On Jan. 6, 2016, the staff of the SEC's Division of Investment Management released long-awaited guidance on mutual fund payments to intermediaries for services to omnibus and networked shareholder accounts. The guidance reflects the IM staff's views on a range of payments to financial intermediaries for non-distribution-related services, including sub-transfer agent, administration, sub-accounting and other shareholder servicing fees (the staff call these, collectively, the "sub-accounting fees"). The guidance reaffirms that directors bear a substantial responsibility in approving these arrangements, expands the...

Read more

This article was originally published in The Daily Deal and is published here with permission. Cross-border transactions demand cultural sensitivity, patience and understanding. Valuations can be tricky. Due diligence is, almost by definition, harder and more time consuming than domestic planning, with different regulatory regimes, tax codes and legal systems. In the end, however, with strategic focus leading the way, these deals across can be hugely successful. Those are some of the insights provided by a panel in the Deal Economy...

Read more

2015 was a busy year, not least in respect of legal and regulatory changes that may impact your business. We are pleased to provide you with an overview of the major legal and regulatory developments under Luxembourg and EU law. BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES EU anti-money laundering package - AML IV Directive: In June 2015 the EU updated and extended its legal framework in order to further strengthen the European Union’s defence system against money laundering and terrorist financing. To this...

Read more

Another day, another dud? It sure looked that way before the opening bell, with futures pointing to another down day. However, US equities managed to end mixed on Tuesday. The Dow ended 10 points higher (0.06%) while the S&P 500 moved up 0.20%, though both spent the majority of the day in negative territory. The Nasdaq couldn't complete the trifecta, as it fell 0.24% yesterday. The CMBS market saw its first day with any meaningful trading volume in about two weeks. About...

Read more

DS-Concept Factoring, Inc., a global commercial finance company specializing in international non-recourse factoring, has provided a $3 million export accounts receivable facility to a trading company headquartered in the British Virgin Islands with subsidiaries in the US, Canada and UK. The client, who supplies plastics, polymers and resins to manufacturers and distributors in the US, Europe and the Middle East, will receive Euro, GBP and USD factoring lines. Implementing this non-recourse factoring facility to accommodate growing sales, the client will receive financing...

Read more

On December 30, 2015, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) concerning employment-based visa programs for high-skilled workers. The notice is published in the December 31, 2015 Federal Register and is subject to a 60-day comment period ending on February 29, 2016. The proposed regulations cover a wide range of issues and represent significant amendments to the employment-based immigration system. The NPRM divides the proposed changes into three categories: (1) provisions concerning the...

Read more