UK competition and digital-markets regulation: the CMA’s digital markets and strategic market status regime, the DMCCA 2024, concurrent competition powers, and where it meets data and payments.
In short: The Microsoft SMS investigation is the CMA’s inquiry into whether Microsoft has strategic market status in business software. Launched on 14 May 2026 under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, it covers Office, Windows, Windows Server, SQL Server and security software. The invitation to comment closed on 4 June 2026 and…
In short: Google search conduct requirements are the CMA’s first behavioural rules on Google’s search business. On 17 June 2026 the CMA imposed Fair Ranking and Data Portability requirements under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 strategic market status regime. Google has six and three months respectively to comply. By Rob Bratby, Managing…
In short: Concurrent competition powers let the FCA, PSR, Ofcom and five other sector regulators apply the Competition Act 1998, not just the CMA. The CMA’s annual concurrency report, published on 2 June 2026, shows that in 2025-26 only two sector regulators ran Competition Act cases, while reform and the PSR-into-FCA merger are about to…
In short: geographic market definition CMA practice asks where customers would switch if a hypothetical monopolist raised price by 5 to 10 per cent. The CMA’s 21 May 2026 Welltower decision found competition concerns in 30 local catchment areas. The CMA reaches the finding through postcode-level overlap mapping and drive-time isochrone analysis, a methodology that…
In short: Competition law and data protection are no longer enforced as separate regimes. The EDPB and the European Commission announced joint guidance work on 28 April 2026, the latest in the EDPB’s cross-regulatory programme. The UK reached the same starting point in May 2021 through the CMA-ICO joint statement and runs the convergence through…
In short: DMA in-app payments parity is here to stay. If you sell or process payments inside iPhone or Android apps, the EU rules forcing platforms to allow alternative wallets are locked in. The Commission confirmed that on 28 April 2026. In the UK, Apple and Google signed CMA commitments on 1 April 2026 and…
In short: The European Commission’s first review of the Digital Markets Act, published on 28 April 2026 as COM(2026) 178 final under Article 53 of the Regulation, concludes that the law is working and proposes no legislative amendment. Cloud computing and AI are named as the next enforcement focus. The UK runs a separate regime…
In short: Digital platform follow-on litigation in the UK pivots on a date many readers know as “full Brexit”. At 11pm on 31 December 2020 the UK formally left the EU competition regime; lawyers call that moment “IP completion day”. Section 58A of the Competition Act 1998, recast by the Brexit statutory instruments SI 2019/93…
In short: On 6 May 2026 the FCA opened a Competition Act 1998 investigation into Mastercard, Visa and PayPal. The FCA Competition Act investigation covers all three under Chapter I, and Mastercard and Visa under Chapter II for suspected abuse of dominance, over how Mastercard and Visa cards fund the PayPal digital wallet. The FCA…
The CMA’s coordinated push against fake and misleading consumer reviews lands the new Part 3 direct enforcement powers in the DMCCA 2024 on the consumer reviews supply chain. Five cases opened on 27 March 2026 reach across that supply chain at the same time and signal that consumer review compliance is now a discrete deal due diligence item.
CityFibre’s intervention in the CMA’s nexfibre/Substantial inquiry turns on local market definition. Why that question shapes Phase 2 risk and the altnet consolidation pipeline.
In short: The CMA has accepted the first voluntary commitments under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, from Apple and Google in respect of aspects of their UK mobile platforms. The commitments cover app review, app ranking, data use and iOS interoperability. They are legally binding and signal how the new digital markets…