Western Europe

Marcel Frey and Urs Feller of Prager Dreifuss analyse a recent Swiss Federal Tribunal ruling that provides helpful guidance for heirs who may want to unlock financial information held by a deceased relative’s bank

Restructuring activity has also increased as the retail, real estate, and construction sectors struggle to cope with recent crises and rising costs, say Markus Fellner, Florian Henöckl, and Nadine Maros of Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners

Christoph Neeracher, Luca Jagmetti, and Thomas Rohde of Bär & Karrer discuss Switzerland’s restructuring and insolvency landscape for 2024 and beyond

The system has proved to be effective in addressing companies with business difficulties, but areas of uncertainty remain, say Laïd Estelle Laurent, Jean Delapalme, and Claire Blondel of Jeantet

The key components of a business-friendly environment are in place in France and present an opportunity for further Chinese investment, say Raphaël Chantelot, Ran Hu, and Hubert Bazin of LPA-CGR avocats

A Swiss Federal Council report containing recommendations on improving financial market stability requires further evaluation, including with respect to the design of future additional tier 1 capital instruments, say Stefan Kramer, Benedikt Maurenbrecher, and Daniel Hulmann of Homburger

Marcus Peter and Kate Yu Rao of GSK Stockmann provide a guide to the most recent legal and regulatory developments impacting Chinese investments into Luxembourg

Clarifications concerning the costs and charges of closed-end private equity funds are welcomed by Diana Ribeiro Duarte, Pedro Capitão Barbosa, and João P. Monjardino of Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados

Luke Hili of Ganado Advocates notes a shift towards companies viewing ESG as a value strategy for long-term growth rather than just as a regulatory burden, and casts a spotlight on Maltese activity

Annette Weber of Advestra addresses the key questions concerning the new Swiss requirement for certain companies to provide annual reports on non-financial matters

Heiko Gotsche, Christina Mann, and Nicole Kubalek, Latham & Watkins

Markus Fellner, Paul Luiki, and Peter Blaschke, Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners

Nick Cline, Robbie McLaren, Douglas Abernethy, and Christian Roberts, Latham & Watkins

Marcus Peter and Kate Yu Rao, GSK Stockmann

Christoph Neeracher, Philippe Seiler, and Raphael Annasohn, Bär & Karrer

Andreas Moll and Christian Schönfeld of Prager Dreifuss report that more than 500,000 legal entities are facing enhanced disclosure requirements and the introduction of a federal register of beneficial owners

Demanding macroeconomic and geopolitical factors have led borrowers in the leveraged finance market to pursue alternative arrangements, but experts from Baker McKenzie suggest there are signs of a brighter outlook in the UK

Benedict Teo, Tham Feei Sy and Yvette Fong of Drew & Napier draw on case law from Singapore and the UK in analysing the main legal difficulties for cryptocurrency stakeholders

Urs Feller and Marcel Frey of Prager Dreifuss analyse a recent relaxing of Swiss regulation related to legal privilege for in-house counsel during internal investigations

While the economic outlook is a positive one for Portuguese businesses, Filipa Cotta and Catarina Carvalho Cunha of Vieira de Almeida find that pandemic hangovers are contributing to a predicted rise in corporate distress

Christoph Neeracher, Luca Jagmetti and Thomas Rohde of Bär & Karrer discuss Switzerland’s restructuring and insolvency landscape for 2023 and beyond

Sandro Fehlmann and Valérie Bayard of Advestra examine the likely impact of increasing demand for sustainable investments, the implementation of the regulatory framework for financial services and financial institutions that entered into force in 2020, the merger of Credit Suisse and UBS, and the introduction of L-QIFs.

As the Swiss tax authorities take an increasingly aggressive approach, Matthias Bizzarro and Ricardo Marino of Bär & Karrer explain the relevance of tax rulings, taxpayers’ means of appeal, and the burden of proof

João Nuno Riquito and Hália Cerqueira of Riquito Advogados report on a one-stop dual listing initiative between Macau and Luxembourg that is expected to build international financing channels and foster financial innovation

Marcus Peter and Kate Yu Rao of GSK Stockmann illustrate the most recent legal and regulatory developments impacting Chinese investments into Luxembourg

Raphaël Chantelot, Ran Hu and Hubert Bazin of LPA-CGR avocats report that China retains a strong business presence in France and identify several factors that point to a positive outlook for foreign investment

Christoph Neeracher, Philippe Seiler and Raphael Annasohn, Bär & Karrer

Guy Deillon and Dr Christian Schönfeld of Prager Dreifuss drill into the thorny Swiss legal issues inherent to the dramatic buyout of Credit Suisse by UBS.

Dr. Vera Naegeli of Bär & Karrer offers answers to commonly asked questions surrounding Switzerland’s recently applied ESG reporting and due diligence requirements.

Annette Weber of Advestra reports on the latest ESG developments in the Swiss market, as the jurisdiction braces for a wave of regulatory requirements.

