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

Japan’s regulatory regime is keeping pace with the growing interest in information banking. Recent amendments will enhance customer experience, writes Kenichi Tanizaki of Atsumi & Sakai

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the official organisation of all Philippine lawyers, has recently launched the Philippine International Centre for Conflict Resolution (PICCR). The PICCR is a non-stock, non-profit arbitral institution that will provide commercial arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services and facilities for parties to disputes. The PICCR was established in the IBP's objective of making arbitration more accessible and a mainstream option for dispute resolution in the Philippines.

Thailand is advancing its economic development agenda with new regulations aimed at expanding the range of fundraising options available to startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In May 2019, the Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced an updated framework for debt crowdfunding based on public consultations that took place at the beginning of the year.

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

Markus Fellner, Florian Henöckl, and Elisabeth Fischer-Schwarz of Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners examine the latest Austrian insolvency trends, the economic and legal factors driving them, and the potential implications for businesses and creditors

Despite political and geopolitical uncertainties, the key components of a business-friendly environment are still in place in France and present an opportunity for further Chinese investment, say Raphaël Chantelot, Ran Hu, and Hubert Bazin of LPA Law

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

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

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

Ragy Soliman, Ahmed Abdelgawad, and Ibrahim ElGengehy, Adsero – Ragy Soliman & Partners

Robert Katz and Charles Ruck, Latham & Watkins

Robert M Katz and Charles Ruck, Latham & Watkins

More US buyers – and more buyer-friendly deal terms – are entering the seller-friendly UK market, although the picture is increasingly nuanced, say Joshua M. Dubofsky, Sam Newhouse, Jennifer N. Cadet, and Catherine Campbell