On 29 July 2024, the new UK Listing Rules came into force. The new rules institute a simpler, more flexible, disclosure-based listing regime and are designed to place London on a competitive footing with other major...more
7/29/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Capital Markets ,
Commercial Companies Law ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FTSE ,
Listing Rules ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
UK
The UK government has proposed a number of measures — both legislative and regulatory — to restore trust in audit and corporate governance and maintain the UK’s reputation as a home of sound corporate governance. Some of...more
As part of the wider review of the UK’s capital markets regulatory landscape, in May 2023, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published Consultation Paper CP23/10, which set out proposed reforms for companies with listed...more
Global M&A Activity Endures Headwinds in 2023 and Displays Resilience Going Into 2024 -
Despite market headwinds, dealmakers have looked to carveouts, spin-offs, joint ventures and other creative deal structures to engage...more
12/22/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Banking Sector ,
Capital Markets ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Commercial Real Estate Market ,
Competition ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cross-Border ,
EU ,
Exit Strategies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Geopolitical Risks ,
Global Dealmaking ,
HKEx ,
Insurance Industry ,
Joint Venture ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Securities ,
Short-Term Loans ,
Takeovers ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
In this update, we provide four predictions for the UK public M&A landscape in 2024, considering key statistics, trends, developments and highlights regarding UK public takeovers announced during 2023....more
As part of its commitment to strengthen sustainability disclosure in its 2018 Sustainable Finance Action Plan, the European Commission (EC), together with the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), has conducted...more
Short sellers make their money by publishing information that attacks a company in order to drive down its share price. How can a company prepare? And what should it not do in the face of a short attack? We offer some tips in...more
9/7/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Division ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delisting ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Horizontal Merger Guidelines ,
Internal Investigations ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sellers ,
Share Buybacks ,
Shareholders ,
Short Selling ,
UK
Nearly two decades after the enactment of SOX, which was precipitated by several high-profile corporate and accounting scandals in the US during the late 1990s and early 2000s, UK and European regulators are grappling with a...more
7/19/2023
/ Capital Markets ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Financing Rule ,
Corporate Fraud ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Transparency ,
UK
As predicted in our February 1, 2023, client alert, “ESG in 2022 and Predictions for 2023,” a global economic slowdown and ongoing backlash in the U.S. have slowed the momentum of some aspects of the environmental, social and...more
7/18/2023
/ Activist Investors ,
Biodiversity ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Reporting ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Green Energy ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Remuneration ,
Sustainability ,
UK
A key factor in recent discussions on revitalising London’s place as a capital markets and financial services hub has been a renewed attention on executive compensation. Recent comments made by Julia Hoggett, the CEO of the...more
6/14/2023
/ Board of Directors ,
Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
Executive Compensation ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Listing Standards ,
London Stock Exchange ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Remuneration ,
UK
As part of the wider review of the UK’s capital markets regulatory landscape, the FCA published Consultation Paper CP23/10, which sets out reforms for companies with listed shares on the Main Market of the London Stock...more
5/8/2023
/ Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Eligibility ,
Equity Markets ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Listing Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Stock Exchange ,
UK
There has been increased focus recently among London-listed companies in exploring US listings, whether as a further listing or migrating from London altogether. This is primarily being driven by companies seeking to close...more
4/4/2023
/ Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FTSE ,
Holding Companies ,
NYSE ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Share Trading Obligation (STO) ,
Shareholders ,
Stock Exchange ,
UK
This guide summarises certain key provisions of the Code with a focus on issues that are likely to be of particular concern to a bidder. Although reference is made to other statutory and regulatory instruments and regimes,...more
3/17/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Board of Directors ,
Companies Act ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Mergers ,
Section 8 ,
Securities ,
Shareholders ,
UK ,
UK Companies Acts
Following another year of increasing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations by companies, investors and regulators alike, ESG appears to have cemented its position in the corporate landscape...more
2/2/2023
/ Business Plans ,
Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Green Energy ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
The pandemic’s impact may be subsiding, but businesses are encountering new challenges across the globe, including the potential for an economic retrenchment, rising interest rates, shifting regulatory and litigation...more
12/14/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Antitrust Division ,
Banking Sector ,
Big Tech ,
Board of Directors ,
Bonds ,
Borrowers ,
Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Convertible Notes ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Forum Selection ,
Investigations ,
IRS ,
Lenders ,
Mergers ,
Money Laundering ,
Partnerships ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Recessions ,
Repurchases ,
Russia ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Taxation ,
Technology ,
UK ,
Vertical Mergers
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations continued to play a key role in the first six months of 2022, with geopolitical circumstances resulting in a reexamination of a number of ESG beliefs. In our 11...more
The U.K. Parliament has approved climate-related disclosure requirements that were announced by the U.K.’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS) on 28 October 2021 (see our 18 November 2021 alert...more
Throughout 2021, the importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters proved to be even greater than many had expected, with ESG becoming a key area of focus for a range of stakeholders, particularly in the...more
The UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) announced on 28 October 2021 that new climate-related disclosure requirements had been laid before the Houses of Parliament. The proposals, contained in...more
The rapidly growing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters that marked 2020 continued to shape events for companies operating or based in the U.K. and Europe in 2021. Discussions of ESG are occurring at...more
9/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Green Bonds ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainable Finance ,
UK
The focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues grew considerably in 2020, in part due to significant regulatory developments.
Takeaways
- Financial services businesses and other UK companies will still...more
3/5/2021
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy ,
UK Brexit
In a tumultuous year, one of the key clear messages to emerge from 2020 was that environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns are here to stay. As mentioned in our 31 July 2020 article “ESG in 2020: A Half-Year...more
2/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Debt Market ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Green Bonds ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Remuneration ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
Governance Factor; Beyond the Board -
Corporate governance has long been a focal point for large corporates, listed companies and regulated entities, with numerous studies connecting good corporate governance with higher...more
Interest in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies of companies and their impact on the wider community has continued to increase amongst institutional investors, retail shareholders and the media during the...more
7/31/2020
/ B Corporation ,
Black Lives Matter ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
France ,
Green Finance ,
Institutional Investors ,
London Stock Exchange ,
Media ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Retail Investors ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Social Justice Issues ,
Stewardship Code ,
Sustainability ,
UK ,
UK Companies Acts
On 2 October 2012, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a wide-ranging consultation paper (CP12/25) on the effectiveness of the listing regime which proposed a number of changes to the Listing Rules, including in...more