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The Board of the Central Bank of Chile in its meeting of April 5 1997 resolved to open access to the Formal Exchange Market (made up of banks and authorized foreign exchange brokerage firms) for purchases of foreign exchange to make investments or pay expenses in Chile or abroad in foreign currency, to eliminate other restrictions on investment abroad and to renew the effectiveness of the rest of the foreign exchange restrictions on the entry of capital into Chile.

The Republic of Croatia has made its first offering of Eurobonds. The issue included an international tranche of US$300 million of 7% notes under rule 144A and a domestic tranche of Kuna 300 million. Merrill Lynch lead-managed the issue.

• US firm Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts has made Christine Pallares partner. Pallares, who specializes in corporate and capital markets, is based in New York.

The benefits of the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act may not be available to ‘second tier’ state companies. By Lee C Buchheit of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, New York

The Financial System Statute lays down that leasing services can only be offered by certain companies known as Commercial Financing Companies (CFCs). CFCs require prior authorization from the Banking Superintendency, and are subject to a special regime. CFCs must be organized as stock companies. They cannot be branches of foreign companies, but they may be subsidiaries. CFCs may effect active credit transactions up to the equivalent of 35% of total assets.

Swiss banking secrecy is based on the bank's duty of confidentiality towards the customer, the customer's privacy rights, and the Federal Banking Code, which makes any breach of banking secrecy a criminal offence. These legal bases are as undisputed as the fact that banking secrecy is by no means absolute.

Boutique financial services firm MW Cornish & Co will join Arnheim & Co, big six accountant Price Waterhouse's UK law firm, on July 1. Senior partner Martin Cornish becomes head of the Price Waterhouse European legal financial services practice. MW Cornish claims a range of expertise in banking, corporate and corporate finance work, but Arnheim & Co emphasizes the firm's expertise in fund management work. David Newton, Price Waterhouse partner responsible for investment management, says: "The addition of legal expertise is an important step in the development of our Investment Management business. Our ambition is simple: to be recognized as the leading professional advisers to the funds management industry worldwide."

The stamp duty on loans from Finnish banks and their branches abroad, now charged at 1.5%, would, under a plan initiated by the second minister of finance, be abolished. It has been claimed that stamp duties on loans, which in Europe are charged only in Finland and Denmark, discriminate against Finnish banks when compared with foreign banks active in Finland (other than Finnish branches of foreign banks, loans from which are also subject to 1.5% stamp duty).

On April 16 the Czech government announced a package of measures to cut growing budget and trade deficits, stimulate the sluggish economy, dampen demand for imports and add confidence to the Czech capital markets. The package consists of monetary and fiscal measures, policies on privatization and capital markets and the protection of the domestic market, and measures aimed at tackling white collar crime.

Act No 95-277 of March 25 1997 gives French employees the statutory right to participate in private pension fund schemes. By Bernard Carrez of Siméon & Associés, Paris