Islamic capital markets: An ever-expanding frontier Al Tamimi’s head of debt capital markets provides a rundown of typical Islamic financial products, from project sukuk to securitisation
Critical challenges facing the green bond market Green bonds are now in the mainstream. But the lack of contractual protections, as well as issues with reporting metrics and transparency, risk undermining the market and the broader sustainable finance project, as Baker McKenzie lawyers explain in this long read
Opinion: a rock and a hard place IFLR's Americas editor John Crabb looks at increasing tension between the Fed and the White House
OPINION: Equivalence is politics IFLR's EMEA reporter assesses the likelihood if Britain striking a deal with the EU under new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson
OPINION: the trade war winners Asia reporter Karry Lai explains how tension between the US and China is benefiting the latter's domestic market
Head-to-head: time for GDPR in the US? This month's head-to-head asks if the US should implement a federal law replicating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation
Cover story: keeping big tech at bay Silicon Valley’s superpowers are eyeing up the financial markets. IFLR asks readers how regulators should approach them
UK initial public offering reforms: Time to take stock Transaction management firm The Deal Team, together with London-based Slaughter and May lawyers, explain how the IPO process has changed for issuers since the FCA’s reforms last summer
At all costs: a closer look at M&A risks A poll of blue-chip executives shows companies are becoming increasingly aware of the threats inherent to M&A
Swiss L-QIFs: a guide Homburger partner Jürg Frick explains how Swiss regulators are working to strengthen the country’s competitiveness as a fund centre
Sanctions v loan agreements: a borrower's perspective Debevoise & Plimpton lawyers explain what borrowers need to know in today’s political environment
Australian crypto: steady hand on the tiller Local regulators are displaying enviable steadfastness in relation to cryptocurrency regulation, according to Peter Reeves, Georgina Willcock and Emily Shen of Gilbert + Tobin
Switzerland: Payments on blockchain; stringent Swiss AML standards for regulated financial intermediaries
Restructuring innovates in Asia Panellists at the International Bar Association's annual conference in Seoul share the latest restructuring insights from Korea, Japan and Singapore
US remains the top destination for IPOs despite competition New York exchanges remain the most attractive destination for companies looking to list abroad, despite threats from rivals in Hong Kong, Shanghai and elsewhere
5G rollout could be slowed down by bolstered Cfius regulations The telecoms technology has the potential to completely change the face of the digital world, but there are a host of regulatory implications for corporates to consider
South Korea update introduces Cfius-style restriction Amendments to existing ITA regulation protects against leakage of industrial technology from the country
Euromoney Legal Media Group Asia Women in Business Law Awards 2019: shortlist announced The shortlist for the awards has been announced. Reserve your place now
East African integration plans blow hot and cold The need to compete with the continental giants such as Nigeria and South Africa has seen East African countries aim for financial consolidation
Inaugural Euromoney Legal Media Group Europe Rising Stars Awards – shortlist live Euromoney Legal Media Group has announced the shortlist for its inaugural Europe Rising Stars Awards.
Asian funds need to embrace fintech Fund managers and other industry experts from Asia want more acceptance of technological innovations from regulators
GDPR has kept AI ethical, despite concerns Europe’s data privacy framework forces artificial intelligence providers to be accountable and think more carefully about how they treat customer data
Money laundering scandals create opportunities for fintech Local sources in Australia say recent cases – particularly that involving Commonwealth Bank's insurance arm – have damaged trust in the country’s incumbents
Risk of greenwashing stokes interest in sustainability taxonomies Differing interpretations of green creates a need for clearer definitions and more transparent reporting, according to speakers at ICMA’s green bond conference in Tokyo
Could bilateral investment treaties save the Brexit day? The controversial legal tool may make a comeback in post-Brexit UK/EU relations, but uncertainty surrounds the validity of BITs
Clarifications made as SEC extends testing-the-waters provision The regulator has finalised changes to rules previously only available to emerging growth companies that extend the benefit to all issuers
High hopes for EU sustainable finance taxonomy Japanese asset managers speaking at an ICMA event in Tokyo are however sceptical of the rule-based nature of the taxonomy, which is expected to come into force between 2020 and 2022
Could bilateral investment treaties save the Brexit day? The controversial legal tool may make a comeback in post-Brexit UK/EU relations, but uncertainty surrounds the validity of BITs
Burdensome regulation makes for burgeoning regtech The regtech industry is growing, but is it living up to its potential?
