1. Overview of recent corporate governance reforms a. Recent initiatives There have been numerous recent changes in Hong Kong in relation to corporate governance matters, extending well beyond legislation and nonbinding codes. The roles of relevant regulators have also been examined and proposed changes made. As far as legislation is concerned, the most significant change is the introduction of the Securities and Futures Ordinance, which came into force on April 1 2003 ...
On 2 November 2005, the Legislative Council enacted the Revenue (Abolition of Estate Duty) Ordinance ("RAEDO"). It came into operation on 11 February 2006. RAEDO, among other things: (i) abolishes estate duty as proposed in the 2005 - 2006 Budget; and (ii) empowers the Secretary for Home Affairs ("SHA") to release money from bank accounts of deceased persons and allow inspection of bank safe deposit boxes ...
The Government of Hong Kong gazetted the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 (the “Bill”) on 19 March which, among other things, seeks to amend the Inland Revenue Ordinance (“IRO”) to expand and clarify the scope of profits tax deductions for foreign taxes ...
With the Universal Community Testing Programme for COVID-19 detection by the Hong Kong Government and temperature screening in the workplace, the collection and use of biometric data (such as DNA samples, fingerprints and facial images) have raised concerns among the public. In August 2020, the Privacy Commissioner (PC) has updated its guidance note on how data users should collect and use biometric data in compliance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Guidance Note) ...
On 20 July 2021, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued a draft guideline on climate risk management for consultation with the banking industry with comments due by 20 August 2021. The guideline includes expectations on governance, strategy, risk management and disclosure ...
The HKMA has developed a two-year roadmap to promote Regtech adoption in the Hong Kong banking sector (“Roadmap”), as set out in a White Paper entitled “Transforming Risk Management and Compliance: Harnessing the Power of Regtech” (“White Paper”). The White Paper presents the case for wider adoption of Regtech in Hong Kong, outlining a series of actions that the HKMA will take, or consider taking, to accelerate its adoption ...
Hong Kong has in recent times seen an increasing use of remote on-boarding of customers by banks as a result of COVID-19. Banks are generally required to pay more attention to the remote on-boarding assessment of corporate customers as opposed to individual ones due to the higher money laundering and terrorist financing risks associated with corporate vehicles ...
Introduction and summary As part of a longstanding Government policy to attract private equity (“PE”) and investment fund operations to Hong Kong, the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions for Carried Interest) Bill 2021 (the “Bill”) was gazetted on 29 January of this year ...
On 04 April 2019, the Council for Arbitration Development at the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation authorized Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (“HKIAC”) to administer arbitration disputes with the seat in Russia. By 25 April 2019, the Ministry of Justice is expected to include HKIAC into the list of foreign arbitration institutions with the status of a permanently functioning arbitration institution (“PFAI”) ...
In Changfeng Shipping Holdings Limited v Sinoriches Enterprises Co., Limited HCCT 59/2019; [2020] HKCFI 2703, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance laid down the principles applicable to service out of the jurisdiction of examination orders on officers of corporate judgment debtors pursuant to Order 48 rule 1 and Order 11 rule 9(4) of the Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A) (RHC) ...
Few may rebate that internet, is majorly responsible for most of the mayor changes in the past fifteen years in fields such as science, communications, technology, commerce amongst other being necessary to adapt the legal system regulating it. Honduras has not been the exception in this modernization process regardless of the civil code nature of its legal system which is not as adaptable as common law systems are ...
The Coronavirus pandemic has caused a shift in the paradigm of modern-day workplaces. Companies across the globe have seen a rapid and widespread shift to remote work, making compliance with the GDPR harder than ever. The Federal Office of Information Security (BSI), in its recent report on the ‘State of IT Security in Germany 2020’, expressed its concern and indicated a ‘tense situation’ for data protection in the country ...
On 15 April 2016, the Minister of Mineral Resources published the draft Reviewed Broad Based Black-Economic Empowerment Charter for the South African Mining and Minerals Industry 2016 (“the draft reviewed Mining Charter”) for public comment, addressing among other issues, the targets to be met by the mining industry in respect of the housing and living conditions of mine workers ...
On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus, (subsequently renamed as COVID-19), “a public health emergency of international concern”. Various unprecedented and draconian measures were imposed by the PRC Government and other governments around the world, namely, a city lockdown, travel restrictions and bans, extension of the Lunar New Year holidays, mandatory quarantine orders, border closures, etc ...
On 8 June 2021, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) unveiled “Fintech 2025”, a new strategy aiming to drive fintech development in Hong Kong. In essence, “Fintech 2025” seeks to encourage the financial sector to adopt technology in their businesses and transactions comprehensively by 2025 by focusing on the following five key areas: 1 ...
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (“HKMA”) released a technical whitepaper on CBDC on 4th October 2021 “e-HKD: A technical perspective” (“Whitepaper”). The HKMA announced its “Fintech 2025” strategy in June this year, one part of which is to strengthen research work into CBDC with a view to future-proofing Hong Kong in terms of CBDC readiness ...
On 5 July 2021, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued a press release which announced that it has reprimanded and fined Mr Raymond Leung Tak Shing (Leung) HK$400,000 for failing to discharge his duties in relation to AML requirements as a member of a licensed firm’s senior management team ...
OSHA has released its long-awaited emergency rule requiring the COVID-19 vaccine or weekly testing for many employers. With compliance deadlines coming up, Bradley is here to help employers navigate this new rule to stay in compliance. While we monitor the outcome of judicial review of OSHA’s ETS, we suggest taking the following steps to prepare your workplace for compliance with the new vaccine or test mandate: Develop a policy. Educate employees ...
In a recent decision by the Technology and Construction Court (TCC), Judge Stewart-Smith has clarified the position when determining whether two adjudications are “the same or substantially the same” when a party challenges jurisdiction under Para 9(2) of the Scheme for Construction Contracts. He stated that thedecisionreached in the first adjudication must be considered as well as the disputesreferredto adjudication in each ...
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a sought-after destination by foreign businesses for establishing their regional offices, consists of multiple jurisdictions for incorporation/establishment of entities. Each Emirate of the UAE has its own licensing authority and, additionally, there are more than 40 free zones in the UAE. Each Emirate and each free zone can be regarded as a separate jurisdiction for the incorporation and establishment of entities ...
Although a federal court recently ruled that the United States Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) has the authority to regulate data security practices, a clinical testing laboratory is arguing that the FTC’s regulatory authority does not extend to entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) ...
October 6, 2021 By: Jennifer Guerrero While a remote work environment can provide many benefits to all of the parties involved, it also can present significant challenges for organizations that need to remain Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) compliant ...
China began legislating the protection of human genetic resources in 1998, at which time the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the Ministry of Health jointly formulated the Interim Measures for Administration of Human Genetic Resources; however, there had been no corresponding implementing rules to implement it in practice ...
