The UK’s Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is set to deliver her first Budget on 30 October and it is anticipated to bring significant changes to the tax landscape. With the Government having identified a funding shortfall of £22 billion, it seems almost inevitable that tax rises are on the way, with capital gains tax (CGT) squarely in the Chancellor’s sights. We’ve outlined some potential changes and key considerations that may be relevant before, and after, Budget Day ...
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is seeking feedback from stakeholders on new best practice guidance for food businesses that provide non-prepacked food. What is non-prepacked food? Non-prepacked food includes all foods that are not prepacked, e.g., loose foods, food packaged at the request of the consumer, food supplied by caterers, meals served in a restaurant, takeaway food, food made to order at cafes, etc ...
The European Commission published its draft regulation, the “NIS2 Implementing Regulation” (“N2IR”), for consultation on 27 June 2024. N2IR builds on the Network and Information Systems Directive 2022/2555 (“NIS2”), which was adopted on 16 January 2023 and will begin to apply from 18 October 2024 and beyond ...
Jersey private trust companies This briefing note considers key issues relating to the establishment and use of a Jersey PTC in the context of private wealth management. References to “PTCs” are to companies which operate as corporate trustees, although it is also possible for a foundation to act as a private trust foundation (a "PTF") ...
Working time’ for National Minimum Wage (NMW) purposes can cause a real headache for employers and the case law in this area continues to develop as (travel) time moves on. The National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/621) (NMW Regulations 2015) define various types of ‘work’ which includes ‘time work’ ...
Jersey investment funds – autumn 2024 update Jersey Financial Services Commission - Recent changes to the Jersey Private Fund Guide On 2 July 2024, following a collaboration with the Jersey funds industry, the Jersey Financial Services Commission (“JFSC”) published an updated version of the Jersey Private Fund Guide (“JPF Guide”) with the goal of improving the Jersey Private Fund (“JPF”) regime (see here) ...
Bermuda investment funds – autumn 2024 update Bermuda Monetary Authority Investment Fund statistics (Q2 2024) Bermuda continues to consolidate its status as a leading international financial centre with growth in the investment funds sector during Q2 2024. The Bermuda Monetary Authority (the “BMA”) has published its Q2 2024 Investment Fund Statistics (see here), which indicate an increase in both the total number of funds and the net asset value (NAV) of those funds ...
British Virgin Islands investment funds - autumn 2024 update British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission statistics Q2 2024 The British Virgin Islands (the “BVI”) Financial Services Commission (“FSC”) has published its Statistical Bulletin for Q2 2024 (see here, with ‘Investment Business’ statistics at page 17 and ‘Funds’ statistics at page 18) identifying progress made in different sectors of the Financial Services industry, including
Guernsey investment funds – autumn 2024 update Guernsey funds statistics The Guernsey Financial Services Commission (“GFSC”) has published its Investment Statistics Summary for Q2 2024 (see here). The full statistics can be viewed here, but the key statistics are as follows: Guernsey funds The total net asset value of Guernsey funds at the end of the quarter was £295.7 billion, an increase over the quarter of £3.2 billion (+1.1%) ...
Cayman Islands investment funds – autumn 2024 update Beneficial ownership for Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (“CIMA”) registered funds – updated requirements On 31 July 2024, the Cayman Islands Beneficial Ownership Transparency Act, 2023 (“BO Act”) and the accompanying Beneficial Ownership Transparency Regulations, 2024 (“BO Regulations”) were brought into force (see here for the BO Act, and here for the BO Regulations) ...
This article is part of our EU AI Act series which explores the effect of the AI Act across various industries and sectors. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized various industries, garnering considerable hype and widespread discussion. As AI technologies continue to evolve, their integration into various industries has profound implications, particularly for the labour market ...
In our eighth article in the series focusing on the risk of discrimination in the workplace, we consider the protected characteristic of disability, the common issues that arise and what employers can do to avoid discrimination claims. What is disability discrimination? Disability discrimination occurs where a job applicant or employee is treated less favourably because of their disability ...
October 2, 2024 By: Manuel Fishman* Beginning on January 1, 2025, landlords of commercial properties – be they office, industrial or retail, will need to develop new procedures when entering into leases with a newly defined class of tenants, identified as “qualified commercial tenants ...
October 1, 2024 By: Braeden Mansouri and Alicia Guerra On September 29, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 98 (“AB 98”), which limits warehouses from being built near “sensitive receptors.” AB 98 establishes new standards for the construction warehouses of certain sizes and for warehouses located in certain parts of the state ...
In a long-awaited decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that “direct physical loss” language in commercial property policies is not ambiguous and that COVID-related business-interruption claims do not trigger the insuring clause of these policies. Based on this ruling, business interruption claims filed for losses caused by pandemic-related closures are not covered under standard commercial property policies ...
Administration of Bermuda's Corporate Income Tax Act 2024 In August 2024, Bermuda’s Ministry of Finance published a public consultation paper setting out certain proposed compliance obligations for Bermuda corporate taxpayers including certain anticipated procedural requirements with respect to registration, tax return filings, and payment of taxes ...
Licensing under the POI Law “Controlled investment business” Carrying on controlled investment business involves three elements: engaging in a “restricted activity”; which is in connection with a “controlled investment”; and which is done by way of business ...
September 30, 2024 By: Akana K. Ma A Changed Regulatory Environment - Companies who think that U.S. export controls and sanctions do not apply to their products and channels of trade should reassess that position. As an example, approximately US$1.1 billion in fines levied during the last 15 months by the U.S ...
Legislative regulation of platform employment and implications for business ****Platform employment**** is a relatively new sphere, which is just beginning to be regulated. In December 2023, Federal Law No. 565-FZ “On the Employment of the Population” was adopted, which for the first time introduced the concepts of ****“platform employment”**** and ****“self-employment”**** into the ****legal field**** ...
On the 23rd August, 2024 a new set of regulations (the “Regulations”) were promulgated under Legal Notice 196 of 2024 enabling requests for the amendment or revocation of conditions imposed in the original deed of sale or emphyteusis concerning property transferred by the Government of Malta (the “Government”), the Lands Authority (the “Authority”), or any ecclesiastical entity which subsequently transferred the title to the Government ...
The UK Government has now enacted secondary legislation to reflect the new “go live” date of the Procurement Act 2023 (the “Act”) on 24 February 2025. On 16 September 2024, the Procurement Act 2023 (Commencement No 3 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/959) (“Amendment Regulations”) were made ...
In this issue, we present an overview of arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism. This edition also includes some key takeaways from a recent debate in Stockholm on the relevance of Section 36 of the Contracts Act in commercial disputes. Additionally, we provide an update on the proceedings before the Court of Appeal concerning the temporary injunction granted by the Oslo District Court in the Norwegian climate case ...
Appointment of a liquidator to an insolvent company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands The effect of an insolvent liquidation is to put the affairs of the company in the hands of an independent insolvency practitioner who is required to take possession of, protect and realise the company’s assets for the benefit of the company’s creditors. Liquidation is a final procedure which will ultimately bring the company’s life to an end ...