STEP

20/08/2026

The UK’s HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has begun Phase Two of its online registration system for tax advisors.

The Modernising and Mandating Tax Adviser Registration system was launched on 18 May 2026, with the stated aim of protecting customers and raising standards in tax advice. It applies to anyone paid to interact with HMRC on behalf of someone else about their tax affairs, unless an exemption applies.

💡Learn more in our Industry News Update: https://bit.ly/4gp2mVx

20/08/2026

The Seychelles' financial regulator is planning an enforcement drive against international business companies who are conducting regulated activities in foreign jurisdictions without having local licences or approvals.

According to Circular No.5 issued on 14 August 2026, the Seychelles Financial Services Authority's recent surveillance and market monitoring activities have discovered widespread non-compliance with the law, which has been in place since 2016.

📖Read more in our Industry News Update: https://bit.ly/4hEV3Lz

20/08/2026

The STEP Canada Public Policy Committee has submitted a consultation response calling for the full indexation of ‘limits, rates, and other relevant parameters that are not currently indexed’, this includes nearly 20 items that haven't been indexed in years (in some cases decades).

Their response has received coverage in the Financial Post and The Globe and Mail.

👉Read the article in The Globe and Mail: https://bit.ly/4xLqJne
👉Read the article in the Financial Post: https://bit.ly/3SHjM7S

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners recommended adjusting about 200 benefit, credit and deduction amounts

20/08/2026

What was happening at STEP in the 1990s? 🤔

As part of celebrating 35 years of STEP, we are sharing STEP Journal front covers with some key moments from STEP's history.

In this issue from August 1999, we announced the launch of the new STEP Diploma for England and Wales. You can click through the images to read more details.

We predicted the Diploma would be the ‘qualification of choice for employees and employers alike’, which is indeed still the case.

The STEP Diploma is now an international qualification for all practitioners working in trusts and estates. Those studying the Diploma can choose four of STEP's Advanced Certificates to create their own Diploma.

Find out more about studying with STEP: https://www.step.org/diploma



Have you studied for the STEP Diploma? If so, tell us when in the comments!

20/08/2026

Emily Deane TEP, Technical Counsel at STEP, has been quoted in an article from The Times and The Sunday Times about UK government reforms to the tax paid on inherited pensions.

Emily commented that the changes could result in 'delays, higher costs and growing reluctance to take on the executor role'.

📖Read more in the article: https://bit.ly/4gl3ZDk

Government reforms to the tax paid on inherited pension pots will hit families and businesses at a particularly stressful time

20/08/2026

Younger generations of wealthy families have different expectations around wealth management based on their own set of values, beliefs and desires.

In this STEP Journal article Nina Auchoybur TEP explores how earlier next-generation involvement in Middle Eastern family offices is being used as a governance and risk-management tool to support long-term wealth preservation.

💡Learn more in the article: https://tinyurl.com/ybpz29tv

Remember that reading and reflecting on STEP Journal articles counts towards your CPD as a STEP member.



Ocorian

19/08/2026

STEP Head Office, based in London, UK is hiring for three roles:

👉Governance Manager
👉Branch Support Coordinator
👉Digital Learning Manager

You can click through the images to find out more about the roles.

📖Learn more about these roles: https://www.step.org/contact/work-step

19/08/2026

On August 7, 2026, the Mexican Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, SHCP) published amendments to the General Rules under the Federal Law for the Prevention and Identification of Transactions with Illicitly Sourced Funds.

The amendments add seven new chapters to the regulatory framework and complete a process begun with reforms to the Law in July 2025 and its implementing regulations in March 2026.

They focus on the anti-money laundering obligations of individuals and entities carrying out “vulnerable activities,” including those acting through trusts or other legal arrangements.

💡Learn more in our Industry News Digest update: https://bit.ly/4g6142L

19/08/2026

In our latest blog Emily Deane TEP, Technical Counsel at STEP, provides more detail on STEP's response to cohabitation law reform proposals in England and Wales.

The blog covers areas including:

👉How long should couples have to live together?
👉Intestacy: protecting partners and children
👉Practical challenges and STEP's recommendations

💡Learn more in the blog: https://bit.ly/4gj88HU

📖Read coverage of STEP's response in Today's Wills & Probate: https://bit.ly/4if2SYv

19/08/2026

Trustees approving conservation grants face three interconnected challenges for which standard grant-approval processes provide inadequate protection: verification, impact measurement and reputational risk.

In this STEP Journal article Stefano Tricanico examines how trustees and advisors can navigate verification, impact measurement and reputational risk when approving conservation philanthropy commitments.

📖Read more in the article: https://tinyurl.com/ysdyu4je