Men’s Wearhouse – Jos A. Bank: the benefits of aggression The acquisition by Men’s Wearhouse of Jos A. Bank succeeded because of the aggressive stances taken by the two companies and their mutual activist investor
How Ohada reforms will transform Africa investment Revised legislation in sub-Saharan Africa that is set to transform private equity investment in the area will become effective next week
Italian banks turn to private equity for bad loans Two Italian banks have signed a deal with KKR and Alvarez & Marsal to pool troubled loans in a move that could prompt further private equity involvement in Europe’s stricken lenders
Euromoney LMG Europe Women in Business Law Awards 2014 – shortlist announced The shortlist for the fourth annual Euromoney Legal Media Group Europe Women in Business Law Awards has been announced
Clean Energy loan sets pre-commercialisation finance precedent Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s loan to an Australian wave energy company introduced a new financing structure for projects that are not yet commercialised
TRENDS: How Russian PPPs are changing Roman Churakov of Herbert Smith Freehills explains how the country’s public-private partnerships are developing
Are Europe’s project debt funds building dry powder? A lack of projects to absorb the growing volume of private debt funds now being raised could be Europe's next challenge
Cov-lite boom prompts insolvency concerns As term loan B deals grow outside the US, investors must beware of the risk posed by bankruptcy regimes in new jurisdictions
POLL: the real impact of Russia sanctions Have your say now on how sanctions on Russia will affect the country
Pakistan bond opens new frontier finance solution Pakistan’s return to the international bond markets is set to spark a wave of issuance throughout the country
Italian Treasury spearheads dual-offering periods Italy’s government is tipped to persevere with the phased distribution structure it tested in last week’s BTP Italia bond issuance
HKSE-SHSE link to improve A-share market A new link between the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Shanghai Stock Exchange is expected to further internationalise China’s domestic capital markets
FCA expected to curb delisting The UK Financial Conduct Authority’s expected May 1 approval of listing rule changes will curb the power of majority shareholders and further protect minorities
Islamic and conventional banks: an unlikely pair Common terms agreements are bringing together syndicate banks that would not ordinarily be able to participate together. Hogan Lovells' Rustum Shah and Faraz Naqvi explain how
Santiago and Toronto exchange tie-up to boost dual listings The Santiago and Toronto Stock Exchange Venture’s planned venture exchange could allow companies to seamlessly dual-list on both bourses
Fears over FTT ruling overblown London lawyers are not concerned by the ECJ's rejection of the UK government’s challenge to the proposed FTT, describing the lawsuit as a tactical move
Cayman aligns with Delaware limited partnership law In response to market demands, Cayman Island's Exempted Limited Partnership Law has been rewritten to align with the equivalent Delaware law which is seen as the gold standard for regulation in the area
Jim O’Neill: regulators escaped blame for crisis Regulators have not received their fair share of blame for the financial crisis, the BRIC creator said at the 2014 Guernsey Funds Forum
Cloud computing: financial institutions’ next frontier Financial institutions have been slow to adopt new technologies, but cloud computing is become a more viable option as regulators become more familiar with the so-called cloud
SE Asia rules spur risky FDI structures Panellists at IFLR’s Southeast Asia Forum are wary of nominee arrangements, saying clearer investment regulations are the only way to improve FDI structures
High yield/cov-lite convergence reaches limit As new leveraged lending rules come into effect, the convergence of covenant lite and high yield bond terms could have reached its limit
Boutique PE's new fundraising option Arle Capital’s recent deal-by-deal fundraising is an example of European general partners experimenting with more bespoke fund strategies, blurring the boundaries between private equity and club-style equity funding
How APCOA Parking decision could boost UK schemes The use of UK SOAs for foreign-incorporated companies has been boosted by a decision to allow German company APCOA Parking to use a scheme despite minimal connection to the country
Inversion fear threatens M&A renaissance As inversion transactions look set to be major trend, regulatory fears are once again ramping up. But concerns may not always be justified
US disclosure overload hurts retail investors The SEC's efforts to reform disclosure filings in the US could leave retail investors at a disadvantage, according to counsel.
