UK regulator proposes designating Microsoft with strategic market status over its business software

On 16 October 2026 the UK's Competition and Markets Authority proposed designating Microsoft as having strategic market status in respect of its business software ecosystem, and invited comments on that proposed decision. The CMA described the move as its first step to ensure choice in business software, and published actions on business software and cloud services the same day.

What it means A strategic market status designation would let the regulator set conduct requirements on how Microsoft bundles and licenses business software, which shapes the options for teams buying office and cloud tools.