Trade & Logistics Headlines for Q1 2026: Changing Trade Lanes, Red Sea Opening, & Tariff Uncertainty Remains
Global Ports
The Headlines: Global ports will be navigating a volatile start to the year as shifting trade imbalances and uneven demand reshape global cargo flows. 2025 closed with news of China’s expanding trade surplus, with an expected result being growing equipment imbalances and other network inefficiencies. At the same time, global trade is reaching record value levels, but growth momentum is slowing, putting...
On December 15, the Department of State (DOS) announced it will expand its social media vetting requirement to additional nonimmigrant visa classifications, including H-1B, H-4 dependents, F, M, and J. As a result of this expansion, all applicants for such visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on “all of their social media profiles to public.” Those profiles will then be subject to review as part of their visa application process for entry into the United States.
Additionally,...
You can argue that commercial real estate investors have become bullish. That's a good thing if you're in the deal-making business.
The signs are everywhere. Transaction activity, involving both property sales and lending, has increased, driven in large part by the greater liquidity in the market. Loan spreads—the risk premiums that lenders apply in order to come up with coupons—have tightened and a greater number of lenders, including banks, are now competing for the best loans.
Cementing that thinking is the...
Given the size of the Swiss pension fund market, it presents a highly attractive opportunity for non-Swiss fund sponsors – especially as Swiss pension funds increasingly seek international diversification. In this two-part series, we provide a hands-on guide to the key steps and legal considerations for successfully marketing to Swiss pension funds (Volume 1), and the regulatory requirements for onboarding them (Volume 2) .
Volume 2 – Onboarding Swiss pension funds
The Swiss pension fund market ranks among the largest in...
Given the size of the Swiss pension fund market, it presents a highly attractive opportunity for non-Swiss fund sponsors – especially as Swiss pension funds increasingly seek international diversification. In this two-part series, we provide a hands-on guide to the key steps and legal considerations for successfully marketing to Swiss pension funds (Volume 1), and the regulatory requirements for onboarding them (Volume 2) .
Volume 1 – Marketing to Swiss pension funds
The Swiss pension fund market ranks among the largest...
The European General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 ("GPSR") is applicable since 13 December 2024. It applies to all types of non-food consumer products. The regulation acts as a sort of safety net for gaps in consumer protection in product-related harmonisation legislation. Economic operators must comply with numerous new requirements for handling digital product information, e-commerce, marketplace regulation and recall management. For products that are not harmonised at European level, it also comprehensively determines the requirements for product safety.
The...