Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

Top News

US Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick

Energy, Financial Crime, Trade

October 13, 2026 | Samuel Rubenfeld

North America

Trump’s diesel deal with Russia violates US law, lawmakers say
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

Data Privacy and Security, Financial Crime, Technology

October 13, 2026 | Madeline Hughes

Africa, Europe, North America

Meta, others aided cyber scam takedown in West Africa, US DOJ's Pirro says
RHI Magnesita plant in Hochfilzen, Austria

DealRisk®, Mergers and Acquisitions

October 12, 2026 | Jon Menon

Europe

RHI Magnesita says antitrust case for Vesuvius built on experience, analysis

Antitrust View More

New merger regime reveals serial acquisitions, Australian watchdog to say

October 14, 2026

Oceania

MLex Summary: Australia’s new mandatory merger regime is revealing serial acquisitions and patterns of consolidation that previously would have escaped the competition watchdog’s scrutiny, a top official will ... (more story)

EU regulators’ cooperation on enforcement probes needs legal clarity (correct*)

October 14, 2026 | Matthew Newman

Europe

Cooperation between the EU’s antitrust enforcer and data protection authorities in enforcement probes could be improved with more legal clarity on what kind of sensitive information, such as trade secrets, cou... (more story)

Spanish cardboard makers face cartel investigation

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Manufacturers of corrugated cardboard are under investigation by Spain's competition authority over suspected cartel practices, the CNMC said on Wednesday. The authority said it's examining possi... (more story)

Artificial Intelligence View More

Frontier AI needs 'cyberdefender' policing, Google DeepMind's Hassabis says

October 14, 2026 | Masha Borak

Europe

The AI industry needs international standards and certification processes to assess frontier AI risks, Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis said. He called for secure testing environments and early access... (more story)

UK probe of X's Grok chatbot narrowed to focus on illegal content

October 14, 2026 | Patricia Figueiredo and Imogen Howse

Europe

A UK online safety probe into Elon Musk's X will now focus on illegal content after the platform made changes to how users can access pornography, regulator Ofcom said. The probe began in January after reports... (more story)

AI-enabled financial fraud needs stronger safeguards, IMF, World Bank say

October 14, 2026

Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, Oceania

MLex Summary: Generative AI is making cyber-enabled financial fraud easier to scale, says a paper accompanying a framework from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group, as the two authorities issu... (more story)

Mergers and Acquisitions View More

Copart-ACV Auctions deal's US antitrust review waiting period expires

October 14, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: The US antitrust waiting period for vehicle sales platform operators Copart and ACV Auctions' proposed merger expired on at 11:59 pm Eastern on Oct. 13, ACV said in a US securities filing.

EU decision on Airbus-Air France component maintenance JV is published

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The European Commission has disclosed the public version of its decision allowing Air France and Airbus to establish a joint venture to provide component maintenance services to airlines for the ... (more story)

Airbus venture with Thales, Leonardo aiming for European dimensions, CEO says

October 14, 2026 | Jean Comte

Europe

Airbus's planned space and satellite joint venture with European rivals Thales and Leonardo, called Project Bromo, aims to create an initiative with sufficient scale to compete with fast-growing international ... (more story)

Data Privacy and Security View More

Meta’s challenge to UK regulator’s expertise is ‘outlandish,’ court told

October 14, 2026 | Imogen Howse

Europe

Meta Platforms’ challenge to Ofcom’s online safety expertise is “outlandish,” the lawyer for the UK regulator told a London court on Wednesday, as he described fees and fines as Ofcom’s “bread and butter.” Met... (more story)

Ireland to establish AI labor forum with employers and unions

October 14, 2026 | Masha Borak

Europe

Ireland is establishing a government forum with employers and trade unions to address AI’s impact on the labor market, Prime Minister Micheál Martin announced at the International AI Summit. Speaking at the ev... (more story)

Meta faces Dutch summary proceedings over smart glasses’ privacy safeguards

October 14, 2026 | Sara Brandstätter

Europe

Meta Platforms faces two separate sets of summary proceedings in the Netherlands after consumer and advocacy groups said it failed to address privacy concerns over its smart glasses. Dutch consumer group Consu... (more story)

Intellectual Property View More

EU standards overhaul risks weakening global tech influence, ETSI warns

October 14, 2026 | Inbar Preiss

Europe

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute has warned that the EU’s proposed standardization overhaul risks weakening Europe’s global influence. In an MLex interview, ETSI’s chief policy officer Marti... (more story)

Japan weighs legal safeguards for voices, likenesses as AI misuse grows

October 14, 2026 | Toko Sekiguchi

Asia

Japan is considering legislative changes to protect voices and likenesses against unauthorized use, as AI makes it easier to imitate performers and reproduce their images, including those of people who are not... (more story)

Clear copyright rules could bolster UK AI licensing market, report says

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: AI developers should obtain permission to use copyrighted material, should be transparent and should pay creators through fair licensing, a report published by Oxford University’s Institute for E... (more story)

Financial Crime View More

Former Goldman banker Berko loses effort to throw out US bribery conviction

October 13, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: A US judge has denied former Goldman Sachs banker Asante Berko's post-verdict motion for acquittal on corruption charges for paying bribes to Ghanaian officials to open a power plant. The judge a... (more story)

Bank of America fined $1.2bn for anti-money laundering, sanctions failures

October 13, 2026 | Samuel Rubenfeld

North America

Bank of America was hit with a $1.2 billion penalty by US Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network over its failure to mitigate and report national security risks. The agency credited $750 mi... (more story)

US Treasury fines Bank of America for compliance failures

October 13, 2026

North America

MLex Summary: The US Treasury Department announced enforcement actions imposing more than $1.21 billion in penalties against Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the United States, for violations of ant... (more story)

Financial Services View More

EU cross-border investment activity continued to grow in 2025, ESMA says

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: A total of 379 financial firms provided cross-border services to approximately 15.5 million retail clients in the EU/EEA, according to the European Securities and Markets Authority’s annual repor... (more story)

Pan-European pension overhaul draws amendments from lawmakers

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: European Parliament lawmakers have submitted hundreds of amendments to proposed changes to pan-European personal pension rules, published on Wednesday. The amendments reveal different views on is... (more story)

Indonesia's OJK cites gold, bond, property tokenization projects in regulatory sandbox

October 14, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: Indonesia's Financial Services Authority, or OJK, has processed digital financial innovations involving the tokenization of gold, government bonds and property-related benefits through its regula... (more story)

Trade View More

FDI cases notified to EU cooperation mechanism hit record in 2025, report shows

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Foreign direct investment screening notifications made by EU member states to the EU cooperation mechanism totaled 667 in 2025, 40 percent higher than the 477 of the previous year, according to a... (more story)

EU trade defense must prioritize use of existing tools, senior lawmaker says

October 14, 2026 | Oscar Pandiello

Europe

Refining existing EU trade tools should take priority over creating new legislation that could take years to deliver results, European Parliament trade committee chair Bernd Lange said. He welcomed the recent ... (more story)

China auto industry group welcomes EU trade consensus on hybrid, electric vehicles

October 14, 2026

Asia

MLex Summary: The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers welcomed the positive outcome of recent China-EU negotiations on hybrid and electric vehicle trade, the industry group said in a statement Wednes... (more story)

State Aid View More

Bidder in Greek energy tender gets EU 'call in' under foreign subsidies rules

October 13, 2026 | Lewis Crofts

Europe

A foreign-backed company bidding for a tender in Greece's energy sector must notify the European Commission of financial contributions it has received from outside the EU, even though the bid falls below manda... (more story)

Ribera to ‘step up’ help for EU’s joint state-aid projects

October 12, 2026 | Lewis Crofts

Europe

EU competition chief Teresa Ribera pledged to step up efforts to make Europe's cross-border state aid projects faster and easier for companies to navigate, warning that procedural delays could cost promising t... (more story)

PostNord Strålfors’ capital injections open for comments in EU

October 12, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Parties interested in capital injections received by PostNord Strålfors — totaling €15.9 million and made by its parent company PostNord Strålfors Group — now have one month in which to send feed... (more story)

Energy View More

Delay to EU methane importers' reporting requirements to 'alleviate pressure'

October 14, 2026 | Louis de Briant

Europe

EU methane monitoring, reporting and verification requirements for fossil-fuel importers would be postponed by 12 months to January 2028 under a European Commission proposal announced Wednesday. The delay woul... (more story)

EU fossil-fuel importers see proposal for 12-month methane reporting delay

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: The European Commission has proposed delaying by one year methane emissions monitoring, reporting and verification requirements for EU importers of natural gas, oil and coal, as well as methane-i... (more story)

EU, Turkey agree on closer customs cooperation, tackling trade barriers

October 13, 2026

Europe, Middle East

MLex Summary: The EU and Turkey agreed to strengthen customs cooperation and continue work on trade barriers, according to a joint statement issued today after their third high-level trade dialogue in Brussels... (more story)

Technology View More

Telecom giants might see rule revamp in 2027, EU official says

October 14, 2026 | Matthew Newman

Europe

Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Telefónica might see a revamp of the EU’s telecom rules in 2027 as EU governments edge toward an agreement on a package of telecom regulations as early as the end of this year, a E... (more story)

Stripchat original Digital Services Act designation upheld by EU court (update*)

October 14, 2026 | Sara Brandstätter

Europe

Adult website Stripchat’s original designation under the Digital Services Act, subjecting it to the law’s strictest obligations, was upheld by the EU’s General Court on Wednesday. The court found that the Euro... (more story)

Stripchat loses court challenge to its designation under EU digital law

October 14, 2026

Europe

MLex Summary: Stripchat’s challenge to the European Commission’s December 2023 decision to designate it as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act was dismissed by the EU’s General Court on... (more story)