On 17 February 2020, we wrote our first notes on the effect of the virus on shipping. Since then, both the outbreak as well as the measures against it are spreading wider. Link to our first article about the Covid-19 and its impact on Shipping. We have received numerous queries from our clients and have assisted in establishing management plans for situations ranging from chartering, to shipbuilding and sale and purchase through to notices to master and crew on board ...
Corona-related sales declines in many industries lead to short-term liquidity bottlenecks for numerous companies. As the third pillar of the protective shield for employees and companies, the German Federal Government has therefore decided on new and unlimited measures to expand liquidity assistance to facilitate companies’ access to cheap loans ...
ESMA DECISION The European Securities and Markets Authority („ESMA“) announced today the decision to lower the initial reporting threshold for net short positions under the EU Short Selling Regulation to 0.1 percent (the „ESMA Decision“). The ESMA Decision has entered into force immediately after its publication on ESMA’s website. INITIAL REPORTING THRESHOLD NOW 0.1 PERCENT (PRIOR: 0 ...
The consequences of the coronavirus are omnipresent and felt by everyone. Management Board members and Directors of issuers of securities listed on the open or regulated market are faced with the question whether ad hoc publicity obligations are arising for their companies in connection with the corona crisis. The abstract circumstance of the occurrence of a recession as a result of the spread of the coronavirus does not trigger an ad hoc disclosure obligation ...
We are conscious that the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic is top of mind for everyone these days, and our first hope is that all of our clients and their loved ones are healthy and safe. Many of our private lending clients have had questions regarding actions they should be taking in response to the pandemic and the effect voluntary and, in some cases mandated, “social distancing” measures are having on their businesses and the economy ...
On March 11, 2020, the City of San Francisco announced measures to support small businesses in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. The City’s support efforts include the deferral of business taxes and licensing fees, as well as the launch of an economic relief fund ...
A more recent examination of H.R. 6201, Family Medical Leave Act Expansion, is available here. In the early morning hours of March 14, the House passed H.R. 6201, which now moves to the Senate, where changes are likely to be made before enactment ...
On March 4, 2020, the U.S ...
The Financial Services industry has been quick to respond to the struggles facing individuals and businesses during the current coronavirus pandemic, but there are issues they need to consider when implementing their forbearance measures ...
Overview and Outlook for Fintech in 2020 Technology continues to redefine our expectations in almost every area of our lives and shape the way we interact with the world ...
We regularly work with financial institutions to navigate the challenges of implementing, maintaining, and using security procedures for commercial customers’ use of treasury management services. Security procedures are an integral part of the relationship between the financial institution and its commercial customers ...
Already, the COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects on the global economy and particularly on the German economy as well: interrupted international supply chains, travel restrictions, or the cancelation of major events and trade shows – all of this poses considerable challenges for the manufacturing, trade, transportation, tourism, and event organizer sectors in Germany ...
Companies, municipalities, and water systems must now report their per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) use to the federal government. A new federal law requires facilities using 100 pounds per year of a listed PFAS compound to self-report to the national Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Monitoring and reporting requirements are often prerequisites to cleanup and enforcement, and this collection of data may be a bellwether for the future regulation of PFAS ...
The stock market is undoubtedly one of the most important economic forces in the world. Every year, billions of dollars are moved through stock exchange operations, and year after year, in most jurisdictions, the stock market is promoted as a tool for financing or capturing capital for issuers and as an investment for thousands of participants seeking to place their funds in higher yield investments ...
With the economy facing downward pressure, the Hong Kong Government is rolling out various supporting and funding measures to help enterprises. The $30 billion HK$ Anti-epidemic Fund The Legislative Council Finance Committee approved the $30 billion Anti-epidemic Fund on 21 February 2020, more than half of which - HK$16.9 billion - will serve as one-off cash injections to retailers, food and beverages service providers, start-ups and other businesses ...
On January 27, 2020, the Financial Market Commission (“FMC”) published, for public consultation purposes, a proposed amendment to its Updated Regulations Compendium, by means of introducing two new Chapters: Chapter 21-6, on credit risk-weighted assets determination, and Chapter 21-12, on additional basic capital ...
In our geography in constant transition, resources must be shielded, which is why we must revisit as investors the macro trends as economists call it, prudence in investment matters is imposed without restraining dynamism, only taking it in a gradual and diversified way. Investing in companies or funds with a green seal is one of the strategies that have been outlined for this new year 2020 ...
On February 26, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma, 589 U.S. ___ (2020) (Sulyma) that an ERISA1 plaintiff’s admitted receipt of disclosures about his retirement plan investments was insufficient to prove he had “actual knowledge” of the information therein — the effect of which would have been to trigger a shorter three-year statute of limitations period that would have barred his lawsuit altogether ...
The outbreak of the coronavirus and the measures taken by the Chinese government to contain it have brought production in China as the world's workbench to a complete standstill. Companies that operate in China or purchase such goods are currently facing delivery shortfalls. A similar situation could soon threaten Italy, where the first factory closures have already taken place ...
In a slightly surprising, but nevertheless welcome, South African 2020 Budget Speech today, the Honourable Minister of Finance announced that there would be no significant tax increases to the major taxes for the forthcoming tax year. Widely anticipated increases to value-added tax (“VAT”), income tax, capital gains tax and estate duty did not materialise ...
BVI government welcomes announcement. Blacklist expands to include 12 jurisdictions.On 18 February 2020, EU Finance Ministers updated the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, upgrading the British Virgin Islands to whitelist status, which designates the country as a fully co-operative tax jurisdiction in line with all of the tax good-governance standards ...
SVW has, across its offices, been giving guidance to clients both under English and Norwegian law as to the Coronavirus impact on shipping contracts, including on force majeure and similar exceptions clauses, and contract frustration. Read our recent publication, touching upon these issues. The Covid19 Virus Only two months have passed since the novel coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, China ...
Summary On January 13, 2020, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) issued final regulations to implement the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA)1 (the “Regulations”2). The Regulations go into effect on February 13, 2020. CFIUS’s existing regulations (the “Pilot Program”) will continue to apply to transactions that close prior to February 13, 2020 ...
