Executive Summary/Highlights: In Q3 2019, global M&A volume was US$784 billion, reaching US$2.8 trillion for the year to date. Global M&A volume could, based on the current pace, exceed US$3.5 trillion in annual volume in 2019 for the fifth time in the last decade. But there are signs of a slow-down. U.S. M&A volume, the … Continued
The Finance Commission of the French National Assembly has announced a report that will recommend reforms to French securities market regulations to address shareholder activism and market transparency. The report’s recommendations focus on responding to the excesses of activists in the French market with enhanced disclosure, reduced asymmetry of regulation between activist investors and French public … Continued
Below is an op-ed by Martin Lipton and William Savitt that appeared in the Financial Times on Tuesday, September 17, 2019. Martin Lipton William Savitt
Amendment laws implementing the Shareholders’ Rights Directive: Action Points for Boards of Austrian listed companies On 23 July 2019, amendments of the Stock Corporation Act and Stock Exchange Act implementing the Shareholder Rights Directive II (2017/828) entered into force. Directive 2017/628/EU to encourage long-term shareholder engagement was implemented with the aim to minimize the administrative … Continued
Executive Summary/Highlights: In Q2 2019, global M&A volume reached US$1 trillion for the quarter and surpassed US$2 trillion for the year to date. Global M&A volume in 2019 is on pace to reach the US$4 trillion mark for the second consecutive year and only the third time in the last decade. The significant global deal … Continued
Cross-Border M&A Guide Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz recently published the inaugural edition of their Cross-Border M&A Guide, which is available here. This new Cross-Border M&A Guide covers the key U.S. legal considerations not only for acquisitions of U.S. companies by non-U.S. companies (or “inbound” M&A transactions), but also for acquisitions of non-U.S. companies, including … Continued
Bill implementing the Shareholders’ Rights Directive: what it means for Dutch listed companies On 2 April 2019, the bill implementing the revised Shareholder Rights Directive was adopted by the Lower House of Parliament. The bill was amended to take into account a number of modifications to the initial draft. The implementation of Directive 2017/628/EU to … Continued
Executive Summary/Highlights: Global M&A volume, which exceeded US$4.0 trillion in 2018, continued at a similar pace in Q1 2019, reaching US$958 billion. Global M&A volume in the first quarter of the year has been primarily driven by record levels of deal activity in the United States. It was the most active first quarter for U.S. … Continued
“Grand Unification” Era of China’s Administration on Foreign Investment – A Brief Commentary on the New Foreign Investment Law On December 26, 2018, the National People’s Congress published the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China (Draft) (the “Draft”) in order to solicit public opinion. Based on a wide variety of opinions received … Continued
Spotlight on Boards The ever-evolving challenges facing corporate boards prompt periodic updates to a snapshot of what is expected from the board of directors of a major public company—not just the legal rules, or the principles published by institutional investors and various corporate and investor associations, but also the aspirational “best practices” that have come … Continued
