Sponsored Q&A: Drew & Napier

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Sponsored Q&A: Drew & Napier

1. Could you provide an overview of the licensing and registration requirements imposed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore for foreign financial institutions seeking to establish a presence in Singapore?

Foreign financial institutions looking to establish a presence in Singapore must consider a range of licensing and registration requirements based on their intended business activities. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is the singular regulatory authority overseeing the financial services sector in Singapore, and regulates and supervises financial institutions and their operations in Singapore. Continue reading “Sponsored Q&A: Drew & Napier”

Sponsored Q&A: Deloitte

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Sponsored Q&A: Deloitte

1. What are the key regulatory requirements and compliance challenges that law firms operating in Uruguay’s banking and finance sector currently face?

Capital Markets Act No 18.627 enacts the framework for companies operating in the Uruguayan Capital Market (issuers, brokers, investment advisers, etc); Law No 15.322 regulates the same for banks and all relevant entities acting as financial intermediators; Law No 16.426 regulates insurance and reinsurance framework (as well as Law No 19.678 that sets certain terms and conditions that shall be stipulated in the insurance agreements/policies); Laws No 16.713 regulates the Pension Funds Administrators (law that has been recently modified by Law No 20.130, that modified the Uruguayan pension regime); Law 16.774 rules mutual funds; and Law 19.210 and 18.573 regulates the payment system. Continue reading “Sponsored Q&A: Deloitte”

Sponsored briefing: The importance of maintaining a constructive media relationship throughout litigation

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Sponsored briefing: The importance of maintaining a constructive media relationship throughout litigation

The potential for reputational damage from ongoing litigation is increasingly recognised across the legal sector. Even where the value of a dispute going through court may be relatively small, the reputational damage that can result from the hearings – particularly at trial – can be vastly greater. It is therefore vital to have a comprehensive strategy in place to manage any media attention that the case may receive, both to put the client’s narrative forward and to parry any talking points floated by the other side.

While it may seem advantageous to seek to minimise media attention at all costs during hearings that are likely to go poorly, this can often backfire. Seeking to push forward the client’s position and narrative only during positive parts of a case, and otherwise largely not engaging with the media, can cause long-term issues for credibility when working with those journalists relying on the parties for information around a case. Litigation is a contact sport both in the courtroom and in the press, and it is vital to have a team of experts advocating for you in both arenas. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: The importance of maintaining a constructive media relationship throughout litigation”

Sponsored briefing: A brief overview of Dutch alternatives for participation structures

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Sponsored briefing: A brief overview of Dutch alternatives for participation structures

VanLoman partners Marc Oostenbroek and Gabriël van Gelder explore the advantages and disadvantages of structures for employee participation commonly used in the Netherlands

Participation structures are an often-used method to bind employees/managers to the company and to share the value increase realised. In the Netherlands generally four kinds of participation structures are used: stock options; stock appreciation rights (SARs); shares; and carried interest. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: A brief overview of Dutch alternatives for participation structures”

Sponsored briefing: The Digital Operational Resilience Act: the next chapter for cyber resilience in the EU financial sector

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Sponsored briefing: The Digital Operational Resilience Act: the next chapter for cyber resilience in the EU financial sector

THE WHAT AND WHY OF DORA

The EU’s financial sector is counting down towards a major legal document aimed at addressing cyber security concerns within this sector. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: The Digital Operational Resilience Act: the next chapter for cyber resilience in the EU financial sector”

Sponsored Q&A: Nicholas Blake-Knox – partner and head of Walkers’ asset management and investment funds group in Ireland

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Sponsored Q&A: Nicholas Blake-Knox – partner and head of Walkers’ asset management and investment funds group in Ireland

Can you tell us a little bit about your career and how you ended up at Walkers?

When I graduated from University College Dublin in 2001 with a business and law degree I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. A friend in university had started working in a finance role within a fund administrator and he told me that if I joined and stayed for three months that he would get a €500 referral bonus. I joined. He got the referral bonus (which he didn’t share with me incidentally) and subsequently left to become a primary school teacher. Ironically, I have remained in the funds industry ever since. My legal career began a couple of years later with one of the leading domestic firms in Dublin, where I was earmarked for their investment funds group when I finished my traineeship. In 2011, I moved to London and joined the global asset management firm, PIMCO. I stayed in London with PIMCO for almost seven years before returning to Ireland in 2018 when I joined Walkers. During my time in London I completed an MBA at London Business School and briefly considered the idea of moving out of a legal role but ultimately stuck with a career in the legal profession. I feel that I have made the right choice and enjoy working in the funds industry in Ireland. Last year, I was elected to the Council of Irish Funds (the asset management and investment funds industry association here) and recently have been appointed to the role of vice chair of the association and consequently will assume the role of chair next year. Continue reading “Sponsored Q&A: Nicholas Blake-Knox – partner and head of Walkers’ asset management and investment funds group in Ireland”