What is your outlook for Chinese businesses and investment as we approach the end of 2021? China is, and will continue to be, the strongest market for offshore law firms in Asia. China's outbound investment activity has been subdued since 2016, due to domestic constraints on outbound capital flows and tighter scrutiny of Chinese investments abroad ...
We are very excited to be supporting the UN Global Compact Network UK’s ‘Transitioning to a Net Zero’ webinar series ...
The Norwegian government, as owners of the frigate, has held the owners of the tanker liable for the collision and presented a claim of some NOK 13 billion for the loss of the frigate and an additional NOK 770 million for costs related to removing the wreck. Liability is disputed and is due to be adjudged next year. Simonsen Vogt Wiig acts for the owners of the Sola TS ...
The dispute relates to MV «Cheshire» incident in 2017, where a cargo of 42,000 metric tons of fertiliser was subject to a major decomposition incident off Gran Canaria, during a voyage from Norway to Thailand. The fertiliser was completely damaged and the vessel was declared a total loss. The cargo owners held the ship owners jointly liable for the cargo damage. Bibby Transport Ltd and a number of H&M insurers held the fertiliser producer liable for the damaged vessel ...
The Process Migration is the process which allows an overseas company to be registered as a Guernsey company in accordance with the provisions of The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) (the "Law") ...
Those of you working in the transportation, ports, and maritime industry have a lot to look forward to as America’s roads, railways, ports, and other transportation infrastructure are expected to see improvements now that Congress passed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, H.R. 3684 ...
Following the government’s consultation on calorie labelling for food and drink served outside of the home in 2018, qualifying businesses in the out of home (OOH) sector will be required to display calorie information per portion from 6 April 2022. What is changing? Currently, businesses serving non-prepacked food and drink in the OOH sector are not required to provide calorie (energy) information ...
In Kabab-Ji SAL v Kout Food Group, the UK Supreme Court recently considered the question of which system of law the English courts must apply to decide whether there is an enforceable arbitration agreement. This case illustrates the different approaches taken in determining questions of applicable law and the consequences this can have for both annulment and enforcement proceedings in different countries ...
We are seeing renewed interest in these types of structures – particularly from fund managers who have not previously targeted Shariah investors - as (i) sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and HNW individuals from the Middle East and South East Asia diversify into alternative assets like private equity (PE), and (ii) traditional or "western" managers look to expand into the Shariah market by establishing bespoke feeder or parallel funds in Guernsey which offer a Shariah complian
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has made several recent announcements signaling its intention to increase antitrust merger enforcement under the leadership of Chairperson Lina Kahn, appointed by President Biden. Some relate to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) pre-merger notification requirements, which apply regardless of whether a transaction is substantively reviewed by the FTC or the Department of Justice (DOJ) ...
In February 2012, the FATF published the revised FATF Recommendations (also known as the Standards). The Standards continue to develop to detect and prevent new money laundering and terrorist-financing techniques impacting the international financial system, such as misuse of virtual assets and COVID-19 related threats ...
With COP26 now upon us, all eyes are on Glasgow! As we continue to explore the various routes to net zero, there is no doubt that the Scottish Government's recently published "Heat in Buildings Strategy" will have a key play to role to play. Never in recent history has there been so much focus on how we use space that was once the reserve of our personal and family lives for working…but also on how our homes work for us ...
The high street will of course evolve according to prevailing consumer habits. That evolution has been brought into sharp focus by the pandemic, where retailers have had to adapt to the restrictions imposed on non-essential retail at certain times combined with the general growth of e-commerce. That said, the retail market in Guernsey compares well to the UK market and is seen as an attractive opportunity for retailers, both for well-known UK brands and local independents alike ...
Article by Anne Coulon, Regional Legal Adviser, DFDL Thailand A stable, autonomous judiciary naturally commands the trust of a nation’s citizenry while inspiring confidence and peace-of-mind among foreign actors: this is crucial in terms of their investments and commercial activities, that they will receive fair and equal treatment whenever certain dealings come into dispute when doing business in the host country ...
On 13 October 2021, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) issued an Announcement on the Participation of Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors and RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors in Financial Derivatives Transactions (Announcement, available here in Chinese) ...
On 30 September 2021, the Government passed into law the Securities and Futures (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 and the Limited Partnership Fund and Business Registration Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 (the Ordinances). These new laws will enable foreign investment funds to be re-domiciled and registered in Hong Kong as open-ended fund companies (OFCs) or limited partnership funds (LPFs). The Ordinances will come into effect on 1 November 2021 ...
Marks & Spencer breached a court order to enforce a “keep-open” provision in one of its leases, when it carried on business only in a “half-hearted” manner ...
Freeports are obviously of immediate interest to importers, exporters, and manufacturers, as they allow the import of materials and manufacture or incorporation of those materials into items which are then exported, all without incurring tariffs and with minimal regulation. The government’s stated objectives in establishing Freeports were to establish national hubs for global trade and investment across the UK, promote regeneration and job creation and create hotbeds for innovation ...
Overview On 15 October 2021, the New Law on Investment (“New Investment Law”) was promulgated, which aims to provide a comprehensive, transparent and predictable legal framework to attract both domestic and foreign investment. The New Investment Law replaces the existing 1994 Law on Investment and the 2003 Law on the Amendment to the Law on Investment (“Former Investment Law”) from its promulgation date (15 October 2021) ...
Author(s) Senior Partner, Nishant Menon and Associate, Nikhil Bhatia The Supreme Court of India on 6th August 2021 in Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC v Future Retail Limited & Others handed down a seminal decision in relation to enforcement of an Emergency Arbitrator’s (“EA”) award. The ruling has great significance as it furthers India’s mission of being a pro-arbitration State where there is greater ease of doing business ...
Energy drink giant Red Bull recently received some negative press for issuing a cease and desist letter to Norwich-based gin maker Bullards for the use of the word ‘bull’ in its brand name. The case is a useful reminder that brand owners should make sure that their brand protection strategy reflects the organisation’s wider brand values ...
Cambodia’s long-awaited Competition Law (“Law”) was signed into law by the King on 5 October 2021. While the Law has been enacted, the principal regulator, the Cambodia Competition Commission (“CCC”) has not yet been appointed and it is not clear how the Law will be enforced prior to a) such appointment and b) the issue of required regulatory instruments and decisions ...
