Editor’s note: This monthly update covers regulatory developments across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Canada. Our aim: help regulators understand what is now live, why it matters, and what is coming. If you haven’t already, consider signing up for our monthly newsletter to stay abreast of the latest regulatory developments.
February takes the big regulatory choices made at the end of 2025 and turns them into operational reality. Regulators are juggling new obligations going live, a dense run of consultations, and early enforcement data that exposes capacity gaps.
December’s legislative flurry is now February’s implementation challenge. Australia’s social media age ban has deactivated nearly five million accounts. The UK’s identity verification regime is blocking filings when directors miss deadlines. And Canada’s Bill C-16 appears headed for passage within weeks.
The calendar reflects this shift. Thirteen major consultations close between 2 and 18 February across all four jurisdictions – submissions on the New Zealand RMA replacement, UK immigration reforms, Commerce Commission merger reviews, and FCA stablecoin regulation all converging in a 16-day window.
Meanwhile, enforcement data from the first month of new regimes provides early signals. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner reports platforms deploying multiple age assurance methods, though circumvention and privacy questions remain unresolved. The UK’s electronic travel authorisation moves from advisory to enforcement on 25 February, after which carriers will deny boarding without approval.
Regulatory orientation: what is now live or unavoidable
Australia
- Following the start of the social media age ban, 4.7 million accounts were deactivated in the first month and platforms are now deploying facial age estimation and behavioural analysis.
- The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) mandatory merger regime became operational from 1 January with first waiver applications assessed from 12 January.
- The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) released its Key Issues Outlook 2026, identifying ten priorities.
- The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) launched its first privacy sweep, targeting approximately 60 entities.
- Victoria’s Essential Services Commission (ESC) Stage 1 energy reforms became effective 1 February.
New Zealand
- Resource Management Act (RMA) replacement bills are now at select committee with submissions closing 13 February.
- Ten national direction instruments took effect on 15 January.
- The Regulatory Standards Act commenced 1 January with full effect slated for 1 July.
- The Commerce Commission Gull-NPD merger deadline happens 16 March.
- The Commerce Act amendment takes effect 19 April to 1 May.
United Kingdom
- Companies House verification deadlines are cascading and already blocking filings for non-compliance.
- ETA enforcement begins 25 February for 85 visa-free countries.
- Higher English requirements took effect 8 January for Skilled Worker visas.
- FCA non-financial misconduct rules take effect 1 September.
- Multiple immigration consultations close through February.
Canada
- Bill C-16 second reading resumed on 26 January with passage expected soon.
- Quebec’s Bill 5, fast-tracking megaprojects, is expected to pass early February.
- The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) shut down 3,961 fraudulent websites using AI.
- The forced labour reporting deadline approaches.
Five stories to watch
Australia’s age ban produces enforcement data – and new questions
The eSafety Commissioner is operationalising age restrictions at scale. Meta began deactivations in November, removing over 544,000 accounts across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in the first week. Platforms are using facial age estimation, behavioural detection, and activity patterns as opposed to government ID mandates. The question is whether these methods constitute “reasonable steps” under the legislation, and whether circumvention undermines enforcement before compliance baselines are established. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated the guidance is “already delivering significant outcomes”. Platforms face penalties up to $49.5 million.
New Zealand’s RMA replacement enters its decisive window
The Natural Environment and Planning Bills propose replacing the Resource Management Act with a two-statute framework. Submissions to the Environment Select Committee close 13 February; enactment is expected mid-2026. The reform promises 46 per cent fewer consents through standardised planning rules. Expert reaction is divided: Civil Contractors NZ and Beef + Lamb NZ support streamlined processes; Te Aka Toro warns of “a decisive shift away from environmental protection”. Meanwhile, the Regulatory Standards Act commenced 1 January. Every new bill must be accompanied by consistency assessment statements, and first compensation claims are expected mid-2026.
UK identity verification is already blocking company filings
Companies House verification became mandatory 18 November, creating cascading deadlines throughout 2026. Directors must verify via Gov.UK One Login; companies cannot file confirmation statements without verified codes. Directors of multiple companies must verify separately for each. Implementation friction is evident as directors discover requirements only when attempting routine filings. Separately, ETA enforcement begins 25 February – after which carriers will deny boarding without valid authorisation. The ETA costs £16, covers 85 visa-free countries, and is valid for two years.
Canada’s Bill C-16 tests the boundaries of platform obligation and Charter rights
Bill C-16 expands CSAEM reporting from telecom and ISP providers to all “Internet services” – platforms, hosting, cloud. It creates coercive control offences, reinstates mandatory minimums with constrained judicial override, and expands non-consensual intimate image provisions to cover deepfakes. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association strongly opposes the mandatory minimums; Ending Violence Everywhere supports coercive control criminalisation. Charter challenges appear likely, with Supreme Court involvement foreseeable by late 2026.
