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Transatlantic dialogue on financial services? How open is Europe to American capital?

The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) has issued amendments that significantly loosen the country's system of exchange rate controls. The move signals the further liberalisation of the national economy and is expected to stimulate its capital markets.

The European Commission (EC), by its very nature, loves to harmonise. From integrated capital markets and bank capital requirements, to its restrictive shipping law; harmonisation is a validatory process for those sat in Brussels. It's not always the right process though. As this month's cover story (p26) by staff writer Lizzie Meager discovers, an EU insolvency regime is not the way to solve the headaches caused by disjointed jurisdictional systems.

Bisola Olusoga The Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is currently being considered for passage into law in distinct parts, each instalment dealing fully with the matters to which it pertains. It is understood that this piecemeal approach represents a policy measure for the convenient management of the controversies which have historically plagued the PIB. The first part to be enacted, the Petroleum Industry Governance and Institutional Framework Bill aims to create efficient and effective governing institutions, with clearly delineated roles within the petroleum industry. It will also establish a framework for the creation of commercially oriented and profit-driven petroleum entities and promote transparency and accountability in the administration of petroleum resources in Nigeria.

Işıl Ökten Aslıhan Kahraman On October 23 2015, the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (the BRSA) published amendments to the Regulation on the Equities of the Banks (the Regulation). These amendments are intended to harmonise the Turkish banking regulations with Basel III, the comprehensive reform package developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision to strengthen the regulation and risk management of the banking sector. The amendments will enter into force on March 31 2016 (the Amending Regulation). The Amending Regulation introduces the following key changes:

Ha Hoang Loc Truong Huu Ngu Several months after the new Investment and Enterprise Law came into effect, the Vietnamese government continues to demonstrate the spirit of administrative reform by adopting guidance on the implementation of the legislation.

Till Spillmann Adrian Koller Pursuant to a decision of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court rendered in October 2014, up-stream loans extended by a Swiss company must be entered into on arm's length terms. If they are not provided on arm's length terms, up-stream loans may constitute de facto distributions and, therefore, may only be granted for an amount not exceeding the lender's freely distributable reserves. In addition, the court held that, as a result, the lender's ability for future dividend distributions is reduced by an amount corresponding to the loan amount. The court also imposed stringent requirements that needed to be met to satisfy the arm's length test. According to the view of most legal scholars, this decision constitutes a change in practice. It has raised a number of queries both at Swiss companies and among practitioners and scholars in Switzerland.

Elias Neocleous Law 144(I) of 2015 amends the Partnerships and Business Names Law (Cap 116) to introduce the concept of partnerships limited by shares (commonly referred to as limited liability partnerships, or LLPs) to the law of Cyprus. LLPs and their equivalents are widely used in other jurisdictions, particularly for investment holding purposes, and their introduction into Cyprus will provide a convenient new vehicle.

This year’s hostile tactics look a lot less aggressive than in 2015 Hostile takeovers could rise in 2016, as last year's mega deals are replaced by smaller consolidations and activist shareholders continuing to push boards into action.

Maurício Santos Betina Sanglard In November 2015, the Brazilian National Monetary Council issued Resolutions 4444 and 4449 with the goal of attracting investments from insurance and local reinsurance companies, pension funds and capitalisation companies (institutional investors) to infrastructure projects.