UK DBT update to FCA to finalise UK sustainability reporting standards

The UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published a letter (dated 5 January) sent to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) providing an update on finalising the UK versions of the International Sustainability Standards Board's (ISSB) sustainability reporting standards (UK SRS), ahead of the FCA's planned January 2026 consultation on adopting the standards for listed companies. The letter confirms that consultation feedback largely supported the draft UK SRS S1 and S2, but stakeholders strongly recommended providing entities with sufficient time to implement the more challenging requirements and sought clarity on the interaction between embedded transitional reliefs and FCA rules.

To address this, the government will remove specific time references from the standards and instead allow timing and availability of reliefs to be set through government regulations (Companies Act 2006), FCA rules or by any other relevant authority. It will also clarify how statements of compliance apply to reporters where reliefs are used. The government will review the ISSB's updates to the international financial reporting standard S2 (climate related disclosures) for incorporation into the final UK SRS S2, which is expected to be published early in 2026.

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