The global digital health market is expanding and is expected to reach revenues of $600bn by 2024 (McKinsey, The Economist, 2 December 2020).
In Israel, digital health is thriving and attracting international attention, and in particular increasingly substantial investments. This is due to Israel’s unique entrepreneurial ecosystem that includes: Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Digital health in Israel – Opportunities and regulatory aspects”
Dr Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre is Gauci-Maistre Xynou’s managing partner, having co-founded the firm in 2015. Jean-Pie’s focus throughout his career has been in different areas in the maritime industry. Following stints with the EU Commission cabinet for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs and the internationally renowned ship management company, Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Ltd, he moved to Malta to head the legal department of GM International Services Ltd.
With GMX he specialises in ship and yacht registrations under the Malta Flag as well as ship and yacht finance. With the amendments to Maltese aviation law in recent years, he has also focused on the firm’s aviation practice. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Q&A with managing partner Dr. Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre”
According to the European Commission’s winter forecast, despite a severe economic contraction of around 9% in 2020, Malta’s economy will grow by 4.5% in 2021. A recent proposal by the Commission to end quarantine and testing for vaccinated adults travelling from one EU country to another will be welcome news for the island nation, for which tourism is one of the top five contributors to the economy. The Maltese government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been robust and, at times, has been praised by the World Health Organisation. On 25 May, the minister for health Chris Fearne stated that 70% of the population had been vaccinated, making it the first country in the world to reach the estimated benchmark for herd immunity.
In June 2020, the Maltese government set out measures to alleviate the financial pressures brought on by the pandemic; these attempted to increase investment, incentivise domestic consumption and reduce the costs of operating a business. For workers, this meant the extension of the Covid-19 wage supplement with a particular focus on those who are dependent on the tourism industry for work. For businesses, a range of cost-cutting measures were introduced, including rent and electricity subsidies, refunds of trading licences, refunds on port charges and grants, among others. Employers were also offered cash to facilitate the costs of setting up workers to work remotely and a quarantine leave grant was offered for each worker who had to undertake mandatory quarantine. Also, at the start of the pandemic, €900m was provided in bank guarantees for businesses who required loans for operational matters, which was provided by the National Development and Social Fund, and a number of EU funds. Continue reading “Life in a bubble – the Malta report”
‘Anyone who says they’re not struggling would be lying,’ says Tim Pearce, global managing partner of Bedell Cristin, referring to the Jersey market. ‘Every sector of the economy and every business has struggled or suffered as a result of Covid, though businesses have struggled in different ways. Some financially, others socially. Others are struggling in terms of pure management. But for us, and indeed for the offshore industry as a whole, we’ve weathered the storm OK so far.’
Pearce’s cautiously optimistic outlook reverberates throughout the discussions with partners across the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands archipelago and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea to the north – the jurisdictions collectively known as the Crown Dependencies. Unlike the UK, domestic property is booming, buoyed by numerous factors. ‘In times of crisis, people invest in what they know,’ says Pearce. ‘People are looking for safe havens right now and property in all of our offshore jurisdictions is benefiting from that.’ Continue reading “UK offshore report: Staying afloat”
The Caribbean’s offshore financial centres have faced their fair share of challenges in recent years thanks to the increased international scrutiny of the tax haven environments, the impact of falling oil prices and the business interruption caused by the seemingly endless cycle of hurricanes, which sees the region bear the brunt of the ever-pervasive impact of climate change. Add to that a global pandemic, and there’s certainly the potential for a substantial economic disaster.
While the Covid-19 infection numbers for the Caribbean as a whole have remained low thanks to quick action by the local governments to close borders, enact temporary lockdowns and implement testing and contact tracing methods, the primary impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Caribbean is undoubtedly on tourism. For Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Cayman Islands (Cayman), the tourism industry contributes 28%, 52% and 70% of the average GDP respectively and figures suggest that, at worst, 2020 could see a 71% reduction in the number of international visitors. Continue reading “Caribbean offshore report: End of the storm?”
As we stated in our publication dated 16 March 2020, the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic indicates that it is one of the most important projections on the employment relations between employer and employee. Under current circumstances; many employers have been carrying on or will carry on remote working (homeworking) in regard to their white-collar employees either for all of them or alternately until a further notice is made. The current status of the pandemic and the applicable solution methods particularly in the scope of employment relations in terms of the uncertainty of the pandemic’s spreading speed and the precautions taken by the government are examined in this publication.
Nowadays, witnessing the heavy effects of Covid-19 (Coronavirus), described as a ‘pandemic’ by the World Health Organization (WHO), on employee-employer relations, we share our evaluations regarding the issues put on the agenda by any employees and employers, here in this article in the form of frequently asked questions.
Enterprises should determine the measures to be taken in the workplace and work areas, take decisions and implement them immediately such as providing and positioning disinfectants, following the hygiene rules and supplying masks through gathering the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) committees. Necessary precautions should to be taken in terms of hygiene and cleaning, by working with occupational safety specialists and workplace doctors. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: COVID-19 and its effects – Frequently asked question in context of labour law”
After the first novel coronavirus case in December, COVID-19 has gradually, yet rapidly, expanded and finally has managed to bring the entire world to a collective halt. Social restrictions and containment measures continue to increase to take the pandemic under control and to eliminate its fatal consequences, both on civilians and economies.
Under these circumstances, it has become obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic started to trigger substantial legal consequences predominantly on i) Contractual Obligations, ii) Employment and iii) Data Privacy. Accordingly, this article aims to provide an efficient guide on the repercussions of the novel coronavirus, from a practical perspective. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Practical Information for Businesses in the Face of COVID-19”
The letter that was sent to all chambers of commerce by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) on 1 April 2020, numbered 34221550-045.02-3392 referring to the letter of the Ministry of Trade (Ministry) dated 31 March 2020 (the Announcement) advises companies to preserve their equities during the COVID-19 pandemic. TOBB also made an advisory announcement regarding the need to limit the distribution of profits in order to prevent companies from falling into a state of capital loss and debt because of the outbreak. The Announcement recommends all companies, except state-owned enterprises, preserve their equities and in this regard, take the below principles into consideration for General Assembly meetings for the 2019 financial year that will be held this year.
