Across industries, companies are facing new and uncertain regulatory pressures and demands in areas including artificial intelligence, sustainability, algorithmic pricing and fintech-bank relations. In this issue of The...more
9/10/2024
/ Algorithms ,
Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
Board of Directors ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
Multinationals ,
Price-Fixing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Sustainability ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
As we noted in prior client alerts (available here and here), in 2023 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to its beneficial ownership rules. The amended rules include accelerated filing deadlines...more
As the deadlines approach for multinationals to make their first disclosures under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU’s new sustainability reporting law, they are confronting the significant time...more
9/6/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Multinationals ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sustainability
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting companies with fiscal years ending December 31 that engage in the commercial development of oil, natural gas or minerals are required to file a Form SD with the SEC by...more
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has dismissed many of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) claims against software development company SolarWinds and its chief information security...more
8/8/2024
/ Board of Directors ,
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Internal Controls ,
Misleading Statements ,
Public Statements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
SolarWinds ,
White Collar Crimes
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, and diverging opinions on approach, continued to dominate headlines across the globe in the first half of 2024. Companies and their stakeholders started the year navigating...more
7/29/2024
/ Activist ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Shareholders ,
UK
Artificial intelligence is not just about chatbots. Increasingly, it is used by government for enforcement, and boards need to prepare for that, just as they need to get ready for upcoming climate disclosure requirements....more
5/21/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Capital Markets ,
Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Machine Learning ,
Mergers ,
New Rules ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Spinoffs ,
Tax-Free Spin-Offs ,
Taxation ,
Technology ,
White Collar Crimes
On March 6, 2024, the SEC adopted new rules mandating climate-related disclosures in public companies’ annual reports and registration statements. As anticipated, the rules are facing multiple legal challenges, which have...more
5/20/2024
/ Board of Directors ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Directors ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Conflict minerals disclosures on Forms SD are required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) no later than May 31, 2024.
The conflict minerals disclosure rules and related guidance have remained at...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s climate-related disclosure rules pose a host of issues for companies. Below are answers from Skadden’s SEC Reporting and Compliance and Environmental Groups to some of the questions...more
4/10/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Rules ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
When finalizing proxy materials for annual shareholder meetings, companies should consider the following areas, which are described in more detail below:
- SEC Proxy Filing Requirements
- Proxy Statement Disclosures...more
On March 6, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-2 to adopt new rules mandating climate-related disclosures in public companies’ annual reports and registration statements. While the final rules are...more
3/11/2024
/ Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
The oversight obligations of boards continue to expand. Recent enforcement actions and new laws in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and supply chains create new challenges for boards, as we explain in this...more
2/19/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Board of Directors ,
Canada ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Forced Labor ,
Germany ,
International Labor Laws ,
Life Sciences ,
Machine Learning ,
Manufacturers ,
Mergers ,
NGOs ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Contributions ,
Political Conventions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholders ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
Key Points -
- New SEC rules from 2023 require public companies to report material cybersecurity incidents promptly and detail their cybersecurity risk management strategies in annual reports — requirements that increase...more
As we noted in our October 13, 2023, client alert, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted amendments to its beneficial ownership rules. Those amendments are effective as of February 5, 2024....more
On January 24, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules that impose significant additional procedural and disclosure requirements on initial public offerings (IPOs) by special purpose acquisition...more
1/30/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Board of Directors ,
Capital Markets ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Mergers ,
PSLRA ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Shell Corporations ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
Editor’s note: This is an updated version of our January 12, 2023, client alert. This update covers new staff SEC guidance addressing the options companies have when existing confidential treatment orders approach...more
A number of notable developments over the past year, including disclosure trends and rule changes that impact the annual report on Form 20-F for fiscal year 2023, have updated the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules in 2023 that are intended to enhance and standardize disclosures regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance and incident reporting by...more
12/20/2023
/ Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
FBI ,
Form 8-K ,
Incident Response Plans ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Opinion Continues To Spawn Challenges to DEI Programs -
Businesses can expect continued challenges to DEI programs, as emboldened opponents to these programs seek to expand the reach...more
12/15/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Students for Fair Admissions v University of North Carolina ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Key Points -
- Detailed rules governing some of the upcoming requirements for sustainability disclosures will help companies prepare to comply, but many requirements have still not been specified.
- The rules for...more
Companies have important decisions to make as they prepare for the 2024 annual meeting and reporting season. We have compiled this overview of the latest key issues — including SEC disclosure requirements, SEC guidance,...more
12/13/2023
/ Annual Meeting ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Board of Directors ,
Business Entities ,
Business Ownership ,
CEOs ,
CFOs ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Compensation ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Stock Repurchases
On October 30, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an order granting broker-dealers exemptive relief from Rule 15c2-11 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for fixed-income securities sold in...more
11/16/2023
/ Asset-Backed Securities ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Debt Securities ,
Division of Trading and Markets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equity Securities ,
Exemptive Relief ,
Fixed Income Investments ,
Investors ,
Liquidity ,
Public Information ,
Regulation S ,
Rule 144A ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Trade Associations
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has voted to adopt new Rule 13f-2 and related Form SHO requiring certain institutional investment managers (managers) to report short sale-related information to the SEC....more
On September 27, 2023, facing the prospect of a lapse of appropriations, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance published a summary of the anticipated impact on its operations of...more
10/5/2023
/ Division of Corporate Finance ,
EDGAR ,
Electronic Filing ,
Filing Requirements ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Government Shutdown ,
New Guidance ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation