SOC ACE researchers chaired a panel on brokerage and power at the Development Studies Association's DSA2026 conference in Dublin, which ran 8-10 July 2026. It explored how brokers shape development outcomes in a fragmenting world, from coercive intermediaries to digital brokers behind scam networks.

Dr Xu Peng, a researcher on the SOC ACE project "The Centrality of the Margins," has submitted written evidence to the UK Parliament's Business and Trade Committee inquiry on China and the UK economy, examining how shell companies, opaque capital and scam-linked assets exploit UK commercial channels, and how enforcement gaps can be addressed.