A share buyback essentially occurs when a company acquires some of its own shares through means other than by subscription. Such acquired shares are colloquially referred to as treasury shares and allow for flexibility with regards to the company’s capital structure since the sale thereof does not constitute an allotment or issue of shares and thus the restrictions imposed thereon do not apply ...
By: Daniel Silva, Sanjay Bhandari, and Marshall Olney After dozens of high-profile criminal prosecutions and a growing wave of civil investigations, the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Covid-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is poised to continue its pursuit of fraud, abuse, and waste related to various Covid-19 relief programs ...
Although this is a developing area, many billions of assets under management have already been tokenised. High profile managers such as Franklin Templeton, Abrdn, KKR, Mitsui and Hamilton Lane have already launched tokenised products. Tokenised assets nonetheless still represent a tiny percentage of the funds industry. We expect this area to grow exponentially in the coming years. What is tokenisation? Tokenisation is the digital representation of 'traditional' financial assets (e.g ...
In commercial real estate transactions, time is money, execution is everything and projects generally do not move forward without a mortgage loan. Lenders and their counsel should view a project as if the lender is the eventual buyer, owner and seller. For developers, considering the transaction from a lender’s point of view can save them considerable time and money and expedite loan closing ...
At the end of last week, the FT published a guest article on quantum computing. For those unfamiliar with quantum computing, it is the technology that will be capable of harnessing the powers of quantum mechanics to solve problems which are too complex for ‘classical’ computers (the computers of today). Classical computing employs streams of electrical impulses to encode information: an electrical impulse may be only 1 or 0 (i.e. on or off) – a classical 'bit’ ...
On October 24, the Head of Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gurbir Grewal, addressed the New York City Bar Association. Grewal's speech covered a range of topics, highlighting the landscape of regulatory enforcement and compliance by the SEC with three themes: education; engagement; and execution ...
In the second instalment of The Fintech Times' ‘Where to Relocate’ series, we turn the spotlight to the Cayman Islands as a VASP-friendly jurisdiction. Situated in the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands offer a unique blend of regulatory excellence, technological innovation, and a commitment to fostering the growth of digital assets ...
October 26, 2023 By: Jarrett Osborne-Revis In Breanne Martin v. Leslie Gladstone, the Second District Court of Appeal recently decided a case that could reverberate throughout the receivership and bankruptcy industries. This case comes at a propitious moment as bankruptcy proceedings and receiverships – particularly for distressed commercial real estate entities – trend upward in California ...
The SEC issued enforcement orders against three companies for including terms in their employment and separation agreements that violated Rule 21F-17(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1942, commonly known as the whistleblower protection rule. The rule prohibits any action that impedes an individual from communicating directly with SEC staff about a possible securities law violation ...
On October 16, 2023, the Division of Examinations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Division”) published the 2024 Examination Priorities. Historically, the Examination Priorities have been published in the 1st quarter of the applicable calendar year. For 2024, the Division revised the publication date to align with the start of the SEC’s fiscal year ...
Are you an influencer? Do you earn money or other benefits by creating content on social media? Influencers that are offered deals to advertise a brand’s products over social media platforms will qualify as traders and should thus disclose their adverts in a transparent manner. Over the coming weeks, the European Commission will be screening online posts to identify any sponsored posts uploaded to social media by influencers which could mislead consumers ...
Corporate status A foundation company is a body corporate with a legal personality distinct from its members, directors and other connected persons. As foundation companies are governed by the Companies Act (Revised), except where it is inconsistent with the Foundation Company Act (2017), they benefit from an extensive body of case law and are well recognised in other jurisdictions ...
The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (PSTIA) received Royal Assent on December 6, 2022. The PSTIA makes various changes to the Electronic Communications Code (the Code) – however, its intended effects are only being felt piecemeal, as its provisions are being slowly brought into force through secondary legislation. Ss ...
The flight to quality in the UK’s commercial real estate market has been covered extensively over recent months. Nowhere is this shift being felt more acutely than in the office sector. According to Cushman & Wakefield, take-up of Grade A office space in Central London reached 2.44m sq ft during the first half of 2023 - increasing by 7 per cent on the five-year H1 average. There are many factors driving this shift ...
The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued SEC Memorandum Circular No. 17, series of 2023, titled Extension of Amnesty Applications until 06 November 2023 (SEC MC No. 17-2023 or the "Circular") to grant a final extension up to November 6, 2023 for amnesty applications for late and non-filing of general information sheets ("GIS"), annual financial statements ("AFS"), as well as non-compliance with SEC Memorandum Circular No ...
Examples of ESG investments include investments in businesses such as wind farms and solar power initiatives, or in companies that meet the investor’s ESG value criteria (for example, because they have in place policies to address climate change or to ensure ethical supply chain sourcing) ...
For those considering such a move, there are various options open to them to make their relocation a reality: Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means Certificate of Permanent Residence for Persons of Independent Means Certificate of Direct Investment Residency Certificate (Substantial Business Presence) Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means A person can apply for a Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means ...
In recent times, the financial market has been abuss with discussions about the potential benefits of real estate tokenisation. Several initiatives worldwide, such as Propchain in Dubai, Vave and Equisafe in France, Propellr, Inveniam Capital Partners, and Fluidity in the United States, as well as Elevated Returns in the United States and Thailand, have taken the bold step of launching tokenised real estate projects ...
On October 16, 2023, the Council of the Central Bank of Chile ("CBCh") published in consultation a proposal to systematize and update the exchange information requested to entities that are part of the Formal Exchange Market (the "Project"), in compliance with the regulation of the Foreign Exchange Regulations Compendium ("FERC"), together with a reformulation and restructuring of this regulatory body ...
One of the most common questions I receive from clients is around the termination of leases, with confusion reigning around the terminology and procedures used in Scotland. It is not surprising that when given a remit to consider the law of commercial leases, the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) first turned its attention to the law relating to the termination of leases at expiry. In October 2022, following consultations, the SLC published its Report on Aspects of Leases: Termination ...
In a recent update to the suite of Homes England standard shared ownership leases, England’s Regulator of Social Housing sought to align rent reviews with social and affordable rent tenures. In the process, it may have created more work for sector participants ...
The Government of Jersey has published an update on the implementation of mandatory Energy Performance Certificates for Jersey in relation to commercial and residential property. The update confirms that the planned new legislation will establish a framework for Jersey Energy Performance Assessments (JEPA), which will be the Jersey equivalent to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). This name change is to ensure that it is clear the Jersey assessments differ from those in the UK ...
The idea of achieving purpose alongside profit has been part of the business world for centuries, but the importance placed on it has reached new heights in recent years with an increased focus on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues, informed by a longer-term view that we cannot afford to pursue profit without consideration for people and our planet ...
