The Coventry Building Society confirmed on Thursday that it has now bought The Co-operative Bank, adding that both U.K. lenders will keep their own banking licenses for the time being.

Although 2025 might be a quieter year for U.K. intellectual property claims, experts are still watching high-profile cases ranging from how ongoing copyright claims over artificial intelligence models play out, to the continued divergence between European and English courts in the year ahead.

Competition claims appear likely to dominate the agenda in 2025 as the U.K. antitrust tribunal plays host to a £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) claim against Google and the outcome of Mastercard's contested proposed settlements is likely to be a watershed moment for the collective proceedings regime.

Former trader Tom Hayes will get a final shot in 2025 at overturning his conviction for rigging Libor during the financial crisis, a Russian politician will face trial in the first criminal prosecution for breaching sanctions — and Dentons will be back in court over alleged anti-money laundering failures by the law firm.

Regulation of the legal sector is likely to be in for a reckoning in 2025 after scandals at the Post Office and Axiom Ince shook the market in 2024, experts say.

The main themes in 2025 for the insurance and pensions sectors will be consolidation and government priorities for greater investment in the economy —although potential legal and systemic risks loom.

The advisory community in London is preparing for an anticipated rise in dealmaking, listings and private equity exit deals over 2025 following regulatory reforms and falling interest rates.

All eyes will be on the government's Employment Rights Bill in 2025 — but the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace and an influential case that will examine when employees' beliefs can get legal protection are also worth watching out for.

Financial regulators have committed to giving priority to economic growth over risk-aversion in 2025 under new government priorities, a rebalancing that could create a conflict of interest with a recent focus on protecting consumers.

RBG Holdings PLC said on Monday that Ian Rosenblatt, the company's largest shareholder, has called for its current chief executive and two other directors to be removed amid continuing challenges with turning around the company's fortunes.