GEO INSIGHTS

This update highlights key global changes affecting employee share plans, including new or increased taxes in Belgium, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Argentina, as well as updated social security and taxation rules in Singapore and Vietnam. In the UK, the new PISCES framework will allow periodic secondary trading of private company shares, with draft legislation ensuring EMI and CSOP schemes can adapt without losing tax benefits, alongside clarifications on “Readily Convertible Assets.” Regular compliance deadlines across markets such as Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and China are also noted to help companies stay aligned with reporting obligations.

Employee share plans allow staff to acquire shares in their company through awards, options, or purchase schemes, often with tax advantages. When designed and communicated effectively, they boost retention, motivation, and recruitment by aligning employees’ interests with long-term business success. Beyond financial benefits, these plans foster trust, engagement, and a culture of shared ownership that can significantly enhance company performance.

The bipartisan SHARE Plan Act would give US companies with 500 or more employees a 3% corporate tax rate reduction if they grant stock at no cost to the lowest-paid 80% of their workforce, excluding top earners. Companies qualify by distributing at least 1% of their stock in a given year or 5% cumulatively, with stock grants subject to vesting but required to fully vest within five years and be freely transferable once vested. While the bill could significantly expand broad-based employee ownership, its success depends on whether the tax incentive outweighs the costs for companies, and its large potential budget impact may challenge passage.

Employee share schemes allow companies to give or offer shares to employees, providing financial incentives, tax advantages, and helping with talent retention and engagement. Common schemes include Share Incentive Plans (SIPs), Save As You Earn (SAYE), Company Share Option Plans, and Enterprise Management Incentives (EMIs), each offering different tax benefits depending on the structure. These programs not only reduce tax liabilities for both employers and employees but also foster a positive workplace culture by aligning staff with the company’s long-term success.

Employee share schemes allow employees to acquire shares or options in their company, creating alignment between staff and business success while supporting talent attraction, retention, and motivation. Among these, the UK’s Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) scheme is one of the most flexible and tax-efficient options, offering benefits such as tax savings for employees, corporation tax relief for employers, and customizable vesting structures. Designed for smaller, high-growth companies, EMI helps businesses reward key staff, preserve cash flow, and align long-term goals with exit strategies like sales or investments.

An employee share scheme (ESS) gives employees actual shares in a company, providing immediate ownership rights such as dividends and voting power, while an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) grants options—the right to purchase shares at a set price in the future. The key difference is that shares provide instant ownership and benefits, whereas options only become valuable if exercised when the market price exceeds the strike price. Both models are used by companies, including startups and listed firms, to attract and retain talent, but they differ in timing of benefits, tax treatment, and flexibility in participation.

Announcement regarding the introduction of a new trust-based stock remuneration plan for directors and executive officers, with the trust period beginning August 4, 2025.

The Takeover Panel and FCA have introduced major updates across UK corporate and capital markets regulation, including consultations on dual class share structures, new practice statements, and reforms to the prospectus and public offers regime. Key changes include higher thresholds for further issuances without a prospectus, a new regulated public offer platform for unlisted securities, reduced IPO prospectus review periods, and stronger protections for forward-looking statements. Alongside this, the government is progressing digitisation of shareholding, tightening reporting requirements, reforming national security notifications, and requiring Companies House filings via software from 2027.