Companies fear SEC conflict minerals disclosure rule Last week’s decision to halt the controversial conflict minerals rule hasn’t removed concern amongst companies
IFLR Middle East awards 2014: research begins The research process for the 2014 IFLR Middle East awards has begun
Africa50: fixing an infrastructure crisis African Development Bank’s Tas Anvaripour explains how Africa50, the continent’s new project finance platform, will plug funding gaps and improve project bankability
Offshore RMB clearing hubs could add transaction risk As international financial centres compete for offshore renminbi business, market participants fear a rise of transaction risk due to the currency’s lack of a natural home
Sir David Walker: five steps to good governance A remuneration policy led by non-executives and which is clearly disclosed in the directors’ remuneration report is one of five key ingredients to good corporate governance, Barclays’ chairman said yesterday
Funds' FCPA lessons from Libya Regulatory scrutiny has increased FCPA risks for private equity and hedge funds in their dealings with sovereign wealth funds. Sidley Austin's Robert Keeling, Ike Adams and John Lupton explain why
Stress tests reveal banks’ new Achilles heel Corporate governance failings could be banks’ biggest weakness in future stress tests, new research has revealed
ADB – Kazakhstan co-financing accord highlights Asia shift The Asian Development Bank’s co-financing agreement with Kazakhstan highlights the country’s move eastward
LBOs go double Dutch The Netherlands is one of Europe’s most creditor-friendly jurisdictions. NautaDutil's Teun Struycken and David Viëtor explain how the country is vying with Luxembourg as the holding company jurisdiction of choice
Reg NMS in the spotlight amid HFT criticism As regulators focus on the practices of high-frequency trading, the rule which led to the creation of the industry continues to be debated
India private placement changes to broaden market India’s new Companies Act rules allow more investors to be solicited but also introduces heightened disclosure requirements
A definitive guide to IFLR's 2013 -2014 awards All the shortlists and winners for IFLR's Americas, Asia, European and Middle East awards 2013-2014
An IFLR guide to the evolution of global sukuk structures As Islamic finance continues to evolve, this page provides an archive of IFLR’s coverage of key developments in the sukuk space
Ruling clarifies CMBS servicer replacement rules An English High Court ruling has provided the first clear guidance on the circumstances in which a servicer can be replaced in European securitisation deals
Comesa comfort letters exempt merger notifications The Comesa Competition Commission has issued five comfort letters in recent months, exempting deals from notifying under Africa’s controversial merger clearance rules
What European banks can learn from US stress tests Shearman & Sterling's Donald N Lamson and Sylvia Favretto explain the significance of the US stress tests for European banks
Bangladesh bond first explained Banglalink’s five-year high yield offering is the first-ever international bond offering from the country. Here's how it was done
SEC’s Piwowar: JOBS Act II US Congress and regulators taking steps boost liquidity in the small cap market
Dubai’s new sukuk standards explained New issuing and trading standards are a key part of Dubai’s strategy to increase global investors’ confidence in sukuk structures
Woori T2s clarify Korea Basel III The first Korean Basel III-compliant bond has set an important benchmark for Asia’s growing regulatory capital market
Member states diverge on Emir reporting The first three months of reporting under the European Markets and Infrastructure Regulation has revealed different national practices for put and call options in M&A deals
Lending trends that will outlive cov-lite Controversy surrounding the surge in covenant lite across the US and Europe has overshadowed some less cyclical trends that are shifting lending practices
National regulators’ extensive role under SSM The European Central Bank and member state regulators have clarified the composition and role of the joint supervisory teams that will supervise the biggest eurozone banks under the incoming single supervisory mechanism
EBRD study reveals bank governance shortfalls EBRD's Gian Piero Cigna analyses the results of a study which reveals that regulators in transition countries must reassess their regimes to permit boards to operate independently
Inside China: IPO registration system Are reforms to transform China’s IPO approval system into a registration system create a market-based and rule-of-law-based system of funding?
POLL: the real impact of Russian sanctions Deal counsel must now navigate a minefield of sanctions against Russia. IFLR examines how the restrictions have impacted the country’s business environment
Deal of the month: Banglalink bond The frontier’s inaugural international bond sale required deal counsel to educate regulators and navigate local law restrictions
Corporate governance quarterly: Sotheby's poison pill Last month’s Delaware court ruling could provide boards with a significant tool to defend against activist hedge funds
Is the cov-lite party over? Regulatory and market developments will rein in the convergence of cov-lite, term loan B and high-yield terms across Europe and the US
IBA International Financial Law Conference highlights Growing hype over fleeting market trends should not overshadow the regulatory and finance developments that will outlive this stage of the cycle
Southeast Asia Forum highlights The region’s regulators are proving indecisive on FDI reforms, but forging ahead with new technologies like cloud computing
How to regulate HFT's secrets The clandestine nature of high-frequency trading makes it nearly impossible to police. Thankfully a new, fairer market is emerging
Japan's ruling on no business cessation Mugi Sekido and Satoshi Nakamura of Mori Hamada & Matsumoto explain how the Tokyo District Court construes business cessation default provisions in samurai bonds
Mofcom's simplified merger review system Mofcom’s new simplified merger review process is a welcome step towards a broader reform agenda. But ultimate success depends on its application
Culpa in contrahendo Swiss and German M&A Daniel Hayek and Alexander Flink of Prager Dreifuss discuss the differences between German and Swiss culpa in contrahendo liability in M&A
