There is no doubt that the pandemic catapulted society and businesses into a new and different world, which saw old working practices replaced by new and which advanced the adoption of new technology at a rapid pace. However, one thing didn’t change at law firm Shoosmiths, and that was how Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations still firmly lay at the heart of the business strategy ...
On 30 July 2021, the Financial Services Authority (“OJK”) has issued OJK Regulation No. 12/POJK.03/2021 on Commercial Banks (“POJK 12/2021”). POJK 12/2021 was issued to anticipate, amongst other things, a business development and banking trend including the development and innovation of information technology. One of the interesting topics of POJK 12/2021 is the introduction of provisions on digital banks ...
In her speech to the Principles for Responsible Investment and the London Stock Exchange Group, SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee made it clear that a climate change disclosure proposal is no longer a question of if, but when and provided some hints about what the proposal will look like. After remarking that “[c]limate change is . . ...
Last week, in the culmination of a process that began in 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Final Rule to update the Safeguards Rule promulgated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ...
This initiative is a significant departure from the current position where an application for the appointment of a 'light touch' provisional liquidator, for the purpose of restructuring, must be made as part of the winding up process. Under the changes, a restructuring officer can be appointed by a company acting by its directors without a resolution of its members or an express power in its articles of association ...
[!<CDATA[ Moratoriums on foreclosures due to COVID-19 ended this summer, prompting concerns of a shock similar to the 2008 housing crisis. While there are numerous differences between today and the previous recession, financial service providers can stay a step ahead by arming themselves with a few lessons learned ...
On 27 August 2021, the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), a group of private-market participants convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2014 to lead the LIBOR transition in the United States, issued FAQs and Best Practice Recommendations on, among other things, the use of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) and its term rates (“Term SOFR”), following the ARRC’s formal recommendatio
28 January 2021 saw the release of a Notification Concerning Guidelines for the Identification and Verification of Customers and Ultimate Beneficial Owners (“AMLO Notification”) by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (“AMLO”) ...
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 ...
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) held two virtual briefing sessions in October 2021 and provided useful guidance on its newest climate-related risk management requirements for fund managers, as detailed in the Consultation Conclusions on the Management and Disclosure of Climate-related Risks by Fund Managers (with amendments to the Fund Manager Code of Conduct (FMCC)) and the Circular issued on 20 August 2021 ...
Republic Act (“RA”) No. 11590 amends the National Internal Revenue Code (“NIRC” or the “Tax Code”) to provide the taxing rules for offshore gaming operations. Taxation of Offshore Gaming Licensees Under RA No ...
On 05 October 2021, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (“BSP”) issued Circular Letter (“CL”) No. 2021-72, disseminating to all BSP-Supervised Financial Institutions (“BSFIs”) the AMLC Regulatory Issuance (“ARI”) No. 6-2021 on the final extension of the deadline for compliance with the Guidelines on Digitalization of Customer Records (“DIGICUR”). ARI No ...
Banks were cast as the villain of the piece in the so-called ‘Great Recession’ of 2007–2009, the last downturn to hit our economy before the coronavirus pandemic. Their role in the subprime mortgage debacle led directly to a global financial crisis and the deepest UK recession since the Second World War. By contrast, in the economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the banking industry played a crucial role in stabilising our economy ...
Revitalizing Brownfields has long been considered a centerpiece for community efforts to encourage growth and development of properties impacted by contamination. In 2021, Oregon’s Legislature passed HB 2518, which seeks to enhance Brownfield development by making forgivable loans available to assist with the cleanup of blighted properties ...
The Renewed Proposal On Oct. 14, 2021, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler released a statement announcing the SEC would once more open comment on the Dodd-Frank Act rule regarding clawbacks of incentive-based compensation that had been improperly awarded due to since-corrected accounting errors. Should a company not comply or refuse to institute a compensation recovery policy, the SEC proposal goes so far as to threaten delisting ...
On 14 September 2021, the Thai cabinet passed a resolution (“Cabinet Resolution”) proposed by the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (“CESA”) to incentivize foreign investment in Thailand through the issuance of new visa, tax, and foreign land ownership incentives. The CESA particularly aims to attract high net worth foreign nationals, who wish to invest in land and buildings, and who can meet these minimum qualifications: 1 ...
Dear valued clients, colleagues and friends, We are pleased to bring you the September 2021 issue of our quarterly Newsletter, we hope that you will continue to find its contents of value to you. In this issue’s Front Page Focus, Caitlin Tan Hui Yi, associate from our Dispute Resolution Practice Group, discusses the disqualification of solicitors in the Court of Appeal case of Dato’ Azizan bin Abdul Rahman v Pinerains Sdn Bhd ...
The current prospectus rules The current Jersey definition of “prospectus” has often meant that a securities offer by a Jersey company is a prospectus for Jersey law purposes, even where an exemption from the obligation to produce an approved prospectus is available in other jurisdictions in which the offer will be circulated ...
There has been an increase in market capitalisation of Jersey listed companies on global exchanges from £269 billion in 2014 to £278.9 billion in 2021. Furthermore, The International Stock Exchange (TISE) has seen the number of listings increase from 2,272 in 2016 to 3,431 securities on its official list at end of June 2021. These are just some examples which explain why Jersey is now regarded as a premier international finance centre ...
In the Matter of the X Trusts [2021] SC (Bda) 72 Civ (7 September 2021) Assistant Justice Dr Ian R.C. Kawaley of the Supreme Court of Bermuda has handed down significant guidance to assist in the understanding of this important relationship in offshore trusts ...
