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Ofta wants tighter control of telecoms M&A in Hong Kong. In June, the Hong Kong government closed the consultation period on proposals to tighten the regulatory regime for M&A in the telecoms industry. Katie Elias of Simmons & Simmons, Hong Kong, reviews the proposals

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on May 17 2001 unveiled the long-awaited online price bidding proposal, a new mechanism of price fixing in initial public offerings (IPOs). The proposed scheme is intended to allow market forces of supply and demand to determine the price of primary securities offerings.

The Securities and Futures Bill, gazetted in November 2000, seeks to consolidate and reform 10 ordinances now regulating the Hong Kong securities and futures market. The proposed legislation seeks to increase the transparency of securities dealings, tighten restrictions against market manipulation, and improve the operations of market participants, therefore bringing Hong Kong securities legislation in line with those of key international financial centres. Not surprisingly, disclosure of interests in shares of Hong Kong listed companies is one main area of change. Major amendments proposed include the following:

The European Securitization Forum (ESF) has outlined the need for regulatory harmonization to bring greater efficiency to the market. Speaking at the annual meeting of the International Council of Securities Associations, Tamara Adler, chair of the ESF, highlighted the goals of the group's proposed Framework for European Securitization.

Citigroup’s latest buy signals closer integration between the US and Mexico. With a new ruling party and a raft of pro-business reform measures in the pipeline, Mexico is attracting attention from growth-minded international corporations. Yet the legal market remains dominated by domestic firms. For now. Tom Nicholson reports

Later this year the EU is expected to pass legislation that will pave the way for the European Company, with far reaching implications for cross-border business in Europe. Jean-Louis Joris of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, Brussels, looks at the challenges in drafting the law and the potential benefits for multinationals

On May 29 the Banks Law was amended for the second time within two years of its enactment. The main goal of the Amendments is to bring the Turkish banking sector closer to EU standards and to clarify the authority of the Saving Deposits Insurance Fund in its dealings with the problem banks transferred to it and their shareholders.

Cashpooling is the centralization of group treasury management used to maximize the financial results of the cash management policy of a group. The past couple of years have seen an ever increasing demand for the implementation of European cross-border cashpooling systems, involving one or more Portuguese subsidiaries. As a rule the pool leader is located in a European country other than Portugal.

The new provisions of the Act on Insurance Companies (ICA) and the Act on Foreign Insurance Companies (FICA) have expanded the business opportunities of Finnish insurance companies and insurance companies located outside the EEA. New rules on the marketing of insurance products and services were introduced concurrently. The objective of the amendments is to expand the possibilities of insurance companies to operate in the financial markets and to harmonize the marketing rules and requirements applicable to credit institutions and insurance companies. The amendments of the ICA and FICA became effective on May 15 2001.

Among the most important recent developments in the Belgian financial landscape are the transformation of the Brussels stock exchange into Euronext Brussels and the start of Nasdaq Europe following the takeover of the pan-European Easdaq market by Nasdaq.