, including both the employer’s and employee’s portions, though certain exemptions will remain for pensioners, people with disabilities, employees under 24, and recipients of maternity, paternity, or childcare benefits.At the same time, Lithuania is adjusting its corporate income tax system. The standard corporate income tax rate will increase to 17 percent for profits earned in 2026 and subsequent years, reflecting a gradual adjustment from the previous 15 and 16 percent rates. Despite this increase, Lithuania continues to offer reduced tax regimes designed to support small businesses and startups. For qualifying companies, a...

In the world of crypto assets, tax regulation has become significantly more complex in recent years, as governments increasingly define clear rules for taxing income from digital assets. The European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Middle Eastern countries are now actively shaping legal frameworks for cryptocurrency taxation, establishing clear criteria for when and how taxes must be paid and how digital asset activities are classified.Against the backdrop of a global trend toward the formalization of tax approaches, Cyprus has introduced a fixed tax rate of 8% on profits from the disposal of crypto assets, effective from January 1, 2026. This creates legal certainty for individuals and companies working with cryptocurrencies and aligns with the broader European approach to regulating digital financial instruments.How Cryptocurrencies Are Taxed in Key JurisdictionsGermany: Crypto assets owned by individuals are classified as private assets. Capital gains are fully exempt from taxation provided the cryptocurrency is held for more than one year. If disposal occurs earlier, the profit is taxed as other income, provided the annual tax-free threshold of EUR 1,000 is...

Throughout 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) took several steps that many market participants perceive as a refinement of its approach to regulating crypto assets. This was not about changing legislation or introducing new mandatory rules, but rather about clarifying how the regulator frames and communicates its position.The focus was on public statements by SEC officials regarding tokens without a clear economic function (meme coins), staking directly through blockchain protocols, and mining (technical activity supporting blockchain networks by validating transactions)—areas long considered zones of heightened regulatory risk.Institutional Context: Task ForceAn additional signal of a changing approach was the establishment of a dedicated task force within the SEC responsible for developing approaches to crypto asset regulation. This is not a supervisory or punitive body but an institutional platform for market analysis, risk assessment, and forming a more coordinated regulatory stance.The creation of such a unit indicates the regulator's desire to move away from fragmented reactions to individual cases and toward a more systematic understanding of...

While other countries are trying to retain capital, France is moving in the opposite direction — shaping one of the most aggressive tax packages in the EU. Four initiatives currently at the final stage of approval could radically change the rules of the game for high-net-worth individuals, investors, and crypto-asset holders.1. Citizenship-Based Taxation: France Adopts the U.S. ApproachThe most high-profile element of the package is an attempt to introduce taxation based on citizenship.This would mean that tax obligations do not end after relocating to another country.What is being proposed:tax enforcement against citizens with income exceeding €235,000;migration to a jurisdiction with tax rates at least 40% lower than those in France as a trigger;provided the individual has lived in France for at least 3 of the last 10 years.This is a logical response to a long-standing trend: wealthy French citizens actively relocating to Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, the UAE, and other low-tax jurisdictions.Political rationaleFrance aims to stop “fiscal erosion” — the loss of its tax base that creates new budget gaps — but in doing so effectively opens the door to double taxation...

In 2026, Europe is experiencing a combination of two key factors that affect the tax burden for corporations:– first, the implementation of the global minimum tax rate (Pillar Two) and the inherent consequences of its application;– second, national tax decisions of individual states that directly change or revise tax rates and tax bases in 2026.Together, this creates a new reality for multinational groups and local companies, forcing them to reconsider tax planning, reporting, and cash flow.Why is 2026 important?While countries have been gradually implementing the OECD rules regarding Pillar Two, the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026 became a critical period — many jurisdictions have already adopted or are preparing legislative changes that effectively “increase” the minimum tax base for large MNE groups (threshold ≈ €750 million). Pillar Two introduces a global minimum effective tax rate of 15%, and the mechanisms (IIR, UTPR, and QDMTT) create the basis for collecting a “top-up” tax where the actual ETR is lower than 15%. This changes the approach to profit location and to the calculation of the effective tax rate in each jurisdiction.Pillar Two: short and...

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 introduces mandatory identity verification for key individuals associated with UK companies and LLPs — including directors, LLP members, and Persons with Significant Control (PSCs).How verification worksIdentity can be verified in two ways:directly through Companies House, orvia an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP) — such as accountants, company formation agents, or law firms authorised to conduct verification.Who must be verified:new directors — before appointment;new PSCs — within 14 days of becoming a PSC;existing directors, LLP members, and PSCs — will have a transitional period (up to 12 months) after the system goes live.If a person is both a director and a PSC, stricter deadlines apply.Consequences of failing to complete verification:an unverified director cannot perform their duties or file documents with Companies House;companies may be prohibited from filing any documents if at least one required individual is not verified;the company and the relevant individuals may face fines and other sanctions.Recommended actions:identify all individuals subject to mandatory verification;notify them in...

Quinn, a startup focused on AI-driven financial planning and advisory tools, has emerged from stealth with $11 million in seed funding led by Viola Fintech. The platform allows financial institutions to scale their advisory capabilities by embedding AI tools into existing systems via API. Quinn supports white-label, co-branded, or integrated implementations for seamless deployment. According to the company, its technology enables: advisor-level client onboarding in under 12 minutes; AI-generated financial plans delivered in 30 seconds; personalized upselling and cross-selling suggestions based on user behavior. “The future of wealth management isn’t about replacing advisors — it’s about augmenting them,” said Quinn CEO Roy Markowitz. “We empower institutions to offer deeply personalized, actionable guidance at scale, without compromising trust or...