Bannockburn Global Forex - March 2018 FX outlook   February saw the USD stabilize after 3 months of weakness. Having fallen around 7% from the beginning of November to the end of January, the dollar index made small net gains in February after making a new low mid-month. However, the big market moves during the month were not really in FX but in bonds and equities. US 10 year bond yields continued to rise early in the month and nearly reached...

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Houlihan Lokey -   Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Diversi Foods has been acquired by Martin Braun-Gruppe from a group of shareholders including Diversi Foods' founding families and Waterland Private Equity. The transaction was signed on 6 December 2017 and closed on 26 February 2018.   Diversi Foods is an established supplier of premium frozen bakery goods for catering and restaurant trade and in-store bakeries. Production is focused on bread, rolls, and snacks. Diversi Foods’ strategy strives for consistently high quality,...

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Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania - The financial technology sector in Lithuania is growing fast, innovations are not only used, but also created, new companies and jobs are established in the country – this is how the report on the Fintech sector development in Lithuania was presented to the Government. “The year was really incredible – starting with a bold statement that we will become the leaders of financial technologies in the region and ending with international recognition...

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NautaDutilh - Luxembourg's well-known financial secrecy laws are changing. Bill n° 7024 amending inter alia Article 41 of the Financial Sector Act of 5 April 1993 (the "FSA") in this respect, initially gave rise to much discussion but was ultimately adopted. Barriers to several financial outsourcing transactions will officially disappear and the (IT) outsourcing landscape could undergo substantial changes. This newsflash takes a closer look at some of the most important changes which not only deal with the rules on...

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Houthoff - As of 25 May 2018, the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation 2016/679, or “GDPR”) will provide a new legal framework for privacy and data protection in the European Union. The GDPR will replace the 1995 Data Protection Directive, which is transposed into each EU member state’s national laws. While the GDPR resembles the principles of the Data Protection Directive, it has some important new key elements. Houthoff's Privacy & Data Protection Team has published a brochure which describes...

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Lincoln International - Index Enhanced to Include Industry Sub-indices Lincoln International, a leading global, mid-market investment bank, released the second issue of its Lincoln Middle Market Index (Lincoln MMI) recently, which covers data from Q4 2017. In addition, this is the first time Lincoln has released sub-indices for each industry that comprise the Lincoln MMI. Lincoln International’s second issue of the Lincoln MMI reveals that, in Q4 2017, middle market enterprise values increased 1.5% compared to 5.3% for enterprise values of S&P...

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  Pepper Hamilton - The Equifax incident was a game changer due to the volume and sensitivity of the consumer information that was stolen, including names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver's license numbers. In September 2017, Equifax announced that hackers had gained access to the confidential information of more than 145 million consumers, almost half of the U.S. population. The Equifax incident was a game changer due to the volume and sensitivity of the consumer information...

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Stout -   WINTER 2018Stout's Transaction TrendsInsights from our experts, directly to your inbox Welcome to the inaugural issue of Transaction Trends, your source for relevant, up-to-date information and our perspective on transaction-related trends and matters, including relevant Delaware Chancery Court cases and more. Highlights In This Issue   Transaction Trend Analysis Reflecting a strong appetite from both investors and borrowers, dividend recapitalization activity surged during 2017, with associated lending doubling 2016's level and topping out at $6.9 billion. That said, 2017 fell well below...

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The EACC in New York is pleased to share the following fintech news on Lithuania. Europe’s first international Blockchain Centre launched its operations in Vilnius – the capital of Lithuania.  The launch attracted entrepreneurs, investors, key decision-makers and experts from around the world.  It is the first facility of its kind on the continent.  The global network of Blockchain Centres includes Melbourne, Shanghai, and now, Vilnius.  It is a not-for-profit knowledge-hub, co-working space and incubator for blockchain technology companies. The official...

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The EACC, in partnership with the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI), wants to keep members up to date with the latest developments in property taxes both in the USA and Europe. IPTI has put together a selection of brief reports from articles contained in IPTI Xtracts which can be found on its website (www.ipti.org). As far as Europe is concerned, this month’s report includes articles on Greece, Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. There is a separate IPTI report on the United...

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