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Green bonds are generally defined as a type of bond instrument whose proceeds are used mainly for investment in projects that offer environmental benefits, such as renewable energy or other efficient types of energy. The number of issuances of green bonds has been increasing worldwide since the establishment of the Green Bond Principles (GBP) in January 2014, by the International Capital Market Association. In March 2017, the Japanese Ministry of Environment (MoE) published the Green Bond Guideline, which was drawn up in accordance with the GBP, aiming to make green bonds more popular and increase the number of issuances and investments within Japan in line with the global development of the green bond market. The Guideline was expected to encourage issuances of green bonds, and accordingly, several corporations and local governments in Japan have issued debt structured as green bonds.

The recovery of the local property market, alongside the upturn in Macau's gaming revenue recorded since late 2016, has motivated the Macau SAR government to prepare, and submit for Legislative Council (LegCo) approval, some control measures to introduce more transparency and to increase the number of residential properties in the market.

Cyprus's double tax agreement with the UK is one of its most important, owing to London's predominance as a global financial centre and the strong historic links between the two countries. On March 22 2018, representatives of the two countries signed a new double taxation agreement which, once it has been ratified by both of them, will replace the existing agreement, which dates back to 1974.

Fintech: the emerging keyword of the 21st century. The term combines the words 'financial' and 'technology' and stands for the technological innovation in the financial services sector that has been under development in recent decades. This evolution can be seen daily when we use mobile applications to transfer money, make and accept payments, or when banks resort to robo-advisors to create automated investment advice for clients while taking advantage of lower administrative costs.

The amendment to the Labour Code that comes into force on May 1 2018 enshrines, among other things, a pay increase for employees. This pay increase only concerns the wage supplement paid to employees who work (i) on outings; (ii) on Saturdays; (iii) on Sundays; and (iv) at night.

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) – the blockchain-based issuance of tokens or cryptocurrencies for the purpose of fundraising – are a hot topic at the moment. There is continuing strong demand from mostly young, technology-based companies that seek to tap the capital markets through ICOs as a viable and efficient alternative to traditional fundraising. Switzerland offers an open regulatory framework for ICOs and has therefore developed as a hotspot for token offerings.

On February 20 2018, new logistics regulations under Decree 163/2017/ND-CP took effect and rescinded Decree 140/2007/ND-CP. Although Decree 163 introduces a few changes, including the digitalisation of logistics processes, it fails to open up market access and provide further clarification as expected, and may even create grey areas in practice.

Chairman Giancarlo released the white paper at the Isda AGM in Miami, outlining five steps that will simplify the regulatory process

London Block Exchange chief executive says EU regulation is a positive for the sector

In-house counsel and stock exchange sources reveal the workarounds third-country firms have found to Mifid II's exhaustive and onerous transparency obligations. From dealing exclusively with Asian subsidiaries of EU firms to making the most of Esma's 2017 venue equivalence admission for shares, trading footprints are changing