Today's judgment from the European Court of Justice ("ECJ") in the case Commission v CK Telecoms (C-376/20 P) provides insight into how the EU merger control provisions should be assessed in consolidated markets, such as telecommunications. Understanding the judgment may be relevant for consolidation plans in many industries with tendencies towards oligopoly ...
In a defining moment for the digital economy, Vodafone Germany has recently announced its partnership with Cardano, a public blockchain platform, to launch one of the world’s largest NFT collections. This move by Vodafone demonstrates the growing interest of global telecommunications corporations in embracing blockchain technology and digital assets ...
Shoosmiths’ energy & infrastructure partner Chris Pritchett hosted a panel discussion at the UK Solar Summit, focused on how public and private sector organisations are capitalising on solar carports. Chris joined 350 solar energy professionals at the inaugural event to take stock of the rapid progress the industry is making towards a decarbonised energy system, as well as evaluating the obstacles that are threatening to impede that progress ...
"Leave this to me, I'm British… I know how to queue."{1} The Energy Services Operator (ESO) recently published a consultation which sets out a vision of medium-term reform for connections to (or affecting) the Transmission Network, whether they are directly connected or embedded ...
Figures published in May by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) record a further decline in Trade Union membership in the UK. Comparable data is only available as far back as 1995, but shows a clear decline over that nearly 30-year period to a level where, as at 2022, the proportion of UK workers in a union has declined to 23.1% - the lowest figure recorded in that time period ...
The economic landscape continues to place mortgage customers under significant pressure. Following discussions between the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and some of the largest mortgage lenders in the UK, the Mortgage Charter was signed to address measures aimed at helping customers who may be struggling to meet their mortgage repayments amid the cost-of-living crisis ...
In Industrial Tribunal case number 3642/CCG, the applicant claimed that he had been subjected to discrimination, lack of equal pay, a breach of the grievance procedure under the collective agreement, lack of payment of a performance bonus and constructive dismissal. Firstly considering discrimination, the applicant argued that he was not allowed to avail himself of a career break to work with a company operating in the financial services industry ...
Who qualifies as a Politically Exposed Person? Politically exposed persons (or “PEPs”) are individuals who have been entrusted with a prominent public function ...
Introduction The sphere of asset tracing and recovery, particularly the extent of tools available around the world, is rightly attracting more attention in cross-border fraud and investigations. This includes projects at the international level, such as UNCITRAL's ongoing efforts (for which the author acts as an expert), as well as attention being given in national legislatures around the world ...
While it may be arguable whether the announcement of the next phase of the UK’s open banking programme was as highly anticipated as the grand finale to HBO’s Succession, for the payment services industry a clear route to the future is much needed ...
On Monday, June 26, 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) issued the first two global sustainability standards: IFRS S1, General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information, and IFRS S2, Climate-related Disclosures. These standards are intended to improve confidence in the sustainability disclosures made by companies to guide investment decisions ...
On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its much-anticipated decision in Abitron Austria GmbH, et al. (“Abitron et al.”) v. Hetronic International, Inc. (“Hetronic”) regarding the extraterritorial reach of the Lanham Act, the comprehensive trademark statute in the United States ...
SEC Issues Regulations to Implement Financial Consumer Protection Act On 25 April 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued Memorandum Circular No. 5, series of 2023 and adopted the SEC Rules and Regulations of the Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act of 2022 ("SEC FCPA IRR") to implement Republic Act No. 11765 (the Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act ("FCPA") ...
On 28 June 2023, Parliament adopted a new law on non-profit organisations and foundations (the “Law”). The Law aims to simplify and modernise the legal framework created by the century-old law of 21 April 1928, by replacing its outdated provisions. The main changes introduced by the Law are as follows: Significant simplification of the administrative procedures for incorporating and managing non-profit organisations ...
ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence program, has grabbed wide attention since its first introduction to the public. It has become the fastest-growing consumer application in history with more than 100 million monthly active users. People are amazed by its ability to respond intelligently to complex queries. ChatGPT is only one of the many AI tools that are being developed and used in various industries to improve efficiency and customer service ...
A new report published today (28 June 2023) by The Law Commission of England and Wales has recommended a variety of law reforms to better integrate and deal with digital assets (like cryptocurrencies, tokens and NFTs to name a few), to promote certainty, and boost the UK’s position as a global leader for the crypto industry ...
1. What measures are available in your jurisdiction to allow struggling businesses to enter into a “pre-pack”? Guernsey stands out against many offshore jurisdictions because it has a dedicated administration regime designed to facilitate corporate rescue. The procedure is broadly similar to that in the United Kingdom, albeit it has been simplified and tweaked to suit Guernsey’s finance industry ...
1. What measures are available in your jurisdiction to allow struggling businesses to enter into a “pre-pack”? There is no bespoke legislation dealing with “pre-pack” restructuring or sale of the business or assets of an insolvent Cayman Islands company ...
There is no bespoke legislation dealing with “pre-pack” restructuring or sale of the business or assets of an insolvent British Virgin Islands (BVI) company, and in practice, as primarily a holding company jurisdiction pre-packs are not in high demand in the BVI ...
Introduction Parts of the Lending, Credit and Finance (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2022 (“Law”) came into force on 1 January 2023.The Law introduces new licensing regimes for lending, credit and finance activities and provides UK-style consumer protection for retail and home borrowers. The Law replaces the registration regime under the Registration of Non- Regulated Financial Services Businesses (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2008 (“RNFSB”) ...
Two months ago, in mid-April, the European Parliament approved the first legislation in the European Union on tracking payments in cryptocurrencies, supervision in this area and combating money laundering. The MEPs also adopted common rules for the supervision and protection of consumer rights (MiCA, or Markets in Crypto assets) with safeguards against market manipulation and financial crimes ...
