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In the past, registered shares have only been issued by a very limited number of German stock corporations. Instead, the vast majority of listed companies in Germany used to issue bearer shares. It was only in 1998/99 that the issuance of registered shares began in earnest, when modern information technology enabled the central Germany clearing house, Clearstream Banking, to overcome difficulties in handling registered shares. Since then, a number of big DAX-listed corporations have changed from issuing bearer shares to registered shares. In doing so they intend to get a better picture of their shareholders, improve their investor relationships and obtain an acquisition currency for takeovers of US companies by directly listing the shares on US stock markets without having to implement an American depositary receipt program.

A significant reorganization of the regulatory provisions applicable to Italian investment firms (SIMs) is in the process of being implemented. Under a decree, dated August 4, issued by the governor of the Bank of Italy a unified text of rules has been approved to govern SIMs. The new regulation ties together EU and national regulatory provisions on investment firms, taking into consideration their most up-to-date operational requirements.

The German government has been quick to respond to Vodafone’s ground-breaking hostile bid for Mannesmann. In June, it introduced proposals to regulate takeovers for the first time. Hartmut Krause of Allen & Overy, Frankfurt, explains the proposed rules

New foreign exchange regulations were recently introduced in Colombia and a regulation project intended to facilitate foreign investment in the country is pending.

Germany signs up for e-commerce bill

Loeff Claeys to advise on Belgian telecoms auction

Allen & Overy and Simons & Simmons are working on the proposed $2.1 billion joint venture between Italy's Finmeccanica and the UK's GKN, which the companies hope to close this autumn. The deal is an opportunity for both firms to integrate their Italian entities into advisory teams.

White & Case has helped the Slovak government to complete the privatization of the Slovak Republic's state monopoly telecommunications company. The deal was signed on August 4 when Deutsche Telekom bought a 51% stake in the company, Slovak Telekom, for euro 1 billion ($900 million).

Bill Tudor John

Andersen Legal has created Brazil's first combined legal and auditing practice. Thiollier, Pinheiro e Branco Advogados formally started operations on August 4 with the merger of Andersen Legal firm Branco Advogados Associados and local firm Thiollier e Pinheiro Advogados. The merger had been opposed by some Brazilian firms, which argued that a combined accountancy and legal practice would cause client conflict and referral problems.