This article has an update for the Shareholder Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Resolutions in Australia following their previous update in September 2020. Describing some of the recent changes and developments, their conclusion was that the increasing number of ESG resolutions demonstrates that activities are making full use of their ability to requisition shareholder resolutions.
This piece highlights the increasing pressure within Australia on companies to address the issue of climate change. In particular, it highlighted the amount of landmark climate change cases that have been issued in recent months to compel the government or specific directors and officers to compel action on climate change. Indeed, Australia is the second most active jurisdiction for climate change litigation, with the United States being first.
New Zealand – in a world first – introduced a bill requiring companies in the financial sector to disclose the impact of climate change on their businesses and how they plan to manage climate-related risks and opportunities. This resource takes a look at how the climate impact disclosure bill could impact businesses based in Australia.
In his address to the Committee for Economic Development Australia, Chair Rod Sims announced the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Compliance and Enforcement priorities for 2021. The ACCC’s priorities for 2021 are consistent with their 2020 update, but COVID-19’s impact has been taken into account, in addition to the various competition, consumer and aw reform matters.
In December 2020, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) of the government of Hong Kong issued a proposal to provide tax concession for interest distributed by eligible private equity funds which operate in Hong Kong. This proposal summarised and addressed comments and feedback from a prior response issued by the government of Hong Kong in August 2020. This article is a detailed submission on the August 2020 proposal.
This article provides a summary of the update on the United States (US) sanctions against Community Chinese Military companies and the implications for the securities market of Hong Kong. On 12 November 2020, the US President issued Executive Order 13959 (EO13959), which has caused significant market uncertainty; EO13959 prohibits certain transaction insecurities linked to what it has described as Communist Chinese Military Companies.
On 8 February 2021, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong (SFC) issues a consultation paper, which if successfully enacted as it was proposed, would have an impact on the way in which public offerings of equity and debt securities are made in Hong Kong. The following article provides an overview on the provisions of the consultation paper and the specific effects of its inaction.
In light of the news that 2020 has been an exciting year for Hong Kong’s asset and wealth management industry, this article provides an overview of the of a recent proposal issued by the Hong Kong government’s Financial Service and The Treasury Bureau. This proposal provides a framework and procedures involves in the redomiciling process of an offshore fund to Hong Kong.
In this Quick Overview, the intricacies of the legal department’s role in organizations’ culture journeys is examined as well as why this positions general counsel (GCs) as cultural role models within organizations.
Finding and assessing potentially relevant Electronically Stored Information (ESI) is a key aspect of Early Case Assessment (ECA), but more than that, ECA is analyzing and evaluating legal liability and potential costs from the beginning. In this article, learn how to assess your company's situation and create the best path forward.