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Marun Jazbik and Frederico Buosi of Allen & Overy report on how banks are using new structured deals to defy the jitters of Latin American markets and raise money

Saudi Arabia established the Saudi Communications Commission (SCC) last year to serve as the regulator for the Kingdom's telecommunications sector in advance of the long-awaited opening up of this sector to private investment. The first phase of this privatization scheme is a proposed floatation of 30% of the shares in the monopoly telecommunications operator Saudi Telecommunications Company (STC) by year-end: 20% to Saudi private investors and 10% to the two state-controlled pension funds. In July 2002, the SCC promulgated a set of rules to regulate and encourage private sector investment in the Kingdom's lucrative telecommunications sector. The rules are designed to encourage competition among various service providers and limit the ability of any one provider to exercise monopoly powers. Service providers with a dominant market position, for example, are required to obtain SCC approval for tariffs. They must also offer interconnecting service providers the same commercial terms and quality of technical access provided to their own divisions, subsidiaries or affiliates.

For over a year, Mexican commercial banks have been quoting among themselves and keeping track of a daily 91-day inter-bank offering rate known as Mexibor. It was not until July 29 2002 that the Mexican regulators authorized the banking industry to use the Mexibor for their commercial banking transactions with customers. This is a major change in the money markets in Mexico. Historically, it was the Mexican central bank, Banco de Mexico, that was the only entity legally-authorized to establish all such reference rates for the banking industry. This amendment only allows the commercial banks to set this 91-day reference rate, and leaves with the central bank the authority to establish all other reference rates available in the industry.

At present, Hong Kong has an effective legal framework for safeguarding personal privacy in relation to consumer credit data. The use of recorded information relating to an individual's credit transactions is regulated by the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance and the Code of Practice in Consumer Credit Data. In light of the considerable increase in the default rate on loans and credit card spending, the financial industry proposes relaxation to certain provisions of the Code, particularly a greater sharing of positive credit data via a credit reference agency, as a measure to contribute towards alleviating the problem of growing consumer indebtedness and personal bankruptcies.

Spain, like other Western economies, has been shaken in the past months by a number of events. Some, like the financial scandals affecting large multinational corporations, originated outside Spain's borders; others, like a clutch of acquisitions of controlling stakes in competitor companies avoiding public offer (OPA) regulations, have a more local flavour; still others, affecting the way in which managers receive their remuneration (stocks and stock options), are Spain's reflection and reinterpretation of management trends that started abroad.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Clifford Chance have advised on one of the largest project financings to close in Germany.

With terrorist funding on the agenda, should Switzerland abandon its commitment to financial privacy? Michael Evans reports

Neil Harvey: Clifford Chance Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Clifford Chance have advised on the sale of almost all Swiss engineering group ABB's structured finance portfolio.

Securitization specialists in the US are worried that recent proposals by the Financial Accounting Standards Board could damage the securitization market.

Morgan Stanley has completed a Japanese conduit commercial mortgage-backed securitization, giving Allen & Overy's Tokyo-based US law practice its first completed deal.