The EIB is continuing to spearhead market developments in the digitalisation of capital markets with a fully digitally native bond issuance in pound sterling. The £50 million digital bonds, which bear a floating rate of interest, are registered in a private blockchain that ensures privacy and efficiency, while a public blockchain mirror record provides increased transparency on an anonymised basis. The EIB has appointed BNP Paribas, HSBC and RBC Capital Markets as joint lead managers. The digital bonds will...

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The “move fast and break things” mantra, once the loudest guest at tech events in Silicon Valley in California to Dublin’s Silicon Docks is ever closer to being shown the exit. It would seem that EU regulators are relishing their role as the polite but stern doorman. The EU is on a roll these last few years and has been dialling up the regulatory pressure on tech companies of all shapes and sizes. We’ve had updated medical device legislation, the...

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The metaverse may seem far out there for some—almost other worldly. But the reality is that the concept applied to the virtual workplace (aka the officeverse) is quickly gaining some down-to-earth traction amongst companies, especially when it comes to attracting talent that wants unique options for where and how they work. Although the physical office isn’t going anywhere, what’s appealing about the officeverse is its versatility. It has the potential to be the best of both remote work and the...

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FTC’s Proposed Noncompete Ban Highlights Importance of Protecting Trade Secrets On January 5 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a proposed rule on noncompetes that has a breathtaking scope. The rule, as written, would ban the use of noncompete agreements for all employees, except for those in a very few excluded industries. It has no exceptions for highly compensated or high-level employees and is not only prospective in nature. The proposed rule would also invalidate all existing noncompetes and require...

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Blue Sky Network is proud to have been selected as an early developer of, and launch partner for, Iridium Messaging TransportSM (IMT)—Iridium’s first fully integrated, cloud-native networked data service. The highly anticipated IMT service provides customers with small- to moderate-sized IoT messaging via Iridium CloudConnect. It’s ideal for M2M, email, weather, transactions, and group communications. “IMT messaging extends the reach of our SkyRouter platform, allowing Certus devices such as Blue Sky Network’s award-winning SkyLink product line to participate in our asset...

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A Message From RAND Insurance: Welcome to winter and 2023! We hope this seasonal newsletter will provide you with some useful information. Thank you for giving us the privilege of servicing your insurance needs. Key Ways to Reduce the Risk of Water Damage from Frozen Pipes Frozen Pipe Season is Here Winter is here along with subzero temperatures. When temperatures plummet, the risk of your pipes freezing and bursting skyrockets. In fact, burst pipes are one of the most common causes of...

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In the context of the upcoming EU proposal on repairing the current electricity market design, scheduled for the end of March, the EU launched a public consultation on Monday. The debate lays out several possible options “to build a more resilient market, providing an added value for European citizens and the industry at large in the current crisis context and beyond.” The expected proposal in March will aim to protect businesses and households from high energy bills and at the same time accelerate the...

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Welcome to the new PORTUGAL FOR US platform, a dedicated marketplace that showcases the best brands and the latest collections exclusively made in Portugal. The new marketplace is available at www.portugalforus.com. Online shopping is one of the highest global growth trends and the United States is already one of the largest markets for the Portuguese fashion and home decor industries, with continuous growth in all product segments. With this new platform, AICEP – Portugal Global USA wants to scale up and...

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As the World Economic Forum in Davos focuses on the ‘polycrisis’, the solution is to see this as a time of ‘polyopportunity’ for investment The congress centre, town and surrounding ski slopes promise a familiar backdrop for this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. But the global context framing the debates among the world’s leading economists, politicians, business leaders and intellectuals represents uncharted territory. The world has lurched from one crisis to the next, and it faces several crises all...

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HR is faced with a constant challenge to foresee, adapt and respond to new ways in which people want and expect to work Along with the immediate need to respond to concerns about the economic slowdown – and the global restructurings and reductions in forces that it spurs – HR teams are required to meet "business as usual" demands to retain and attract talent that is loyal and the best despite the difficult conditions. This means responding to the technological...

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