Search results for

By Rob Mannix

By Michael Evans and Thomas Williams

With many telecoms companies in trouble, much of the high-yield debt they favoured during the 1990s needs restructuring. By Mark Cannon of Latham & Watkins, London

With disclosure determining investor confidence, or the lack of it, Canada has decided now is a good time to untangle its confusion of corporate governance rules. Tina Woodside and Kathleen Ritchie of Gowling Lafleur Henderson's Toronto office assess the proposals

With the US gripped by fears of corporate dishonesty and the New York Stock Exchange proposing stringent governance rules, executives must be surer than ever that their behaviour is unimpeachable. By Mark Bergman and Heather White of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

Allen & Overy's Simon Gleeson rebuffs accusations that lawyers have been spreading unnecessary panic among clients following the introduction of new UK market abuse rules

The Colombian Superintendency of Securities has recently defined new illegal, non-authorized and insecure practices in relation to publicly-traded companies, with the purpose of protecting the rights of minority shareholders, and of guaranteeing transparent decisions at general shareholders meetings (Resolution 0116, February 27 2002).

The Mexican Securities Law (Ley del Mercado de Valores) allows government entities to issue debt-denominated securities known as Certificados Bursátiles. Although the Mexican federal government has in the past issued debt securities, this mechanism has certainly not been a financing option for state governments or for municipalities. So far there has only been two issuances of Certificados Bursátiles of this kind registered with the Mexican Stock Exchange. One was made by the state government of Morelos for about $21 million, and the second by the city of Aguascalientes for about $9 million. Recently, Fitch Ratings has given the city of San Pedro Garza García an AAA rating for the issuance of Certificados Bursátiles up to $20 million. It is expected that these securities will be priced and placed this summer and, if successful, will become the third issuance of these kind of debt instruments in the Mexican securities market.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bill, a new Bill aimed at strengthening the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's (New Zealand's Central Bank) powers of supervision and regulation of registered banks to bring them into line with international best practice was introduced on April 23 2002. The Reserve Bank first indicated that it was going to propose significant changes to its governing legislation in October 2000. This governing legislation is the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989, which sets out the functions and powers of the Reserve Bank and provides for a system of regulation and supervision of banks. The new Bill was introduced following consultation on the proposed amendments with interested parties and will have significant implications for both domestic and foreign-owned banks that do business in New Zealand.

With a view to bringing the regulatory regime of Hong Kong, which is fundamentally disclosure-based, more in line with its international counterparts and to assure the furtherance of investors' protection, the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC) unveiled the Consultation Paper on the Securities and Futures (Stock Market) Rules in May 2002.