IFLR Middle East Awards 2019: winners revealed Allen & Overy took home the most coveted award but there were plenty of other winners throughout the night. IFLR is pleased to reveal 2019’s best deals, teams, firms and individuals in the region
City cautiously optimistic about Brexit breakthrough Latest negotiations could finally signal Brexit progress, but sources suggest it's just the end of the beginning
ESG: Asset managers vary in enthusiasm Some on the buyside are pushing for clearer metrics and labels, but this can’t be said for all. Here they explain why
Q&A with former Nasdaq CEO Robert Greifeld IFLR's John Crabb speaks to the Virtu Financial chairman about the current state of the US equities market, overseas competition and the rise of direct listings
IFLR Asia Capital Markets Forum 2019: meet the speakers In-house lawyers at banks and financials talk IBOR reform, security token regulation and trade wars ahead of the event in November
Support grows for Greece’s NPL plan "Get up, move fast," says Greece's finance minister, as the troubled state launches its new asset protection scheme
European banks: the US is critical to global success Executives from Barclays and Santander discuss how recent changes to the US banking system ensure a level playing field for European banks looking to infiltrate this side of the pond
US companies unfazed by California’s data protection law Following intense lobbying from Silicon Valley, US corporates appear less fussed about the CCPA than by the EU’s GDPR
The rise of token technology explained Lawyers in London, Frankfurt and Silicon Valley share their experiences of the tokenisation of assets and explain where they see the market going
Mifid II: what are minor non-monetary benefits? Nearly two years in, senior market participants on both sides are still debating the fundamentals of research unbundling
PRIMER: PSD2 IFLR explains one of the EU’s most important regulatory changes in recent years, and how it has revolutionised payment services in member states and beyond
Lack of regulatory clarity in hemp and marijuana industry still hindering bankability Although slight progress is being made, the US banking industry is keen for quick resolutions to the issues preventing the growing sector from being fully bankable
SGX moves to protect minority shareholders Push for companies to give shareholders a better deal in delistings will make Singapore a more attractive venue for companies, argue investors and academics
Life in the SEC's enforcement division Alma Angotti spent more than 10 years at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Here she reveals what regulators are really thinking
Funds struggle with regulation in China’s GBA While the Greater Bay Area plan looks attractive on the whole, it needs finetuning to cater to the foreign financial sector wanting to access China
Bank of China issues first ever SOFR-linked bonds in Asia The deal, a significant step in the Libor transition, raised questions over the calculation methodology for the secured overnight financing rate
Inaugural Euromoney Legal Media Group Europe Rising Stars Awards: winners announced IFLR is delighted to announce all the winning in-house and private practice individuals from this month's event
PRIMER: IBOR fallbacks A closer look at fallback reference rates in standard documentation for Libor contracts following its permanent cessation in 2021
Broadcom decision: antitrust still not in-house priority Vestager and team’s latest move against the US tech giant highlights the EU’s keenness to address tech dominance – but other companies aren’t too worried
US-China trade war part one: tariffs’ impact on deal flow is minimal A number of executives from the US, Hong Kong and the EU spoke to IFLR about the impact of the US-China tensions on FDI
Dombrovskis: More progress on banking union needed The European Commission’s financial services chief stressed the need for compromise as finance ministers met last Thursday
From Moscow to London: Yukos ruling analysed The lawyers who worked on this high profile case involving allegations of auction-rigging explain what others need to know
IFLR Asia Capital Markets Forum 2019: key takeaways Read all the highlights from the November 14 event in Hong Kong SAR
PRIMER: China’s social credit system IFLR's latest primer looks at China's social credit system, potential problems it may pose for companies and implementation complications
SEC: Don't count on CAT delay Just weeks before the massive Consolidated Audit Trail project is due to go into its testing phase, the regulator has warned the market to be ready
Bumps in the road: IEX on the record IEX president Ronan Ryan spoke to IFLR about high frequency trading, exiting the listings business and the issue of market data fees
Uncertainty continues for EU securitisation The EU’s framework is nearing its one year anniversary, but sources suggest that problems remain
Ex-regulatory chiefs welcome recent Volcker rule changes A number of officials discussed changes to the proprietary trading aspects of the much debated rule at an event in Washington DC in November
PRIMER: how to make an EU law IFLR’s latest primer concentrates on the process of developing a law in the world’s largest trading bloc
USMCA remains the best opportunity for bipartisan lawmaking The NAFTA replacement has bipartisan support despite the aggressively obstructionist climate facing the US
OECD legal director: we underestimated political context of the Anti-Bribery Convention Nicola Bonucci has been with the organisation for over 20 years. He tells IFLR how he plans to continue tackling corruption as he prepares to move into private practice
US-China trade war part two: banking regulations Part two of this three-part series looks at new Chinese regulations intended to attract foreign investors and banks, and what those entering the market need to know
Crave for yield widens gap in covenant quality High yield experts from banks, asset managers and ratings companies warn of investment risks as protections weaken for Chinese issuances
UK crypto ruling excites industry, despite lacking legal clout The UK’s new ruling has ended years of uncertainty about how crypto assets are defined in London
Former Swiss ambassador: freedom of movement a post-Brexit make or break Alexis Lautenberg, former Swiss ambassador to the EU, has firsthand experience negotiating with the trading bloc. IFLR spoke to him about the direction of travel for the EU and the UK
ESG survey: no need to accept lower returns over long term Fund managers rebut the widely accepted notion of the green premium
PRIMER: China’s cryptography law A closer look at the country's new law targeting blockchain development, how it relates to the country’s national digital currency, and the impact on the fintech community
