As corporate responsibility evolves, and the focus on corporate sustainability grows, more businesses in the mining and metals and related sectors are referencing the long-term potential of blockchain technology and platforms...more
On December 13, 2018, John McKay, the Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood, introduced private member's bill, Bill C-423: Modern Slavery Act (the "Bill"), which aims to implement Canada’s international commitment to...more
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the addition of a new Department of Justice (DOJ) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) policy, titled the FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy. The new policy, which was...more
ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS – SBM Offshore N.V. Agrees to Pay $238 Million to Resolve DOJ FCPA Enforcement Action - On November 29, 2017, SBM Offshore N.V. (SBM), a Netherlands based company specializing in the...more
It’s Friday and time for another overview of developments in the field of business and human rights that we’ve been monitoring. This week’s post includes: the formal withdrawal of the United States from the EITI; the...more
On July 27, 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted revised rules requiring resource extraction issuers to disclose payments made to governments for the commercial development of oil, natural gas, or...more
New rules issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that require resource extraction issuers to disclose payments made to U.S. and foreign governments for the commercial development of oil, natural gas or...more
On June 27, 2016, the US Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a final rule implementing Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act. The new rule will require resource extraction issuers to disclose payments they make to...more
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is calling for those entities required to report under the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA) to enroll for an ESTMA identification number by submitting a Contact Form to...more
The Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA) has been in force since June 1, 2015. Entities that are listed on a Canadian exchange or meet certain size requirements and are engaged in the commercial development of...more
On December 11, the Securities and Exchange Commission proposed Rule 13q-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act), often referred to as the “resource extraction rule,” which would require an issuer to disclose...more
SEC/CORPORATE SEC Division of Corporation Finance Issues New C&DIs on FAST Act - As previously reported, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) on December 4. The...more
On December 11, 2015, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed new rules pursuant to Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (“Dodd-Frank Act”), which, if...more
After striking out in its first attempt to formulate a proposed rule to implement the extractive industry payments provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”), the Securities and...more
On December 11, the SEC re-proposed rules requiring disclosure of government payments by resource extraction issuers. The proposed rules will require resource extraction issuers to disclose payments made to the U.S. federal...more
On October 2, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a schedule with the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts providing details as to when the agency will seek to issue a final rule on revenue...more
On June 1, 2015, Canada’s Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (“ESTMA” or “the Act”) came into force. Approved in December 2014, but not in force until this month, the Act requires companies in the extractive sector...more
The Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA) came into force on June 1, 2015. ESTMA is designed to reduce international corruption by enacting reporting obligations with respect to payments made to foreign and...more
UK companies, including UK subsidiaries of EU companies, face tougher anti-corruption rules from next year. Under chapter 10 of the EU Accounting Directive (2013/34/EU) (“the Accounting Directive”) and the EU...more
Under new EU legislation large and listed companies in the extractive industries will be required to disclose details of any significant payments they make to governments and authorities of the countries in which they...more
In This Issue: - Mexican Congress to Consider Constitutional Oil and Gas Reforms: Bold Stride Forward or Half-Step? - European Union adds legislative weight to the promotion of transparency in the extractive...more
On April 9, 2013, the European Union agreed to a preliminary deal requiring oil, gas, mining and forestry companies to report in greater detail any payments at or above €100,000 (approximately $130,000) they make to foreign...more
On January 2, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed its brief (.pdf) in the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute (“API”), the National Foreign Trade Council, and the...more