On April 2, 2025, after weeks of speculation and heightened geopolitical tension, President Trump announced sweeping global tariffs on what he dubbed “Liberation Day”. The tariffs included a baseline universal tariff of 10%...more
On April 2, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order “Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits” (the...more
Since taking office in January 2025, the Trump Administration has announced, imposed, or reimposed various tariff-related restrictions on articles imported into the United States.
These proposed tariffs and their...more
3/21/2025
/ Canada ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Mexico ,
National Security ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Reciprocity Rules ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration
In the context of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S., EU, and U.K. continue to implement new measures to stifle Russia’s war efforts.
The Biden administration continued to escalate sanctions...more
3/12/2025
/ CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK
The European Commission formally adopted its proposals for amending the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) in late February 2025, as part of its highly anticipated sustainability Omnibus package. In this...more
3/10/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
On February 21, 2025, President Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) that sets out his administration's “America First Investment Policy,” with a particular focus on promoting foreign investment...more
Foreign investment (FDI) screening regimes continued to present challenges for dealmakers. We saw tough intervention in key jurisdictions. New and expanding rules added to regulatory burden. Overall, most deals are cleared...more
2/28/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Compliance ,
EU ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Global Market ,
Investment ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
UK
At COP29 in Baku, new rules were adopted for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. These rules are meant to increase the transparency of the country-to-country trading of carbon credits under Article 6.2....more
2/28/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
CFTC ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Germany ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Popular ,
Sustainability
On February 10 and 11, 2025, President Trump issued two proclamations pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232) announcing the imposition and/or reimposition of certain tariffs on imported steel...more
2/20/2025
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Executive Orders ,
Imports ,
International Trade ,
National Security ,
Section 232 ,
Steel Industry ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration
On February 1, 2025, President Trump issued three Executive Orders (EOs) announcing tariffs on China (the China EO) Canada (the Canada EO), and Mexico (the Mexico EO), respectively, pursuant to the International Economic...more
2/6/2025
/ Canada ,
China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Trade ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mexico ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration
More competitiveness, more coherence and less administrative burden – these are key political priorities for the new European Commission (the Commission) which took office last December. One of the earliest moves under the...more
1/17/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
M&A practitioners anticipate a ‘Trump bump’ -
The scale of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election – and the fact the Republicans now have full control of Congress – has been greeted with optimism by U.S....more
12/20/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Welcome to the latest edition of M&A Insights, where we bring together partners from across the A&O Shearman network to explore the themes shaping global dealmaking.
The election of Donald Trump as President is expected to...more
12/18/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Buyers ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Immigration ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Listing Standards ,
Machine Learning ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sellers ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States ,
US Trade Policies
In our biannual M&A trends report we explore the possible impact of the new U.S. administration on dealmaking, the dynamics of transatlantic M&A, private equity exits, and Mario Draghi’s proposals to reshape the European...more
12/18/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Buyers ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Global Market ,
Immigration ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Listing Standards ,
Machine Learning ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sellers ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ,
United States ,
US Trade Policies
This is an update to previous bulletins on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) which we published in June and September 2024.
In a decisive move that marks a new chapter for corporate...more
12/17/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Member State ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The incoming second Trump administration has threatened to impose wide-ranging and potentially substantial tariffs on products and materials entering the United States. Companies that import goods into the U.S. or that are...more
In this article, we provide an overview of country-led and private sector-driven key developments surrounding the recent United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16). The world is progressively recognizing that biodiversity...more
11/15/2024
/ Biodiversity ,
Climate Change ,
Contaminated Properties ,
COP ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Transparency ,
UK ,
United Nations
Our second annual study into the scale of the financing needed to decarbonize the global economy reveals the challenge is bigger than previously thought.
- Our research shows we are USD6 trillion a year short of what needs...more
11/12/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Global Economy ,
Green Finance ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Net Zero ,
OECD ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance
We were delighted to host the U.K. Transition Finance Market Review’s (TFMR) flagship event at New York Climate Week, in partnership with the City of London Corporation who host the TFMR secretariat. The session offered a...more
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) continues to play an increasingly active role in reviewing and assessing inbound investment transactions for U.S. national security risks. In this alert, we...more
On June 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury), U.S. Department of State (State), and U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced another round of sanctions and export controls targeting Russia. In this...more
6/25/2024
/ Blocking Sanctions ,
Cloud Computing ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Entity List ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Institutions ,
Information Technology ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
Software ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
US Department of State
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently took two significant actions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
First, it issued final National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) for six PFAS...more
Beginning in 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has increasingly focused its enforcement activity on entities operating in the virtual currency space, illustrating a trend that...more
U.S. Customs authorities impounded thousands of vehicles, showing risks to imports linked to forced labor. The U.S. government detained thousands of luxury vehicles deemed to contain a small electronic component sourced from...more
3/28/2024
/ Automotive Industry ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Enforcement ,
Entity List ,
EU ,
Forced Labor ,
Imports ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Manufacturers ,
Sanctions ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
New rules reflect significant concessions in response to public comments, but compliance will require careful consideration and significant investment by SEC registrants.
- Scope 3 emissions disclosure not required for...more
3/11/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation