Local Insights

After ratification of the first sustainable investment facilitation agreement, between the EU and Angola, Carla Gonçalves Borges, Mariana França Gouveia, and Assunção Cristas of Vieira de Almeida analyse ESG considerations in African states’ investment treaties

ESG considerations are becoming an increasingly important factor in investment decisions in Ghana. Lady-Ann Essuman, Ewurama Osam Tawiah, and Verissa Odame-Koranteng of VINT & Aletheia, Attorneys and Consultants explain why, and how, the new reality should be embraced

As the financial services ecosystem in Nigeria continues its rapid development, DealHQ Partners provides a guide to the latest regulatory initiative regarding contactless payments

In 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued the Circular on Promoting the Reform of the Filing and Registration Regime for Issuance of Foreign Debt by Enterprises, under which, both issuance of bonds and borrowing of mid-and-long term commercial loans overseas by PRC enterprises and/or their offshore subsidiaries and branches (collectively, the debtors) are subject to a prior filing and registration with NDRC (foreign debt filing). Over the past five years, the debtors as applicants encountered a lot of issues with regard to the foreign debt filing due to the ambiguity in definitions, scope and standards thereof. As a result, the NDRC issued detailed application guidance including 25 FAQs and respective answers in February 2020, aiming to make these issues clear.

On July 24 2019, based on a request from the Financial Services Agency (FSA), the Trust Companies Association of Japan – a financial association whose members comprise of financial institutions engaged in trust businesses – proposed sample provisions to deal with the risk of money laundering etc. in trust agreements. The outline of these sample provisions is as follows:

Contractual relations between governments and the private sector are usually dictated by a strict set of rules and regulations, that are set in place as an assurance that the public interest is protected and that the public procedures are transparent and subject to the necessary advertising and competitive tendering requirements. In this context, the exceptional public health situation we are living in represents a true game changer, posing challenges to the existing legal frameworks and imposing upon governments the task to quickly adapt the regulatory system to provide answers to the ever evolving pandemic situation.

José Miguel Carracho and Júlio Venâncio, VdA

Mark Meili and Shannon Sangiorgio of Prager Dreifuss explain the reporting obligations for crypto-asset service providers and the challenges arising from greater alignment with international tax transparency standards

Marcel Frey and Urs Feller of Prager Dreifuss outline the planned Zurich International Commercial Court, set to launch in 2027, and assess its potential advantages over arbitration for resolving cross-border commercial disputes

Decreased availability and increased costs of funding have altered the behaviour of borrowers and lenders in the Peruvian leveraged finance market. Thomas Thorndike of Garrigues highlights the main themes and considers the outlook

Rita de la Guardia and Patricia Cordero, Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee

Jaime Trujillo Caicedo, Alexandra Montealegre and María Camila Vargas, Baker McKenzie

Hossam Gramon, Karima Seyam, and Nour El Kholy of ADSERO – Ragy Soliman & Partners report that Egypt’s capital markets are undergoing structural reform and product diversification, reshaping the debt, ESG, and fintech sectors

Simone Del Nevo and Rahul Sud, ASAR – Al Ruwayeh & Partners

Ezekiel Tuma, John Cunha, and Luis Cunha, ASAR – Al Ruwayeh & Partners

Robert Katz and Charles Ruck, Latham & Watkins

Robert M Katz and Charles Ruck, Latham & Watkins

Robert Katz and Charles Ruck, Latham & Watkins