The Situation: On December 29, 2023, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China ("PRC" or "China") promulgated the amended Company Law of the PRC ("New Company Law"). The New...more
The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS") recently released two rules to update export controls on advanced semiconductors, semiconductor development and production, and items that support...more
The Biden administration has issued a long-anticipated executive order targeting U.S. outbound investment in certain Chinese industries; however, significant steps remain before these measures are fully implemented....more
8/22/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Comment Period ,
Executive Orders ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Investment ,
National Security ,
Outbound Transactions ,
Popular ,
U.S. Treasury
After a record-breaking 2021, deal activity in 2022 dropped by 37%, its largest year-over-year decline since 2001. Facing all the 2022 headwinds, including a difficult and uncertain financing market, the Ukraine war,...more
The enduring COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact corporate governance practices and trends in 2021, while other notable developments, including a surge in shareholder proposals, changes to the proxy rules, and increased...more
2/4/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Management ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Meetings ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
2021 was the year in which superannuation funds took center stage in Australian take-private transactions. In what has been a record year for Australian M&A activity, the weight of money rolling into Australian superannuation...more
"Anti" M&A Activism While the absolute number of companies publicly facing activist demands regarding M&A transactions decreased in 2021 vs. 2020, M&A activism represented an increased share of overall economic demands of...more
China China has increased its efforts to scrutinize global transactions that may implicate national security concerns using its foreign investment security review ("FISR") process....more
Antitrust scrutiny of M&A remained high during 2021, and merging parties continued to make follow-on divestitures designed to obtain antitrust clearance for their main transaction....more
Europe saw a major increase in public M&A activity in 2021, fueled by cheap money and optimism as economies started to emerge from the worst effects of the pandemic. In particular, PE purchasers with dry powder to deploy and...more
What are the trends, risks, and opportunities in 2022?
As dealmakers recover from a record-breaking 2021, we expect another busy year in 2022. While risks in the financing market, the tightening of the regulatory...more
China passed its new Data Security Law ("DSL") in June 2021 and its new Personal Information Protection Law ("PIPL") in August 2021. Both new laws impact every business operating in or doing business with China, coupling...more
2/3/2022
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
China ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Data Processors ,
Data Security ,
Foreign Investment ,
Indemnity Agreements ,
International Data Transfers ,
Merger Agreements ,
Personal Information ,
Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Subsidiaries
Since early 2021, Congress has been working on legislation that would alter the U.S. tax laws and potentially have a significant impact on M&A and private equity transactions....more
IPOs for special purpose acquisition companies ("SPACs") got off to a blistering start in 2021, with more IPOs closing in the first quarter than in all of 2020 (which had been the most active year for SPAC IPOs in history)....more
As global M&A activity reached record highs this year, so too did the market's appetite for carve-out transactions. A carve-out transaction is the sale of a subsidiary, division, or other part of a larger business enterprise....more
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law a long-awaited $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill titled the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ("IIJA"). The IIJA is touted as a first step in fixing the...more
2/2/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Federal Funding ,
Infrastructure ,
Infrastructure Financing ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
Investment ,
Public Private Partnerships (P3s) ,
Public Projects ,
Public Transit ,
Transportation Corridor ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
The focus on ESG across the business spectrum ramped up over the course of 2021, surpassing several milestones along the way and resulting in a surge of regulatory changes and new initiatives by the end of the year....more
2/2/2022
/ Business Strategies ,
Capital Investments ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
Green Bonds ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Sustainability
TRANSACTIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON 2022 -
What are the trends, risks, and opportunities in 2022?
As dealmakers recover from a record-breaking 2021, we expect another busy year in 2022. While risks in the financing market,...more
1/31/2022
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Capital Markets ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financing ,
Foreign Investment ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Merger Agreements ,
Private Equity ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Venture Capital
The Situation: As part of a series of recent executive actions regarding the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), President Biden issued a new executive order on June 3, 2021—Executive Order 14032—that refines novel sanctions...more
6/30/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Defense Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Investment ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Securities Transactions ,
Supply Chain
The Development: China's National People's Congress passed the Anti-foreign Sanctions Law (the "Anti-Sanctions Law") on June 10, 2021, which took effect immediately. The legislation was adopted by China in response to certain...more
2020 took uncertainty to new heights. Deals came to an abrupt halt in Q2 as corporates focused on preserving cash and stabilizing their businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Private equity firms looked for...more
On 30 December 2020, the EU and China concluded in principle the negotiations for a wide-ranging investment treaty, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment ("CAI"), after seven years of discussions.
The CAI is expected...more
The Development: China's Ministry of Commerce ("MOFCOM") released Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extra-Territorial Application of Foreign Laws and Other Measures ("Rules") on January 9, 2021. Effective immediately, the...more
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, first identified in Wuhan, China, has spread beyond China's borders to dozens of countries, infecting tens of thousands of people and causing a mounting number of fatalities....more
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, first identified in Wuhan, China, has spread beyond China's borders to dozens of countries, infecting tens of thousands of people and causing a mounting number of fatalities. In...more
3/9/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Management ,
Transportation Industry ,
Traveling Employee ,
Workplace Safety