Member News

Troutman Pepper | SEC Has Its Eye on SPACs

SPACs — short for “special purpose acquisition companies” — recently have drawn significant interest by companies and executives as a more seamless method to conduct an initial public offering. Often referred to as “blank check” companies, SPACs provide a vehicle by which companies may raise funds from public markets through initial public offerings (IPOs) that take a company from private to publicly listed. Unlike traditional IPOs, which often involve private companies that have developed over time, SPACs are shell...

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Chapter News

Speech | Navigating the Digital Transition, Maintaining a Stable Payment System

France Payments Forum – Les Rencontres Digitales Conference 2021 – Crypto-payments, 8 April 2021; Opening address by Denis Beau, First Deputy Governor | Introduction The health crisis that we have all been living through for a year now has affected people's day-to-day habits, changing not only how we consume but also how we like to pay. This has sped up the transition towards more digital approaches. This acceleration raises major challenges for Europe’s payment ecosystem, but also for payment regulators and supervisors....

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Member News

NautaDutilh | Belgium Employment – Are you ready for a Covid-19 inspection?

The Social Inspectorate is responsible for monitoring compliance with the rules on teleworking enacted to combat the spread of Covid-19. Criminal or administrative fines may be imposed for noncompliance with these rules. In the event of a Covid-19 inspection by the Social Inspectorate, the following information/documents should be made available. 1.    Covid-19 risk analysis Although teleworking is mandatory, measures should still be taken to protect employees who cannot telework due to the nature of their position or for business continuity reasons....

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Member News

Ogletree Deakins | A Review of U.S. Immigration Policies Implemented by Presidents Trump and Biden Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Written on March 30, 2021 | With the new President, we expect a less restrictive approach toward immigration, however, the COVID-19 virus has significantly impacted global travel and immigration since March 2020.  As such, the current and past Administrations have implemented travel and immigration restrictions in the name of safety.  These measures have ranged from simple travel restrictions, to outright travel bans, medical testing requirements, and even the suspension of certain nonimmigrant work visas and immigrant visas issued by consulates...

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Chapter News, COVID-19 News

Coronavirus: EU Commission mobilises €123 million for research and innovation to combat the threat of variants

The EU Commission is mobilising €123 million from Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme, for urgent research into coronavirus variants. This first emergency funding under Horizon Europe adds to a range of EU-funded research and innovation actions to fight the coronavirus and contributes to the Commission's overall action to prevent, mitigate and respond to the impact of coronavirus variants, in line with the new European bio-defence preparedness plan HERA Incubator. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth,...

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Chapter News

ECB | What are targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTROs)?

Targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTROs) are central to making sure that our monetary policy reaches people. Through TLTROs, the ECB offers longer-term loans to banks at favourable costs and encourages them to lend to businesses and consumers in the euro area. This keeps borrowing costs low and supports spending and investments. How does it work? TLTROs are different from our main refinancing operations in three distinctive ways: TLTROs are specifically targeted – as the name says – at maintaining or...

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Member News

Portolano Cavallo | Data privacy and competition protection: Overlap or conflict?

This article is part of Portolano Cavallo’s “INFORM@Digital & IP” Newsletter. Click here to subscribe. | In a recent interview, Europe’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, warned Apple that its recent changes to privacy rules must not give preferential treatment to its apps over those of its competitors or it might be in violation of antitrust norms. Apple has framed those changes as being designed to protect users’ personal data, but that does not exempt its actions from competition rules. This warning came in reaction...

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Chapter News

IMF | Tailoring Government Support

The race to vaccinate against COVID-19 continues, but the pace of inoculation varies widely across countries, with access unavailable to many. Global cooperation must be stepped up to produce and distribute vaccines to all countries at affordable costs. The sooner vaccinations curb the pandemic, the faster economies can return to normal. 'The sooner vaccinations curb the pandemic, the faster economies can return to normal.' If the global pandemic is controlled via vaccination, the resulting stronger economic growth would yield more than $1...

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Member News

Jaguar Freight | How the Pandemic Has Shaped Today’s Supply Chains

If you were to describe the way the world has changed over the past year to your pre-pandemic self, it would probably sound like something straight out of a bad sci-fi movie. From the moment COVID-19 entered the scene, it has been one disruption after another — especially for those of us tasked with figuring out how to keep supply chains running smoothly in the midst of all this chaos. The global economy started to decline almost immediately at the...

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Member News

MJV | Discover the 7 stages of strategic planning

If you want to have a 2021 that is much better than 2020, you have no other choice but to draw up a good strategic plan. Follow our 7 steps and get your ideas ready today. Access now! | The market has never changed so much in such a short time. The expression “overnight” started to mean something that demands a lot of time. Because of this, strategic planning (or re-planning) became the ace in the sleeve for corporations that...

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