Issues

Accelerating ESG Disclosure— WEF Task Force Releases Preliminary Framework Centered on Mainstream Reporting Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals Reflecting the growing push among investors, asset managers, companies and other stakeholders for a standardized ESG disclosure framework, a task force sponsored by the International Business Council (IBC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has released … Continued

*This article was originally distributed on January 23, 2020 Dear Clients and Friends, 新年快乐! We wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous year ahead! We ring in 2020 on a more positive note than where we started 2019. In the past year, a slowdown in manufacturing has weighed on economic growth both globally and in … Continued

The official Annual Report under the Investment Canada Act (ICA) for the fiscal year 2018-19 was released at the end of 2019. This document sets out various statistics and other noteworthy developments during that time frame (i.e., April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019) relating to the two review processes under the ICA: the “net … Continued

On 7 January 2020 Nasdaq Copenhagen announced an update to its issuer rules, introducing a requirement that a request for de-listing by an issuer of shares must be approved by 90% of the votes cast and share capital represented at a general meeting of the issuer in question. The new rules constitute a significant change … Continued

Executive Summary/Highlights Global M&A volume approached US$3.9 trillion in 2019, the third highest annual total in the last decade, despite increasing global economic and political headwinds. Strong economic growth, low interest rates, record amounts of private equity dry powder and the availability of corporate cash fueled global M&A in 2019. The boom was strongest in … Continued

On December 20, 2019 the highest court of the Netherlands upheld an earlier decision by a lower court that insufficient action to address climate change posed a “risk of irreversible changes to the worldwide ecosystems and liveability of our planet” and a “serious risk that the current generation of citizens will be confronted with loss … Continued

Legal entities in the Netherlands must register UBO from March 2020 The much anticipated UBO register is expected to become operational in March 2020. The UBO register will be kept by the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and will be separate from the Dutch Trade Register. All legal entities registered in the Netherlands, including foundations, must … Continued

Cross-Border M&A and Protectionism – A Review of Laws and Practice in China Daniel He, JunHe LLP 1. The New PRC Foreign Investment Law On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC” or “China”) approved the PRC Foreign Investment Law (“FIL”) which will be implemented on January 1, … Continued

Some Thoughts for Boards of Directors in 2020 By Martin Lipton, Steven A. Rosenblum, Karessa L. Cain, and Kathleen I. Tatum December 9, 2019 In hindsight, 2019 may come to be viewed as a watershed year in the evolution of corporate governance.  After years of growing alarm about endemic short-termism, the sustainability and competitiveness of … Continued

The Peruvian Government has enacted a new mandatory and suspensory clearance regime, which will come into force next year. Previously, Peruvian legislation only imposed mandatory pre-notification and clearance requirements for vertical or horizontal concentrations occurring in the fields of electricity generation, transmission or distribution.[1] Summary Breakdown Scope. The new merger control regime will apply to … Continued