Marcus Peter and Marie-Thérèse Wich of GSK Stockmann explain the increasing importance of sustainable finance in Luxembourg’s fund industry and consider the challenges to overcome.

Oliver Widmer and Manu Ferro of Pestalozzi outline the Swiss approach to the ESG evolution, with funds well-advised to take the jurisdiction’s law provisions seriously

Heiko Gotsche, Christina Mann and Nicole Kubalek, Latham & Watkins

Markus Fellner, Paul Luiki and Peter Blaschke, Fellner Wratzfeld & Partner

Nelson Raposo Bernardo and Joana Andrade Correia, Raposo Bernardo & Associados

More US buyers – and more buyer-friendly deal terms – are entering the seller-friendly UK market, although the picture is increasingly nuanced, say Joshua M. Dubofsky, Sam Newhouse, Jennifer N. Cadet, and Catherine Campbell

Nick Cline, Robbie McLaren, Douglas Abernethy and Gillian Bourke, Latham & Watkins

Marcus Peter and Kate Yu Rao, GSK Stockmann

Guy Deillon of Prager Dreifuss considers the new FINMA Guidance 01/2023 and its impact on financial institutions

Fabian Cabeza of Elias Neocleous & Co explains what company founders need to be aware of regarding funding when launching start-ups on the ‘Tech Island’

Switzerland is facing a choice of whether to maintain its policy of self-regulation regarding sustainable finance or formulate legislation that applies across all financial industry sectors, say Jürg Frick and Alexander Cochardt of Homburger

There are still alarming gaps in organisations’ cybersecurity measures and awareness of cyber insurance. Reto M Jenny of Prager Dreifuss considers the Swiss legislative response to cyber threats and why specialist insurance is required

Chrysanthos Christoforou of Elias Neocleous discusses recent cases in which the UK courts have shown great flexibility and willingness to assist victims to trace and freeze their stolen crypto-assets

Christoph Neeracher, Philippe Seiler, and Raphael Annasohn of Bär & Karrer share lessons learnt that can benefit portfolio companies that find themselves in distress situations in Switzerland

Benjamin Leisinger and Fabrice Eckert of Homburger share selected legal considerations as decentralised finance grows in popularity

Manuel Fernandez, Andreas Heinzmann, Hawa Mahamoud, and Valerio Scollo of GSK analyse the Luxembourg capital markets landscape and make the case for investment

Ioannis Sidiropoulos of Elias Neocleous & Co LLC and Nicole Phinopoulou of Phinopoulou Legal Practice explain why artificial intelligence’s potential to increase the utilisation of sustainable finance depends on its adoption in the legal world

Daniel Hayek and Mark Meili of Prager Dreifuss explain the consequences of changes to Swiss company law, and how shareholders and lenders involved in company restructures can protect their interests before and after January 2023

Christoph Neeracher, Luca Jagmetti, and Thomas Rohde of Bär & Karrer discuss the Swiss legal restructuring and insolvency regime

Xenia Kalogirou of Elias Neocleous & Co discusses the liquidity management tools in collective investment schemes in Cyprus and the EU Commission’s proposals to amend AIFMD and the UCITS Directive

Marcus Peter and Kate Yu Rao of GSK Stockmann explain why the outlook for Chinese investment into Luxembourg continues to remain positive

Raphaël Chantelot, Ran Hu, Fanny Nguyen, Hubert Bazin and Nicolas Vanderchmitt of LPA-CGR Avocats explain why the outlook for Chinese investment in France remains promising

Cyrill Diefenbacher and Ollin Söllner of Bär & Karrer discuss the changing landscape of crypto assets, particularly non-fungible tokens, and the Swiss taxes that the buying, holding, and selling of NFTs can trigger

Xenia Kalogirou of Elias Neocleous & Co discusses the inducement rules for fund managers in Cyprus and the impact of restrictions on inducements for asset management

Increased regulatory intervention is here to stay, and deal teams must remain agile and skilful to meet the evolving challenges as Douglas Abernethy, Nick Cline, Robbie McLaren and Catherine Campbell explain

Luís Roquette Geraldes and Miguel Dinis Lucas of Morais Leitão look at how the EU is moving towards transformative and innovative technologies

Susanne McMenamin, Garret Farrelly and Tara Doyle of Matheson discuss the role of corporate governance in ESG and explain why boardrooms needs to be proactive, prepared and well-informed when it comes to successful ESG reporting

Annette Weber of Advestra explains the measures Swiss enterprises will need to take to comply with the new ESG reporting and due diligence obligations

Diana Ribeiro Duarte, Pedro Capitão Barbosa and Sofia Araújo Matias of Morais Leitão outline the daunting challenges that fund managers face as a result of the increasing focus on sustainability and transparency

Marcus Peter and Irina Stoliarova of GSK Stockmann explain why sustainable finance is driving growth and development in Luxembourg’s fund industry and consider the challenges to overcome

