How successfully a business emerges following this pandemic will depend to a great extent on how quickly it identifies and implements long term necessary changes. Nobody is yet clear what the post-Covid-19 world will look like. It is possible that things revert back to the way they were quicker than anyone imagines. That said, it is very difficult to imagine no lasting or consequential changes to the way we work or live ...
Many jurisdictions have put in place legislation to regulate merger activities. There have been discussions that it is high time for Malaysia to implement a general merger control regime under the Malaysian Competition Act 2010. As it presently stands, general merger activities which do not fall within two specific sectors (will be discussed below) are not regulated and no prior sanction is required from the Competition Commission before a merger transaction takes place ...
Confinement and strict measures of social distancing are now part of the reality of millions of people around the world. Given the uncertainty presented by the world panorama in the economic, political, social and cultural fields, the authorities must go one step further to try to mitigate the severe consequences that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused globally ...
The Commission for the Financial Market (“CMF”), issued the General Rule No. 443, dated June 15, 2020 (the “NCG 443”), in order to establish the requirements to temporarily exempt from the presentation of certain documentation in the applications for registration of public offers of securities, and to permanently amend the General Rule No ...
In a significant move for mortgage servicers and mortgage loan borrowers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFPB issued an interim final rule this week that will, among other things, enable servicers to offer a payment deferral option ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on countless businesses around the United States, including breweries. During this time, its understandable many businesses have allowed their trademark deadlines to pass without action due to lack of funds. In light of these hardships, the US Trademark Office has announced that if a business allowed a deadline to pass due to COVID-19, it will waive/refund any fees to Petition to Revive the abandoned application or registration ...
On June 11, 2020, the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Economy and the National Consumer Service ("Sernac") announced the implementation of the "I want to exit" platform, in order to enable telecommunications users to terminate contracts with telecommunications service providers in an expeditious manner ...
We understand how family and personal circumstances underpin everything else, and so this webinar discussed issues to do with health, money and moving home. The takeaway points from the webinar are set out below. Documents to have in place Increase in people putting Wills in place since the pandemic and we anticipate this continuing with a potential second spike on the horizon. Your Will is a key document to make sure that your wishes are followed on death ...
In response to the financial impact of COVID-19 on local governments within the State of Ohio (State), the Ohio Office of the Treasurer has introduced the COVID-19 Response Initiative (Initiative). The purpose of the Initiative is to provide liquidity to local governments by accelerating fiscal year cash flows and easing revenue shortfalls as a result of COVID-19 ...
Key Points IRS guidance expands the definition of “qualified individual” for receiving a tax-favored coronavirus-related distribution (“CRD”) from a retirement plan and other plan changes under the CARES Act. The guidance confirms that plan changes under the CARES Act are optional, including the loan repayment delay, and provides a safe harbor method for implementing the loan repayment delay ...
Key Points Before undertaking a stock option repricing program, consider the tax impact on employees holding incentive stock options (ISOs) Additionally, consider the corporate and securities laws that govern repricing programs Introduction Stock options are a vital form of compensation at a wide range of privately-held companies.1 Stock options are intended to motivate employees to drive stockholder value and are used as an employee retention tool ...
On June 16, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a Temporary Conditional Exemption for municipal advisors (MAs), which provides an exemption from certain broker registration requirements under Section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This order is in response to the disruption in the municipal securities markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic ...
The Fintech LandscapeDevelopments in 2019 in terms of sectors were:Payments: Remittance was an area of significant growth in 2019, with a number of notable non-bank payments service providers receiving Remittance (Class B) Licences from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). MoneyMatch, the first graduate from BNM’s Regulatory Sandbox programme for incubating and ensuring the sustainability and regulatory compliance of fintech start-ups, was the first to receive a licence at the start of the year ...
On 14 May 2020, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) unveiled the Opinions on Providing Financial Support for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (together the Opinions, available here in Chinese). The Opinions propose 26 measures to implement the following policy goals: 1 ...
Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) has recently issued two sets of revised guidelines: III.2 Guidelines on Equities and Other Securities (Guideline III.2) and III.14 Guidelines on Default Investment Strategy (Guideline III.14). The revisions enable greater flexibility in investment in real estate investment funds (REITs). The revised Guideline III ...
The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued its Consultation Conclusions on the OTC derivatives regime for Hong Kong – Proposed refinements to the scope of regulated activities and competence requirements under the OTC derivatives licensing regime (Conclusions) on 10 June 2020 ...
While the world contends with the COVID-19 crisis and its economic and financial impact, China is quietly opening its doors to its financial sector, inviting more foreign financial institutions, banks, insurance providers and other financial service companies to set up shop in China. On March 27, the Chinese government granted approval for both The Goldman Sachs Group Inc ...
It’s 8 am, and you just learned that a material cyber-incident occurred in your organization. You fire up your Incident Response Plan. You engage outside counsel, and outside counsel engages a forensic firm. Your company, your outside counsel, and your forensic firm all sign an agreement that the forensic firm will work at the direction of outside counsel ...
What are trademark scams? Many scam artists attempt to solicit money from trademark owners by sending notices that appear to be authentic but are meant to mislead or fraudulently induce payment for unnecessary or nonexistent services. Unfortunately, because trademark filings are a matter of public record, many bad actors utilize the filing information to prey upon the owners by seeming legitimate. An example of a widely -known scam is shown below ...
Key Points Prior recessions saw increased instances of investor-favorable terms. Founders need to weigh the benefit of receiving financing now vs. the potential chilling effect on future rounds of equity investment. Founders strategizing how to raise capital in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, can look to the last Great Recession to understand investor-favorable deal terms that may be prime to make a comeback ...
