Overview
- Individual short-seller names would no longer be published, with the regulator instead releasing anonymized, aggregate net short positions for each listed company.
- The private notification threshold would rise to 0.2% of a company’s share capital from 0.1%, and the current public register of positions above 0.5% would be scrapped.
- Reporting deadlines for changes in positions would be extended and the market‑maker notification exemption simplified, with feedback sought on the FCA’s use of emergency powers.
- The proposals are presented as a pro‑growth shift that aligns the UK more closely with the US approach and reduces compliance burdens welcomed by hedge funds and industry groups.
- Legal advisers and issuers caution that reduced transparency could hinder detection of concentrated short positions and facilitate bear raids or market manipulation.