Welcome to the June edition of this publication that includes a variety of legal and market focused articles on current topics of interest in the world of trade finance.
In this issue, we feature:
• Trade finance and the efforts to boost intra-African trade
• Developments in the digitization of trade in Singapore
• Lombard North Central Plc v European Skyjets Ltd
• Baker McKenzie partners with the LMA
• Sanctions & Export Control Update
On 26 June 2022, US President Joe Biden together with G7 officially launched the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). G7 leaders pledged to raise USD 600 billion in private and public funds over five years to finance the required infrastructure in developing countries.
Based on the initial information available, the scope of the PGII is wide and includes tackling the climate crisis, bolstering global energy security, developing clean energy supply chains, strengthening cybersecurity and further developing digital and health infrastructure. It also focuses on gender equality and equity.
On 27 May 2022, the OECD released a new public consultation document presenting A Tax Certainty Framework for Amount A which will be the subject of this alert. Concurrently, a separate public consultation document dealing with Tax Certainty for issues related to Amount A was published, which is the focus of another alert. With these two new documents, the OECD has now released 7 out of 13 building blocks forming Amount A under Pillar One.
Baker McKenzie’s TMT Looking Ahead 2022 five-part series explores key themes, offers timely insights, and lays out recommendations for technology, media and telecommunication companies looking to navigate the latest industry developments. Topics covered include tech regulation and compliance, tech M&A, interactive entertainment, 5G and TMT as the driver of change.
This report explores what shaped the leveraged finance market in 2021 and maps ten predictions for 2022.
On 20 December 2021, the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework published model legislation regarding the Pillar II global minimum tax regime: the Global Anti-Base Erosion rules.
Taking off from the guide Crypto around the World, the second of two episodes takes a closer look at market abuse, sustainability, decentralized finance and future developments. Sue McLean, a partner in our London office, talks to the team that started this project: Iris Barsan, counsel from our Paris office; Julian Hui, associate from our London office; and Chris Murrer, a US attorney in our Zurich office. They also cover specific regulatory and policy considerations, as well as the future impact of central bank digital currencies.
In our previous article, ‘Commodity Finance: the complete security package’ (2021) 5 JIBFL 351, we touched upon how disruption to commodity transactions, as a consequence of lockdowns, has led to the uncovering of fraudulent activities due to enhanced oversight of borrowers’ businesses and how a well-constructed security package can mitigate this risk to a degree. In this follow-up article we examine in detail the different ways in which fraud can manifest itself in commodity finance transactions, the actions lenders can take to try and mitigate against such frauds occurring in the first place and the possible resolutions avail
The creation of the metaverse is already underway and although there are still a multitude of technical and legal issues to address before it becomes a reality, its features are already beginning to emerge.
Taking off from the guide Crypto Around the World, the first of two episodes takes a broader look at general aspects of cryptoassets. Sue McLean, a partner in our London office, talks to the team that started this project: Iris Barsan, Julian Hui, and Chris Murrer. They cover high-level regulatory issues – both current and emerging – as well as retail investments in crypto.