The full regulation will come into force in July, imposing new requirements for prospectuses By James Inness and Connor Cahalane The new EU Prospectus Regulation will take full effect on 21 July 2019. Issuers and other parties to capital markets transactions can expect changes in the following areas: Prospectus summary: New content requirements and length … Continue Reading
The court offers guidance on reversing lawful dividend payments and when directors need to take into account creditors’ interests. By Simon J. Baskerville, Daniel Smith, Anna Hyde, Lisa Stevens, and Vanessa Morrison On 6 February 2019, the UK Court of Appeal published a judgment in BTI v. Sequana that will impact both creditors and directors … Continue Reading
CONSOB notice 8/2019 details the requirements under the Italian investor compensation scheme applicable to UK banks and investment firms operating in Italy. By Antonio Coletti and Isabella Porchia On 29 March 2019, the Italian Securities Commission (CONSOB) issued a notice detailing the terms and requirements applicable to UK banks and investment firms operating in Italy … Continue Reading
The instructions clarify the requirements applicable to banking and financial intermediaries under the Brexit Law Decree. By Antonio Coletti and Isabella Porchia On 28 March 2019, the Italian central bank (Bank of Italy) published two notices detailing the requirements for Italian banks and financial intermediaries operating in the UK, and for UK banks and financial … Continue Reading
The guidelines create new obligations for financial, payment, and electronic money institutions that will impact cloud outsourcing and deployment of FinTech. By Fiona M. Maclean and Laura Holden On 25 February 2019, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published a final report on its draft guidelines on outsourcing arrangements (Guidelines). The report followed the EBA’s publication … Continue Reading
European regulators’ openness to PE investors is presenting attractive banking sector opportunities, but such opportunities require careful regulatory planning and local issue navigation. By Carl Fernandes, Hans-Jürgen Luett, David Walker, Tom Evans, and Catherine Campbell Ten years ago, a PE investment in a European bank would have been a rare occurrence. However, more recently, PE … Continue Reading
As litigation funders find new disputes markets, PE firms should consider litigation funding as a growth sector — and as a valuable tool for de-risking portfolio company claims. By Stuart Alford, Dan Smith, David Walker, Tom Evans, and Catherine Campbell Litigation funding, the third-party financing of legal costs in disputes, is increasingly common in the … Continue Reading
Regulatory guidance on cryptoassets and digital currency companies may lead to a legitimisation of crypto-businesses as an investable asset class. By Stuart Davis, Sam Maxson, David Walker, Tom Evans, and Catherine Campbell Recent and upcoming regulatory guidance on cryptoassets and the regulation of companies engaged in digital currency, such as issuers, crypto-exchanges, crypto-custodians, crypto-brokers, and … Continue Reading
From August 2019, certain existing FCA rules and guidance will extend to payment service providers and e-money issuers in a signal that the FCA wants a consistent approach to consumer protection. By Rob Moulton, Brett Carr, and Frida Montenius The FCA has published a Policy Statement extending certain rules and guidance to the payment services … Continue Reading
The PSR will not review the fees and rules set by Visa and Mastercard, but will look at the practice of bundling, and will examine effects on innovation in card-acquiring services. By Brett Carr, Stuart Davis, and Christian McDermott Following the publication of its Draft Terms of Reference in July 2018, the PSR has now … Continue Reading
By Drew Levin. Maarten Overmars, Richard Butterwick, Terry Charalambous, and Catherine Campbell Warranty and indemnity insurance (W&I) has become a common feature of European transactions in recent years, amid a strong sellers’ market that has enabled vendors to offload risk to buyers. According to the most recent edition of the Latham & Watkins Private M&A … Continue Reading
FATF has published its highly anticipated report on the effectiveness of the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures. By Jon Holland, Rob Moulton, and Jonathan Ritson-Candler On 7 December 2018, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published its highly anticipated mutual evaluation report of the UK. The report sets out the UK’s global standing … Continue Reading
The rules will echo ESMA’s temporary measures, however the FCA will extend the CFD restriction to capture closely substitutable products (such as turbo certificates). By Rob Moulton, David Berman, Charlotte Collins, and Gabriel Lakeman The FCA has launched two consultations on: Banning the sale, marketing, and distribution of binary options to retail consumers (CP18/37) Restricting … Continue Reading
By Simeon Rudin and Beatrice Lo Recent private equity investments in high-profile deals, such as Bain Capital’s acquisition of esure and Apollo’s acquisition of Aspen Insurance, have brought European insurance sector deal values to record highs. Regulatory changes and regulators’ changing perceptions of PE firms have contributed to increased M&A activity, bringing new opportunities for insurance business … Continue Reading
Deal making is likely to surge as companies seek funding and private equity firms scour the market for buyout opportunities. By Andrea Novarese and Cataldo Piccarreta Italy is poised to help steer automotive deal activity in the final weeks of what has been another bumper year for the industry. According to PwC, global automotive deals reached US$59.3 … Continue Reading
Examples of good and poor practices provide helpful guidance, and a reminder of supervisory expectations. By Frida Montenius, Jonathan Ritson-Candler, and Charlotte Collins The FCA has published TR18/3, setting out the findings from its thematic review of the anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) systems and controls in 13 Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs). Although the … Continue Reading
Legislative Decree 107/2018 clarifies new reporting obligations, disclosure obligations, and sanctions, effective September 29. By Antonio Coletti and Isabella Porchia Italy has published in the Italian Official Gazette Legislative Decree no. 107 of August 10, 2018, amending the Italian legislative provisions (Legislative Decree no. 58/1998) to transpose the Market Abuse Regulation no. 596/2014 (MAR). The … Continue Reading
The EBA’s draft guidelines on outsourcing will impact cloud outsourcing and institutions’ deployment of FinTech. By Fiona Maclean, Charlotte Collins, and Terese Saplys On 4 September 2018, a wide audience of interested individuals gathered at Canary Wharf for a public hearing (Public Consultation) to listen to what the European Banking Authority (EBA) had to say in relation … Continue Reading
By Beatrice Lo and Heeran Caselton The Expert Finance Working Group on Small Nuclear Reactors (EFWG), an independent group convened in January 2018 by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, recently published its report with recommendations for a market framework to enable the development of small nuclear projects in the UK with private … Continue Reading
By Andrew Moyle and Stuart Davis Growth in applications for blockchain and tokenisation, combined with an increasing number of initial coin offerings (ICOs), mean that buyout firms should note developments in this sector. Why Should PE Be Interested in Blockchain? A shared blockchain ledger could drive a single interface between a PE fund and its investors, … Continue Reading
Real estate investors with their corporate seat and management outside of Germany may be subject to German taxation on capital gains from share deals. Non-resident individuals (investing directly or through partnerships or funds) will primarily be affected. By Tobias Klass and Verena Seevers According to a German draft tax bill, the sale of shares by … Continue Reading
FCA teams up with other regulators to advance its idea of creating a global regulatory sandbox. By Stuart Davis, Gabriel Lakeman, Sam Maxson, Brett Carr and Charlotte Collins The FCA, along with several other financial services regulators, has launched a consultation on the operating framework for a Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN). This is an evolution … Continue Reading
The PSR is to consider whether there is effective competition in the market and makes clear that further reviews of the payments ecosystem could be triggered by its findings By Brett Carr, Stuart Davis and Christian McDermott The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has issued Draft Terms of Reference for a market review into the supply … Continue Reading
The FRC has published a shorter and sharper Code which clarifies requirements for accountability, workforce engagement, and board diversity. By Claire Keast-Butler, James Inness, Richard Butterwick, and Anna Ngo The revised Code will apply to all companies with a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January … Continue Reading
