Starting your own business is often top of the list for many would-be entrepreneurs' when it comes to New Year's Resolutions. With a record high of more than 660,000 new companies registering last year.

This is a question I have been asked a number of times recently. In an age when our consumer habits can be fed with the simple click of a mouse, physically signing our name on a document can seem terribly old-fashioned. In particular, trusted electronic signature brands such as Docusign and Adobe eSign are marketed on the basis that they are legally binding. But are they?

From April 2016 all UK companies will have to prepare a register of Persons with Significant Control of their companies and file it at Companies House. What will this mean for shareholders?