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A recent US court decision could put law firm management into turmoil. The removal of partners and the closure of offices which a firm deems are not performing to standard is put into question by the Palm Beach County Circuit Court decision. The level of damages set in the case could make any sackings prohibitively expensive. The judge's comments on Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft were cutting, but it is possible the precedent may be followed in cases where less turpitude is found.

Global harmonization of over-the-counter derivatives regulation is an idea whose time has not yet come, argues Schuyler K Henderson of Baker & McKenzie, London

The government has taken steps to encourage insurance companies to provide offshore insurance services in Labuan's International Offshore Financial Centre. Although reaction in the banking market to the possibility of setting-up offshore had been good, only six insurance companies had moved to the centre.

The Finance Ministry has recently revised its policy relating to the issue of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) and ordinary shares (through the Depositary Receipt mechanism). It has substantially relaxed its policy on Euro-issues including clearance to non-bank finance companies to access the European market. Under the revised guidelines, non-bank financial companies registered with the Reserve Bank of India have been permitted to float Euro-issues. The new guidelines are expected to promote greater flexibility.

The following is a summary of recent developments:

Ruling in favour of the international chemical group Bayer AG, the Court of First Instance has suspended the Commission decision of January 10 1996 which stated that the activities of Bayer Spain and Bayer France, subsidiaries of Bayer AG, constituted an 'agreement' contrary of Article 85 of the EC Treaty.

The Banking (Amendment) Act, passed on May 21 1996, will require locally-incorporated banks to raise their minimum shareholders' funds to approximately US$1 billion from the current minimum of approximately US$540 million.

The major Hong Kong conglomerates are in the grips of spin-off fever. Cheong Kong, Henderson Land, New World Development and Wai Kee Holdings have all streamlined their operations in the past year through the use of spin-offs.

More and more foreign investors are exploring the opportunities that exist in the undervalued assets of China's enterprises through mergers and acquisitions. Specifically, the takeover of a listed company in China is mainly governed by Section 4 of the Interim Regulations of Shares Issuing and Trading (the Interim Regulations) which was issued by the State Council Securities Committee on April 22 1993. Its major takeover provision is the 30% trigger point such that:

Last July, ISVAP, the supervisory authority for insurance companies, enacted provisions on the use of derivatives by insurance companies which will enter into force as of October 1 1996. Any financial instrument the price of which is related to the value of one or more activities or indices is considered a derivative product irrespective of the way it is described.