Oliver Widmer and Manu Ferro of Pestalozzi discuss how the existing Swiss legal framework provides sufficient legal basis to issue, list and trade sustainable bonds

Niamh O’Shea and Ian Conlon of the Maples Group discuss how to overcome the twin difficulties of delays to implementation and lack of transparency and reporting standards for ESG data in the EU

João Tiago Silveira and João Bernardo Silva of Morais Leitão explore the differences between the EU Parliament’s Draft and the Commission’s Draft on corporate sustainable due diligence to identify what to expect from the outcome of the EU’s legislative procedure

Line Berg Madsen and Peter Hedegaard Madsen of Poul Schmith explore how the new reporting obligations under Article 8 of the EU taxonomy regulation presents both legal challenges and commercial opportunities from a Danish perspective

Nadia Bonnet of Arendt & Medernach and Antoine Peter of Arendt Regulatory & Consulting describe how the EU is leading the way in sustainable finance and consider the impact of the changes on fund managers

Nelson Raposo Bernardo and Joana Andrade Correia, Raposo Bernardo & Associados

Heiko Gotsche, Christina Mann and Nicole Kubalek, Latham & Watkins

Beda Kaufmann and Daniel Raun, Advestra

Marcus Peter and Kate Yu Rao, GSK Stockmann

Nick Cline, Robbie McLaren, Douglas Abernethy and Christian Roberts, Latham & Watkins

Markus Fellner, Paul Luiki, Roswitha Seekirchner, Peter Blaschke, Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners

Christoph Suter and Alice Johnson of Bär & Karrer discuss two recent decisions that clarify the definition of ‘intermediary’ for Swiss securities transfer tax purposes and address whether an M&A advisor qualifies as a securities dealer

Daniel Haeberli and Stefan Kramer of Homburger consider why the first bond issued by a Swiss car leasing company is the next logical step in the evolution of Swiss structured covered bonds

Daniel Haeberli and Eduard De Zordi of Homburger discuss the world’s first bond issuance with a pure digital part, which was recently admitted to trading on SIX Digital Exchange

Diana Ribeiro Duarte, Pedro Capitão Barbosa and Manuel Bragança Santos of Morais Leitão discuss the mandatory ESG disclosure obligations for asset managers

Ioannis Sidiropoulos of Elias Neocleous & Co discusses the key issues for insolvency practitioners to consider when an estate includes crypto assets in Cyprus

Elisabeth Overland and Mark Kalderon of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London discuss the role that the financial sector has to play in helping the UK economy adapt to a more sustainable long-term future

Pamela A Evangelou of Elias Neocleous & Co describes how the guidelines on marketing communications under the Cross-Border Distribution Regulation are being implemented in Cyprus

Central bank digital currencies are on the radar of central banks. Xenia Kalogirou of Elias Neocleous & Co discusses the issues they raise and how these are being addressed

Ana Luís de Sousa and Hugo Moredo Santos of Vieira de Almeida explain why 2021 marked a strong year for the construction of a stronger EU sustainable finance market

Diana Ribeiro Duarte, Pedro Capitão Barbosa and Clara Almeida of Morais Leitão provide an update on private equity market in Portugal

Diana Ribeiro Duarte and Sofia Araújo Matias of Morais Leitão discuss the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive which intends to replace the Non-Financial Reporting Directive by adjusting its reporting requirements

Chrysanthos Christoforou of Elias Neocleous & Co outlines how the legislative and judicial departments of Cyprus are working to fight cybercrime

Daniel Haeberli and Alexander Wherlock of Homburger explore the use of liquidity pools on decentralised exchanges on the Swiss market

Jürg Frick of Homburger examines the exemptions and requirements for trustees which have emerged from Switzerland’s new financial market regulations

James Tanner and Eva-Maria Segur-Cabanac from Baker McKenzie examine whether the EU Green Bond Standard will be a realistic competitor to the ICMA Green Bond Principles

Corinne Nobs of Prager Dreifuss discusses the most important changes to the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act, expected to enter into force by mid-2022

Ruth Bloch-Riemer and David Weimann of Bär & Karrer explain why employers' duties and liability exposure in the fields of payroll should not be underestimated

Elena Christodoulou of Elias Neocleous & Co provides an overview of how Cyprus tax resident individuals are taxed in Cyprus

Nuno Gundar da Cruz, Catarina Martins Morão and Luís Possolo of Morais Leitão consider how Portugal has legislated to resume its economic growth and reinforce the objective of convergence with Europe

Xenia Kalogirou and Ioannis Sidiropoulos of Elias Neocleous & Co consider how Cyprus is faring amid the accelerated pace of e-commerce development across the globe

Armel Waisse, Laurent Henneresse and Christophe Molitor, Molitor Avocats à la Cour

Mathias Eisen and Robert Kastl, Milbank