The STEP Barometer 2026 report looks at the value of expertise in a complex world and reveals the key challenges, trends and priorities facing family wealth and succession advisors and their clients globally. On 31 March 2026, STEP held a webinar, for which more than 1,100 people registered, which I was delighted to chair. We… Read More Reflections from the STEP Barometer webinar
This week the OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum in Paris brought together public and private sector stakeholders from all over the globe. They had the shared aim of collaborating to enhance safeguards in an evolving global landscape around anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, fraud prevention and public integrity systems. A clear message from the Forum was… Read More Balancing transparency and legitimate confidentiality: insights from the OECD Forum
In this blog Emily Deane TEP, Technical Counsel & Head of Government Affairs at STEP, discusses the changes announced in the UK Budget and the impact of STEP’s recommendations on key issues. The UK Budget has delivered some significant developments for the inheritance tax (IHT) regime with measures to be legislated in the Finance Bill… Read More UK government makes major IHT changes that reflect STEP recommendations
The Law Commission has today published its recommendations to reform the law of wills in its Report: Modernising Wills Law . The report includes a draft Bill for a modern Wills Act to replace the Wills Act 1837. This marks a historic change to wills law in England and Wales – the first in nearly… Read More New report heralds first changes to wills law in England and Wales since 1837
In February 2025, the Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendments) Regulations were approved by the UK parliament. These Regulations enable Companies House to grant, upon application, access to trust information that was previously restricted. Many of the provisions have already entered into force, but key changes will apply from 31 August 2025. The… Read More Public access to trust information via the Register of Overseas Entities
The UK government’s incoming reforms to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) has stunned generational farming families who now face uncertainty as to how the increasing inheritance tax (IHT) burden will impact the long-term viability of their estates. While these reforms aim to refine the tax system, they have sparked significant questions… Read More APR and BPR policy changes – a cause for concern for family estates
STEP attended the Annual Conference on European Family Law held at the Notary College in Barcelona on 3-4 October to discuss recent developments in legislation, jurisprudence and practice on a European and international level. The main focus was on the protection of vulnerable adults and increase in cross-border issues given that more people have assets… Read More New EU developments in the cross-border protection of vulnerable adults
The UK government published guidance relating to the ‘View an LPA’ service on 10 May 2024. This is a secure online service that allows companies and organisations to check the information contained within lasting powers of attorney (LPA) in England and Wales. Purpose of View an LPA An LPA will usually be verified by someone… Read More New guidance for ‘View an LPA’ service in England and Wales
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) has recently published three new Common Reporting Standards (CRS) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on its website. The new FAQs were provided by the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The FAQs relate to the following subjects: Can Reporting Financial Institutions solely rely on the fact that an… Read More OECD adds new questions to CRS FAQs
On Thursday 11 April 2024, Anti-Money Laundering Europe (AME) hosted a symposium at the European Parliament in Brussels about the European Union’s (EU) new Anti-Money Laundering package. Under this package, the EU will establish a new Anti-Money Laundering Authority that will have supervisory powers over national financial institutions. The package aims to strengthen cooperation on… Read More Anti-Money Laundering Europe symposium
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