Microsoft's Business Software Proposed to Receive Increased UK Regulatory Scrutiny

06:11 AM EDT, 10/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Microsoft (MSFT) business software is on verge of being designated with UK strategic market status that would subject it to greater scrutiny and regulation, the country's Competition and Markets Authority said Friday. The regulator has also published a roadmap outlining possible future interventions in the business software ecosystem, including how Microsoft bundles its business software like Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams and Copilot, the company said. The regulator wants to increase Microsoft products' compatibility to "mix and match software and AI services from a broad range of competing suppliers," the regulator said. "The ability to choose, switch and combine digital services (especially AI), without being overly dependent on a single technology provider, is also increasingly important for resilience and strategic autonomy," the regulator said. The regulator is also in discussions with Microsoft as well as Amazon (AMZN) Web Services to increase competition in the cloud services realm, the regulator said. Microsoft did not immediately reply to MT Newswires' request for comment.