UK movement: 196 events at 180 companies in the week to 5 October

Across the UK markets we track, 196 events at 180 companies moved in the seven days to 2026-10-05, against 191 the week before. Corporate and M&A carried 95 of them. On 2 October the CMA raised provisional concerns over Nexfibre's £2B planned acquisition of Netomnia and set a final deadline of 15 December 2026 (Mobile World Live). The same day NatWest acquired Evelyn Partners (FinTech Global).

Insolvency and employment rose from 28 events to 35. From 1 October 2026 the Employment Rights Act 2025 makes sports organisations answer for harassment of their staff by supporters and online audiences (City AM). Moneypenny's group CEO stepped down on 4 October (BusinessCloud UK).

The 95 Corporate and M&A events land on deal teams. They mean merger control work where the CMA steps in, as on Netomnia, and investment documentation on rounds such as Hg's investment in Street Group, which valued the business at £200m+ on 4 October. That is most of the week for a firm's corporate partners.

The employment rise is narrower. Sports employers covered by the 2025 Act must now show they took all reasonable steps against third-party harassment. That means policy drafting and training work for employment teams and their business development colleagues. Commercial and property slipped from 37 events to 32.