Industry fears extension of exchange-trading rules Forcing OTC derivative trades onto regulated exchanges could be “the thin end of the wedge”, warned speakers at an industry conference in Zurich this week
Game over for Mac clauses Material adverse change clauses have failed to protect buyers and should not be relied upon
UK takeover rules are “brainless” UK final offers provoked fierce opposition as panellists had dissected recent deals
Third party challenges grow Third party challenges are becoming larger stumbling blocks to M&A in North America
A new way for Mexican funds Relaxed regulations and an innovative new hybrid product have opened up investment options for Mexican pension funds
UN insolvency law failed us Europe doesn’t have it, the US doesn’t use it, and it has little benefit in the UK
In-house fill Asia capital markets forum A large number of in-house speakers have been confirmed for the IFLR Asia capital markets forum at the Four Seasons hotel in Hong Kong next month
High yield battles with senior loan disclosure Disclosure of senior loans will be the next battle in Europe’s revived high yield market.
High yield growth is sustainable European high yield is here to stay with predictions for next year topping $60 billion.
The debt maturity wall myth Concern over the looming debt maturity wall is unfounded. It will be absorbed by the high yield issues expected to continue past the wall’s peak.
Former SEC chairman criticises Dodd-Frank Dodd-Frank is a “complex, misunderstood behemoth,” that leaves too much up to regulators and lobbyists, according to former SEC chairman, Arthur Levitt.
Romanian PPP law is ‘window dressing’ The Romanian government has introduced a new PPP law, but lawyers are puzzled as to its purpose
CSRC’s rights issue review is political The CSRC's plans to examine the Bank of China and China Construction Bank's rights issues could be a move to appease jittery investors
Fears over single authority merger clearances Merger clearance decisions tainted by ‘confirmation bias’ and losing the input of competition specialists are lawyers’ main fears following the proposed introduction of a single UK competition authority
Asia funds will lobby despite AIFM approval Asia’s hedge fund industry will continue to lobby even though the draft agreement of the EU’s AIFM directive has been accepted
Investor-comfort dominates return SME deal A short-dated loan pool and originator risk retention enabled UniCredit to place the first German small-and-medium sized enterprise (SME) backed securitisation since the financial crisis. But lauding the return of the country’s SME-backed market might be premature
Covered bonds could increase systemic risk Covered bonds have emerged as a clear favourite among supervisors. But they could be riskier than the securitisations they’re meant to substitute.
Bribery Act forces more diligence on PE The revised UK Bribery Act has forced buyers to refocus on thorough due diligence of prospective targets. And a new corporate offence means private equity owners should take particular care
US regulators’ CDS roundtable previewed The SEC and CFTC are holding a joint roundtable today that could help define how the credit default swaps market is regulated
Detailed TSAs key to private M&A success Transitional services agreements are playing an increasingly important role in private M&A transactions. Buyers want more detailed terms at an earlier stage in negotiations
Directive could force out small funds The day-to-day impact of the AIFM Directive is being overlooked. It could force some smaller funds out of the market
Novel limited recourse on Mexico financing Japanese banks have used a novel limited recourse structure to close a $750 million loan to finance projects Mexico.
How Takeover Code changes will affect hostile bids Changes to put-up-or-shut-up rules and the tightened bid timetable will make hostile takeovers more difficult, say UK corporate partners
Takeover code: lawyers’ reaction The proposed changes to the Takeover Panel’s code go further than many corporate partners expected
Middle East awards: new in-house shortlist In-house lawyers will also be rewarded at this Wednesday’s IFLR Middle East awards, with a new shortlist announced to honour the banks’ best legal teams
All the winners: Middle East awards 2010 Find out which firms took home one of the 19 awards presented at the IFLR Middle East awards this year
Middle East award winners announced Clifford Chance triumphed at the IFLR Middle East awards 2010, winning the overall award for International Law Firm of the year
Singapore-Australia exchange: full reaction The proposed merger between SGX and ASX could offer a cheaper alternative to Hong Kong’s listing process
New in-house speakers join Asia capital markets forum Two high profile in-house counsel have been confirmed for one of the panels at the IFLR Asia capital markets forum next month in Hong Kong
First double luxco high yield issue The first high yield issue under a so-called double luxco structure has proved it is possible to protect junior creditors in French LBOs
HKEx was uncomfortable with AIA listing Lawyers on AIA's IPO have revealed how it faced difficulties in getting Hong Kong’s stock exchange comfortable with the listing
SFC set to criminalise negligent senior management Hong Kong’s SFC is likely to criminalise senior management by trying negligent directors in criminal as opposed to civil cases
Asian funds must stay ahead of global reform Monitoring progress on regulatory change must be top of Asian institutions' priorities, insist Hong Kong lawyers
Magic circle's high-yield weaknesses revealed UK firms' high-yield hires are positive, but banks say they are a long way off their US counterparts in London
Five ways to develop a high-yield practice Bank counsel are keen for UK firms to develop their high-yield offerings. Here they explain what UK firms need to do to win them over
How deal dynamics will change James Palmer on the practical implications of the UK Takeover Panel’s recent proposals
A replacement for credit ratings? We ask lawyers whether leverage and capital adequacy ratios are the right substitute for credit ratings in assessing capital standards
Levelling the playing field Deal dynamics will change under the UK’s Takeover Code, especially for hostile or highly leveraged bidders
The informal flood Don’t forget to check the informal guidance when considering the FSA’s listing, prospectus, disclosure and transparency rules
An international template The Stewardship Code could be a model for other jurisdictions’ corporate governance standards
Middle East Awards: The best of the year All the winning deals, teams and national firms from the fifth annual IFLR Middle East awards
Europe’s new superpower The European Supervisory Authorities could wield significant influence over national supervisors and individual firms
Lightening the load The improvements to the Directive will make it easier to sell cross-border securities from and into Germany
Missing the point The recent US legislation has good intentions, but its exemptions and emphasis on disclosure and standards undermine its purpose
Through the eyes of management A perennial challenge in drafting an MD&A is how to get behind the numbers
Busy but unsettling The IFLR1000’s 2011 rankings provide a crucial insight into an ever-evolving legal landscape
Buyer beware The uncertainty regarding representations and warranties leaves acquisitions potentially less protective
Tread carefully Due to their subordinate role, corporate creditors of Russia’s banks need to conduct a pre-contractual analysis of insolvency risks
A more lenient approach English law is slightly more flexible than Spanish law regarding the transfer of mortgage-backed loans
A British revolution Buyers, sellers, investors, issuers and sponsors are all affected by the glut of new rules emerging from the UK. This month, IFLR explores three key developments in detail
