The Institute of Company Lawyers (IBJ-IJE) is the professional body for 2572 company lawyers in Belgium

On 27 November 2025 the European Parliament and the Council of the EU announced that they’d reached a provisional political agreement on the texts of the proposed Directive on payment services and electronic money services (PSD3)1 and the Regulation on payment services in the EU (PSR),2 originally published by the European Commission in June 2023.

The BCA 2026 Priorities Papersets out the sectors in which the authority will exercise particular vigilance, and outlines its strategic policy priorities for the year, including the development and deployment of its enforcement instruments. For in-house counsel, the document is an important roadmap: it signals where investigations are most likely to originate, what new tools the BCA is acquiring, and which compliance initiatives deserve immediate attention. The most prominent change in the 2026 paper is the replacement of the construction sector, considered a priority sector in 2025, with sport, media and entertainment.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept, it is increasingly a practical tool in corporate legal departments. For in-house counsel, the pressure to deliver faster while managing risk has never been higher. AI-assisted drafting presents a significant opportunity to streamline work, yet it also raises valid concerns about accuracy, compliance, and strategic judgment.