Following the publication of the Finance Bill 2020 the UK government is pressing ahead with the introduction of the Digital Services Tax from 1 April 2020. By Sean Finn, Karl Mah, Aaron Bradley, and Amy F. Watkins From 1 April 2020 the UK government is introducing a new tax in the form of the Digital … Continue Reading
Italian regulator imposes more stringent reporting obligations for certain Italian-listed issuers. By Antonio Coletti and Isabella Porchia The Italian Securities Commission (CONSOB) has adopted Resolution 21304, imposing stricter reporting obligations of relevant shareholdings in Italian-listed issuers included in the Annex to the Resolution. The entry threshold of relevant shareholding to be reported, according to Italian … Continue Reading
UK government unveils a raft of spending measures amid national and global uncertainty. By Karl Mah After a somewhat turbulent period that saw the cancellation of the Autumn 2019 Budget due to lingering Brexit uncertainty, the resignation of the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the outbreak of COVID-19, it was unsurprising that the UK … Continue Reading
A Call for Input reveals that the FCA is planning for a post-EU future and examining ethics with regard to MAR. By Rob Moulton On 9 March 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a Call for Input on the way that wholesale market participants access and use data in the UK. A Call for … Continue Reading
Policy makers and regulators seem keen to adopt both a “carrot” and “stick” approach to channelling private finance sustainably. Financial services regulators have been particularly vocal in the last 12 months, specifically about the impact on the financial services sector as the world experiences, and attempts to respond to, climate change. Mark Carney, outgoing governor … Continue Reading
The four-pronged Code aims to encourage issuers in Italy to focus on long-term sustainability and engagement. By Antonio Coletti and Isabella Porchia A new edition of the Corporate Governance Code was released on 31 January 2020. The new Code focuses on four essential objectives and principles: sustainability, engagement, proportionality, and simplification. Sustainability: The new Code … Continue Reading
Latham explores the primary legal developments for issuers and their advisers in the year ahead. By Chris Horton, James Inness, and Connor Cahalane The regulatory regime and disclosure requirements for listed companies in the UK will continue to evolve in 2020. Issuers and their advisers should be aware of the key legal developments that will … Continue Reading
The Commissioner held senior leadership accountable for illegal “sign-stealing”, even though the conduct generally involved players and low-level operations employees. By Nathan H. Seltzer, David Berman, Christopher D’Agostino, and Nell Perks On 13 January 2020, the Major League Baseball Commissioner handed down significant punishment (including fines and suspension) to the Houston Astros baseball team and … Continue Reading
In a leading case, the Court examined the extent of the duty of care that a bank owes to its customers when executing their orders. By Andrea Monks and Nell Perks On 30 October 2019, the UK Supreme Court dismissed Daiwa’s appeal in the case of Singularis Holdings Ltd (In Official Liquidation) v Daiwa Capital … Continue Reading
Insights from Latham’s flagship event: Managing the risk and promise of digitisation in financial services Authors: Andrew Moyle, Nicola Higgs, Christian McDermott, and Kirsty Watkins. The financial services industry is leading the way in outsourcing, with contract values in excess of US$10.7 billion in 2018, causing regulators to focus more than ever on the associated … Continue Reading
Objective test applies if a prior concluded contract exists, but subjective test applies if there is a continuing common intention. By George Schurr and Alex Cox In the recent case of FSHC Group Holdings Limited v. GLAS Trust Corporation Ltd [2019] EWCA Civ 1361, the English Court of Appeal held that for rectification to be … Continue Reading
10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for UK/European Wholesale Markets in 2019 By David Berman, Carl Fernandes Nicola Higgs, Rob Moulton, Charlotte Collins, and Christopher Sullivan. In the fifth post of this 10-blog series, we identify key milestones in the derivatives market for the year ahead. This is taken from our wider publication: 10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for UK/European Wholesale Markets in … Continue Reading
All firms should take note of the FCA’s latest feedback on SMCR implementation. By Rob Moulton, Charlotte Collins and David Berman In its latest piece of feedback on firms’ implementation of the SMCR, the FCA indicated that firms must improve their implementation of the Certification Regime and, most particularly, the Conduct Rules. While the FCA’s … Continue Reading
10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for UK/European Wholesale Markets in 2019 By David Berman, Carl Fernandes Nicola Higgs, Rob Moulton, and Charlotte Collins The fourth post in this 10-blog series considers the latest developments in relation to the Market Abuse regime. This is taken from our wider publication: 10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for UK/European Wholesale Markets in 2019 – Progress Report. … Continue Reading
10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for UK/European Wholesale Markets in 2019 By David Berman, Carl Fernandes Nicola Higgs, Rob Moulton, and Charlotte Collins This blog post explores developments relating to the EU Benchmarks Regulation and the transition away from LIBOR. This is the third blog of this series, which has been taken from our wider publication: 10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for … Continue Reading
10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for UK/European Wholesale Markets in 2019 By David Berman, Carl Fernandes Nicola Higgs, Rob Moulton, and Charlotte Collins In the second post of this 10-blog series, we examine recent and upcoming developments relating to MiFID II. This is taken from our wider publication: 10 Key Regulatory Focus Areas for UK/European Wholesale Markets in 2019 – Progress Report. … Continue Reading
By David Berman, Carl Fernandes Nicola Higgs, Rob Moulton and Charlotte Collins In our January publication, we highlighted what we were seeing as the top regulatory focus areas for our clients during the year ahead, focusing on wholesale market structures and conduct risk. In a series of 10 blog posts, we will take a closer look at … Continue Reading
Call for evidence on regulatory cooperation marks the first phase of the planned review. By Carl Fernandes, Nicola Higgs, Rob Moulton, and Charlotte Collins The Chancellor announced in the Spring Statement that HM Treasury would undertake the Financial Services Future Regulatory Framework Review — examining the long-term effectiveness of the UK regulatory regime and considering … Continue Reading
New length restrictions will require issuers to focus on key information for investors. By James Inness and Connor Cahalane Under the Prospectus Regulation, which comes into force on 21 July 2019 (See EU Prospectus Regulation: New Format and Content Requirements), issuers preparing equity prospectuses will need to comply with new rules on the summary section. … Continue Reading
Persisting political and economic uncertainty means awareness of market changes remains crucial. By Simon Baskerville, Tom Evans, David Walker, Stephanie Dellosa, and Catherine Campbell The 2008 distress cycle triggered defaults and restructurings for European PE portfolio companies, as maintenance covenant defaults and balance sheet deleveraging forced refinancings and debt-for-equity swaps. While restructuring conditions for PE firms are … Continue Reading
Cornerstone investments can assist a firm’s overall exit objective, particularly when there are bidders for a portfolio company but no outright buyer. By James Inness, Tom Evans, David Walker, Sonica Tolani, Connor Cahalane, and Catherine Campbell Cornerstone investments, which involve taking a stake in an about-to-list company, have been popular in Asia and in Nordic countries for … Continue Reading
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
