Expert Analysis

• Role Of UK Investment Act Is Evolving In M&A Deals

  

  With merger and acquisition activity likely to increase in light of the government’s new defense industrial strategy, the role of the National Security and Investment Act will come into sharper focus, and its recent annual report confirms that scrutiny is intensifying, say lawyers at Kingsley Napley.

• What To Know About EU's Reimposition Of Sanctions On Iran

  

  Lawyers at Steptoe discuss the European Union’s recent reimposition of trade and financial sanctions against Iran, which will introduce legal and operational constraints that affect EU companies' commercial activities in the region.

• FCA Crypto Proposals Herald Tougher Oversight For Firms

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent proposals to extend regulation to crypto-asset activities will bring parity, but implementation of the operational resilience requirements and enhanced financial crime controls will present compliance challenges, says Michelle Kirschner at Gibson Dunn.

• EU Investment Reporting Rules Letup Signals Pragmatic Shift

  

  While investment companies remain subject to far-reaching disclosure obligations under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, new guidance from the European Commission on reporting passive limited partner commitments represents a drastic simplification and burden reduction, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

• SFO's 2-Year Transformation Signals Crackdown On Fraud

  

  Two years after Nick Ephgrave’s appointment as director of the Serious Fraud Office, the introduction of new corporate criminal offenses and strengthened investigative methods sends a clear message to corporations that the agency is delivering on its promise to be bolder and more proactive about tackling fraud, say lawyers at BCL Solicitors.

• What To Know About Interim Licenses In Global FRAND Cases

  

  Recent U.K. court decisions have shaped a framework for interim licenses in global standard-essential patent disputes, under which parties can benefit from operating on temporary terms while a court determines the final fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms — but the future of this developing remedy is in doubt, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

• How EU And UK Consumer Loan Protections Are Shifting

  

  As market evolution and digitalization motivate both the European Union and the U.K. to revamp consumer protections around lending, the potential for divergence between these rules will pose new challenges for cross-border consumer credit lenders, say lawyers at Skadden.

• EBA Guidance Shakes Up EU Securitization Market Practices

  

  Although the European Banking Authority’s recent questioning of the common use of conditional sale agreements to season assets when setting up securitizations has come as an unwelcome surprise, competent regulators are expected to follow the EBA guidance, even though as a Q&A response it is not legally binding, say lawyers at Debevoise.

• Landmark VAT Ruling Should Shift HMRC Reply On Guidance

  

  The recent decision in Hotelbeds Ltd. v. Revenue and Customs Commissioners on the recovery of input tax, confirming that HMRC is bound to comply with its own guidance, will make the agency rethink its usual response to allegations that the policy was not law, say lawyers at Kennedys.

• Evolving General Partner Stakes Market Brings Opportunities

  

  The rapid increase in investment in general partner stakes by private capital managers indicates its advantages over both strategic sales and initial public offerings, including the ability to retain greater operational control over the business and to avoid the scrutiny that accompanies a listing, says Nicholas Page at Macfarlanes.

• How UK Proposal On Late Payments Could Affect SMEs

  

  The U.K. government’s ongoing late payments consultation would claw back much-needed leverage for small and midsize enterprises negotiating with large organizations, should the reforms be implemented as proposed, say lawyers at Shoosmiths.

• Waldorf Ruling Signals Recalibration For Restructuring Plans

  

  The recent High Court landmark judgment refusing to sanction Waldorf Production PLC's restructuring plan underscores a change in the way courts assess whether such plans are fair, indicating not their demise but a pivotal moment in their evolution, say lawyers at Simpson Thacher.

• Key Points From UK And Japan's Antitrust Cooperation Pact

  

  The memorandum of cooperation recently signed between the U.K. and Japan to promote collaboration in competition law enforcement is a meaningful step that offers cross-border businesses an improved foundation for earlier alignment and better risk management, say lawyers at Steptoe.

• Opinion

  New US-UK Tech Deal Offers Opportunities To Boost Growth

  

  The recently announced U.S. and U.K. Technology Prosperity Deal, encouraging businesses on both sides of the Atlantic to work together toward technological advance, will drive both investment in U.K. capabilities and returns for U.S. investors, says Peter Watts at Hogan Lovells.

• What Draft AML Reforms Mean For UK Financial Sector

  

  HM Treasury’s recently published draft regulations amending the U.K. Money Laundering Regulations, although not as material as expected, are a step toward a targeted risk-based approach, which the industry will welcome, say lawyers at Ropes & Gray.