AI is becoming enforcement infrastructure – without a governance framework
CSA administrators shut down 3,961 fraudulent websites between June and November 2025 using AI-powered detection. Machine learning algorithms flag fake credentials, cloned branding, and suspicious domains. The success contrasts with federal AI policy stagnation: Bill C-27 was shelved early 2025, the Regulators’ Capacity Fund was exhausted in March with no renewal, and the 2025 budget allocated $925 million to AI infrastructure but nothing to regulatory capability. Across jurisdictions, regulators are deploying technology as enforcement extension – Australia’s age ban relies on platforms making millions of account decisions, the UK depends on Gov.UK One Login reliability – but the governance frameworks for these arrangements remain underdeveloped.
February – March watch list
Immediate (February 2026)
Australia
- ASIC 9 February deadline for year-end financial reporting closes off COVID-era relief and cements new disclosure expectations.
New Zealand
- Commerce Commission considers Gull–NPD merger submissions from 3 February, with implications for regional fuel competition.
- Submissions close 4 February on Commerce Act changes to misuse of confidential information.
- Airport information disclosure changes on 12 February alter how regulators and airlines assess aeronautical charges.
- Final submissions on RMA replacement bills due 13 February, shaping the next decade of planning law.
- International Student Levy settings for 18 February affect university funding models and recruitment risk.
United Kingdom
- Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 takes effect 2 February, tightening obligations on medicine shortage reporting.
- FCA “stablecoin sprint” workshop on 4 February tests supervisory approaches ahead of the fiat‑backed stablecoin regime.
- “Earned Settlement” reforms on 12 February shift settlement timing and liquidity management for payment providers.
- FCA Mills Review roundtable on 24 February focuses on AI use in supervision and enforcement.
- ETA enforcement begins 25 February, testing carrier compliance and redress for denied boarding.
Near term (March – May 2026)
Australia
- First forced labour reporting deadline on 31 May tests supply‑chain mapping and coordination across border, labour, and corporate regulators.
New Zealand
- Commerce Commission Gull–NPD merger decision due 16 March, with precedential value for regional market concentration and remedies.
- Commerce Act amendment consultation 19 April – 1 May will clarify new misuse‑of‑market‑power and confidential‑information tests.
United Kingdom
- Digital asset and stablecoin licensing regime fully in force by 30 June, moving crypto oversight from registration to active licensing.
Longer view (H2 2026)
Australia
- Revised AML/CTF obligations commence 1 July, expanding coverage to additional designated non‑financial businesses and professions.
New Zealand
- Medicines Advisory Committee reviews Temporary Shortage List settings in July, deciding whether current shortage tools become permanent.
- Regulatory Standards Board begins handling compensation claims for regulatory harm from mid‑2026.
- Full enactment of RMA replacement expected mid‑2026, with full operational shift by end of decade.
United Kingdom
- Ofcom categorisation register due from July, setting out Online Safety Act risk tiers.
- FCA non‑financial misconduct regime commences 1 September, formalising culture and conduct as regulatory risk.
- Physical visa vignettes phased out from late 2026, consolidating digital‑only status.
- Temporary Shortage List regime scheduled to expire 31 December 2026 unless extended.
Canada
- Charter challenges to Bill C‑16 mandatory minimums and platform obligations likely in late 2026, testing the durability of the CSAEM regime.
Final word
“Governments have been on notice of the Jordan decision for a decade. Yet they have failed to ensure the justice system is properly funded and run to ensure timely trials. The solution to that is not to water down our Charter rights, but for governments to step up and do their job.”
– Shakir Rahim, Canadian Civil Liberties Association Director of Criminal Justice Program, responding to Bill C-16’s mandatory minimum provisions
Rahim’s observation captures a tension running through February’s developments: the gap between what governments mandate and what systems can deliver. Australia requires age verification with technologies generating unquantifiable error rates. The UK demands identity verification while systems experience friction. New Zealand tasks councils with applying ten new instruments while preparing for wholesale replacement. Canada expands CSAEM reporting without capacity funding.
Implementation challenges stem not from regulatory complexity alone but from persistent under-investment in operational capacity – systems, training, staffing, guidance – that converts policy into practice. When governments expand mandates faster than they build capacity, the risk is that implementation friction generates calls for constraint rather than capacity investment.The Modern Regulator delivers independent regulatory news, insight, and analysis for regulators and the professionals who work alongside them. Sign up for our monthly newsletter.
