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UK firm Sinclair Roche & Temperley is to form an alliance with Singapore firm Colin Ng & Partners. Sinclair Roche, which specializes in shipping law, is to cooperate as closely with the Asian banking firm as it can without breaking strict bar regulations. A merger is forbidden by the Singapore law society.

The Australian Mutual Provident Society recently carried out a public offering of its 9.1% interest in Westpac Banking Corporation for US$1 billion. The Westpac Corporation shares were sold by Australian Mutual Provident in the form of STRYPES (Structured Yield Product Exchangeable for Stock), underwritten by Merrill Lynch.

The collapse of BCCI resulted in a number of cases. The Hong Kong Court of Appeal and the Privy Council (replaced by the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong since July 1 1997) have recently delivered two judgments.

Tender bids for Singapore's second fixed-line licence and third mobile phone licence closed on December 31 1997.

On November 1 1997, the Investment Fund Ordinance was amended to include an Institutional Investor's Exemption for foreign investment funds. The amendment states, provided there is no public solicitation, non-registered foreign investment funds may be offered and sold in Switzerland to institutional investors with professional treasury, such as banks, insurance companies and pension funds. The limitation to investors with professional treasury does not exclude institutional investors, which have outsourced the treasury department to a bank or the like.

Denton Hall has opened a New York office and appointed two insurance partners from Dibb Lupton Alsop. The new office will specialize in insurance and reinsurance, both contentious and non-contentious, as well as developing its commercial litigation and arbitration practice.

In theory, depositors of securities with a custodian have always been able to reclaim them if the custodian goes bankrupt. But this theory has never been tested in the courts. New legislation removes any doubt. By Urs Schenker of Baker & McKenzie, Zurich

Anne Counihan of National Treasury Management Agency, Ireland talks to Diana Bentley

Continuing the programme of economic reforms started in 1989, president Menem's last full year of government before elections in 1999 will be characterized by the privatization of most publicly held companies and the selling of shareholdings in those privatized companies in which the government holds a participation, principally in the electric and banking sectors.

Gazprom has arranged a US$3 billion loan to finance its investments in the Yamal pipeline project and to refinance a US$1.2 billion bridge loan. The eight-year facility will be secured against revenues from Gaz de France supply contracts.