22 Dec
Member News

Littler | Social Media Vetting Expansion for Visa Applicants

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,...

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22 Dec
Member News

Trepp | CRE Investors Start Dancing Like No One’s Watching

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...

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18 Dec
Member News

Loyens & Loeff | How sponsors can market to and onboard Swiss pension funds – Volume 2

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...

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18 Dec
Member News

Loyens & Loeff | Targeting Swiss pension funds: How sponsors can market to and onboard Swiss pension funds – Volumn 1

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...

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18 Dec
Chapter News, News

ECB | EBA, ECB, National Central Banks and National Supervisory Authorities Sign MoU in Support of Non-bank PSPs’ Access to Payment Systems

The European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Central Bank (ECB), national central banks and national supervisory authorities across the European Economic Area have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation and information sharing in support of non-bank payment service providers’ (PSPs) access to central bank-operated payment systems. This multilateral agreement sets out clear principles for collaboration and harmonises the processes and procedures for the exchange of information between national supervisory authorities and national central banks in relation to non-bank PSPs’ participation in payment systems operated by central...

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18 Dec
Member News, News

Noerr | New Commission Guidelines on the GPSR – Clarifications and Scope for Action for Companies

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...

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18 Dec
Member News, News

Trepp | The CRE Rundown – The Big Picture

It's no secret that the outlook among professionals in the commercial real estate industry is brighter today than it was a year ago. Lenders are more readily lending: Banks are back in the game, CMBS bond spreads have tightened, issuance volumes are higher than they've been since the Global Financial Crisis, investor interest has increased, and the prognosis for property fundamentals has markedly improved. That's not to say that everything will be smooth sailing over the next 12 months. We're...

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17 Dec
News, TRIA News

DFC | DFC CEO Ben Black Signs Loan Agreement for Lobito Atlantic Railway, Securing Critical Minerals for Mutual U.S.–Africa Benefit

Washington, D.C.– The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) held a greatly anticipated signing ceremony highlighting the financial close for the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR). This important milestone underscores the United States’ commitment to advance strategic infrastructure that promotes regional trade, mutual economic growth, and long-term U.S.-Africa cooperation. CEO Ben Black was accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Caleb Orr, Angola’s Minister of Transportation Ricardo D’Abreu, Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) Group...

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17 Dec
Chapter News, Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

EIB | How are EU and US firms Navigating Higher Tariffs?

Tariffs and trade disruptions dominated headlines in 2025. European firms rely heavily on global trade – it represents about half of EU output. Despite that, European businesses are not radically overhauling their globalised approach. Instead, they are investing to make their supply chains more efficient and resilient. US firms are a different story. While they rely less on global trade (it represents roughly one-quarter of output), new tariffs caused them to reduce imports and diversify the countries they import from....

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17 Dec
Member News, News

Wilson Sonsini | Trump Administration Issues Executive Order on National AI Policy and Deregulation

On December 11, 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order (EO), “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence,” that establishes a new federal policy on artificial intelligence (AI). The EO states that it is “the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance the United States’ global AI dominance through a minimally burdensome national policy framework for AI.” The EO asserts that leadership in AI is critical to U.S. national and economic security and dominance and...

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