Introduction: On February 7, 2021, the State Council Anti-monopoly Commission (the “Commission”) promulgated the Anti-Monopoly Guidelines for the Platform Economy (the “Guidelines”), following only three months after the State Administration for Market Regulation (“SAMR”) issued an exposure draft of the same on November 10, 2020 (the “Exposure Draft”), which unveiled a more rigorous approach to anti-monopoly regulation ...
Corporate & Commercial Recognition of UK Insolvency Proceedings in Malta Post-BrexitSimon Pullicino comments on the impact of Brexit with respect to cross-border insolvency and the implications for the recognition and enforcement of UK proceedings in Malta and vice-versa ...
The SEC Division of Examinations issued a Risk Alert on Feb. 26, 2021, providing the Division’s observations made during examinations of investment advisers, broker-dealers and transfer agents regarding digital asset securities. For purposes of the Division, digital asset securities are those digital assets that are securities ...
For those of us in the HUD-insured multifamily finance space who make our living trying to shrink the time period between firm commitment and closing, Chapter 19 of the new Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) Guide was a must-read when it was published at the end of 2020 ...
On 08 March 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commissions (“SEC”) released SEC Memorandum Circular (“MC”) No. 3, series of 2021 to promulgate and provide guidelines on the filing of the audited financial statements (“AFS”), general information sheet (“GIS”), and other annual reports for the year 2021. In the said MC, the SEC announced the mandatory submission of these reports through the SEC’s Online Submission Tool (“OST”) ...
On Wednesday, March 10, 2021, Supreme Decree N° 007-2021-VIVIENDA was published in the Official Gazette “El Peruano”, which established a three-month deadline for the submission of Cofinanced Private Initiatives (“IPC”) on investment projects for sanitation services ...
FINANCIAL SERVICES BNM announces new funds for SMEs On 5 February 2021, Bank Negara Malaysia ("BNM") announced: an additional RM2 billion for the Targeted Relief and Recovery Facility (“TRRF”); the establishment of a RM200 million Disaster Relief Facility (“DRF”) 2021. TRRF The TRRF was a facility announced in the Budget 2021, established to assist eligible SMEs in the services sector ...
On February 23, 2021, the Plenary of the Court of Appeals of Santiago agreed to establish a regulation that favors the use of telematic systems and information technology in the various functions performed by notaries, providing instructions for: The use of advanced electronic signature (FEA) by the notary publics (notarios públicos). The authorization of signatures stamped on private instruments, by telematic means ...
On March 4, 2021, Exempt Resolution No. 625 of the Ministry of Mining (“Res. No. 625”) was published in the Official Gazette. Res. No. 265 sets forth a citizen consultation process on the proposal to amend Supreme Decree No. 248 of 2007, which approved the Regulations on the Approval of Projects of Design, Construction, Operation and Closure of Tailings Dams (the “Regulations”) ...
Title reviews are the heartbeat of the due diligence process. When a buyer is considering acquiring a commercial property, it is the title review process that confirms the seller actually owns the property and provides an overview of all rights affecting such property ...
Signals from the SEC regarding the growing importance to the Commission of ESG disclosures keep coming, seemingly daily. The recently appointed acting director of the Division of Corporation Finance has long pushed the agency for “relevant, material, decision-useful ESG disclosure.” More recently, the SEC announced the creation and filling of the position of senior policy advisor for climate and ESG in the office of Acting Chair Allison Herren Lee ...
A lot happened in 2020, so you would be forgiven if you had missed some of the developments in the financial services sector. In this article, we look back and identify seven key trends which emerged in banking, finance, funds and asset management. 1. COVID-19 COVID-19 has impacted financial services as it has every other industry. Throughout 2020, the FCA, PRA and Bank of England have taken steps to react to the pandemic ...
Preparing and maintaining statutory company registers can use up valuable resources of the finance department or directors of the company, however if a company is sold it is one of the first documents that the buyers’ solicitors will request. It can be costly, and time consuming to re-create registers and it can hold up any sale ...
There were a lot of good green measures in the Budget and the government deserves credit for recognising the vital role that net zero transition will play in determining our future prosperity. Not just building back stronger but building back greener, with reference clearly made to the role the headline announcement of Freeports will have in supporting the delivery of the UK’s clean energy revolution ...
Shoosmiths hosted one if its best attended Shoosmiths Aviation & Marine Breakfast Association (SAMBA) webinars on 25 February. Joined by representatives from industries across the marine spectrum (boatbuilding, finance, insurance, marinas and the RYA) Elliot Bishop and Sarah Fairweather discussed the impact of Covid and Brexit on the leisure marine sector in particular and the outlook for the coming year ...
Hear directly from the CFPB about mortgage servicing in the COVID-19 era, including how the leadership transition is affecting the CFPB’s priorities and approach. From a webinar on March 3, Bradley hosted a Q&A session with Allison Brown of the CFPB's Office of Supervision Policy to discuss the CFPB’s supervisory expectations as the industry grapples with CARES implementation and other challenges arising from the coronavirus crisis ...
On February 18, 2021, the IRS issued Notice 2021-15, which provides guidance with regard to a number of provisions of the temporary changes to the rules related to the operation of health and dependent care flexible spending accounts that were included as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “New Law”), and also provides for an additional exception from the standard rules regarding Section 125 plan (often referred to as cafeteria plans or flexible benefits p
The period for filing complaints to challenge 2020 property tax values in Ohio ends on March 31, 2021. For properties assessed in a 2020 county reappraisal or update, a reduction in the 2020 value may offer greater tax savings now than at any point for the next three tax years. However, the potential impact of COVID-19 on tax year 2021 values must be carefully considered ...
From 1 April 2021, a 2% Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) surcharge will apply to non-UK residents purchasing residential property in England & Northern Ireland. However, what is meant by a non-UK resident in these circumstances can result in some surprising outcomes ...
The Shoosmiths pensions team has hosted a webinar for non-pensions professionals, trustees and company directors to provide an oversight of pensions issues likely to effect businesses over the next 12 months ...
On Thursday, February 25, 2021, a Federal Court Judge in the Eastern District of Texas sided with a group of landlords by holding that the eviction moratorium instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is unconstitutional by extending “far beyond the legitimate scope of federal power ...
A NEW PATHWAY From Uber to Jumia and even older technology (tech) companies like Etranzact and Chams Plc, it is arguable that Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”) have not offered great returns for tech companies in Nigeria and across the globe[1]. Investors are speculating on whether the great tech bubble is about to burst because, considering the cost of IPOs, tech companies have to scrutinise the expected returns when contemplating an IPO ...
Tech Companies and Fund Raising: The New Way of Going Public (Part 2) In the second part of our article, we focus on Spotify, a digital music service that utilised a direct listing to become a public company, the key steps they took that differed from a traditional IPO, and how the NSE can modify its current regulatory framework to include direct listings. Case Study: Spotify Technology S ...
