ShareSoc Blog

The ShareSoc blog provides news and informal commentary from directors, members and other contributors. Entries reflect the personal views of the authors, which do not necessarily reflect ShareSoc’s formal position. Contributors may hold shares in the companies mentioned. Nothing in this blog should be viewed as financial advice. You may submit comments on blog posts, but ShareSoc reserves the right to remove or edit inappropriate or defamatory submissions.

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The End of the Paper Share Certificate

Post Date: September 8, 2026

DEMAT Publishes Its Step 1 Implementation Plan ShareSoc comment — July 2026 The Dematerialisation Market Action Taskforce (DEMAT) has published its first report: the UK implementation plan for the withdrawal of paper share certificates. It is a significant milestone in the modernisation of UK share ownership — and one in which individual shareholders have had a real voice, with ShareSoc's Heather Benjamin sitting as a full member of the Taskforce throughout. Where this fits in the bigger picture The report is the product of a ...

The Mills Review – are we facing financial Armageddon?

Post Date: September 8, 2026

Can financial regulation control AI and protect consumers? Artificial intelligence has become central to the Labour Government's plans for economic growth. The government’s  Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, published in July 2025, sets out a ten-year ambition for the UK to become the world’s most technologically advanced global financial centre. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has moved apace to supercharge the adoption of AI in financial services and deliver a competitive regulatory environment. More than 75% of UK financial services firms already ...

Investment trusts explained

Post Date: September 3, 2026

What they are, what they’re for, and why discounts matter The closed-ended structure explained — its uses, the risks worth knowing, and the feature that most defines it and...

Aviva shareholders targeted by Litani sub-market “mini-tender” offer

Post Date: August 7, 2026

A US arbitrage firm is offering to buy Aviva shares at a material discount to the market price. ShareSoc urges shareholders to check the market price before doing anything – and is calling on the FCA to act. Many of Aviva's roughly 450,000 individual registered shareholders – largely a legacy of the Norwich Union demutualisation – are receiving an "Offer Circular" from Litani LLC, a Delaware-registered firm, offering to buy their Aviva shares for cash. The offer is a so-called mini-tender: an approach ...

ShareSoc Director Spotlight – Vijay Tohani

Post Date: August 6, 2026

What inspired you to join ShareSoc's board and what motivates you to represent retail investors? I have seen the investment industry from both sides of the table. I spent over twenty years as a professional investor in emerging markets within large institutional houses, working in London, Edinburgh and Singapore, with stints in risk management and financial regulation before moving into academia. Today, I am a university lecturer teaching finance and investing, and I invest my own money as a private investor like ...

ShareSoc – Member Briefing: Modernisation of the Stamp Taxes on Shares Framework – what it means for you

Post Date: July 30, 2026

July 2026 | Policy briefing for members If you have ever bought UK shares, you have paid stamp duty – probably without noticing. The 0.5% charge is collected automatically by your broker when you deal, and for most investors that is the beginning and end of the matter. That is about to change in some respects, but stay reassuringly the same in others. This briefing explains what HMRC is proposing, when it is likely to happen, and what – if anything – ...

Helping Europeans invest smarter: why passive investing matters

Post Date: July 22, 2026

Better Finance makes a clear case that Europe's issue is not a lack of saving, but how those savings are used. A significant proportion remains in cash deposits, where...

The geared traps of crypto investing

Post Date: July 14, 2026

Cash flow. Structural security. Transparency. These are the things ShareSoc members instinctively check for before they part with money, and the checks tend to be rigorous, sceptical, and a...

SIGnet Launches New Beginners’ Group

Post Date: July 8, 2026

SIGnet, the national network of individual investor groups, is excited to announce the launch of a new virtual Beginners' Group. The group will meet online, with sessions held via Zoom, in the evening. The group is structured as a course aimed at those who are new to investing, running for up to 10 months, starting in October 2025. SIGnet groups typically meet monthly, to give individual investors the opportunity to socialise, discuss investments, and learn from each other. The primary goal is ...

House of Commons debate – Financial inclusion for young people

Post Date: July 8, 2026

On 30th June, Westminster Hall debated financial inclusion for young people, with Economic Secretary to the Treasury Rachel Blake responding on behalf of the Government. The debate revealed a significant gap between parliamentary concern and ministerial engagement, particularly on financial education. Josh Dean (Labour, Hertford & Stortford) set out the scale of the problem: 2 million young adults in financially vulnerable circumstances, facing thin credit files, unaffordable insurance, inadequate savings, and mental health impacts from financial anxiety. Subsequent speakers — spanning Labour, Conservative ...

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