The European Central Bank announced this week that it is speeding up its exit from bond purchases as the economic effects of the war in Ukraine lead to a surge in inflation across the EU. The decision aims to secure “as much optionality as possible” in view of the “huge uncertainty” faced by the eurozone, ECB President Christine Lagarde stated at a press conference following the announcement. At the same time, the central bank couldn’t simply ignore record-high inflation. “The prospects...

Situation update, March 9, 2022 | EB-5 Program Expected to Increase to $800K by Mid-March After months of turmoil, the US EB-5 Program’s minimum investment is likely to increase to $800,000 as the negotiations on the re-authorization of the Regional Center are coming to an end. The vote confirming the reform is expected to take place on March 15. Early on March 9, the US Congress announced that it will vote on yet another stopgap funding bill to prevent a shutdown in...

Just as steam power and mechanization, electricity and assembly line production, and computer technology all drove seismic business transformation over the past three centuries, Industry 4.0 will prove just as revolutionary. The integration of information and communication technologies is the inevitable next step for organizations seeking to realize the full benefits of production automation, with systems networking attuned to levels of sophistication that can almost autonomously control the smart factories of the future and much more. However, the dizzying array of...

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues received unprecedented attention from investors during the 2021 proxy season, and early indications show that the momentum will continue to build this year. On March 4, two ESG shareholder proposals were approved at the Apple Inc. (Apple) annual meeting. Civil Rights Audits The first proposal, which was approved by approximately 53.6% of shareholders, asks the board of directors to conduct a third-party civil rights audit for public disclosure on Apple’s website. Specifically, the proposal requests that...

We expect many of the trends of 2021 in health data privacy to continue to pick up steam this year. See below for six noteworthy trends that life sciences and healthcare companies should continue to keep an eye on in 2022: Interoperability of Health Records to Facilitate the Electronic Exchange of Health Information Patient Access Rights to their Medical Records Litigation and Enforcement Focus on Individual Consent to Data Sharing Health Data Breach Notification and Security Growing Patchwork of...

Thinking of creating a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace? You're not alone. Global NFT transactions have risen from $40.96 million in 2018 to around $25 billion in 2021. Organizations from the NBA to Taco Bell have begun implementing NFT strategies. As blockchain-native artifacts, NFTs' immutability, digital scarcity, and transferability have catalyzed growing interest among consumers and businesses alike, inspiring companies of all sizes to explore potential use-cases ranging from standalone art pieces, to NFTs tied to physical products, to NFTs...

In November 2021 alone, 4.5 million people in the US either quit or changed jobs, continuing a trend of pandemic-related shifts in the labour market. Welcome to the Great Resignation. The November figures are the highest ever recorded since the US Labor Department began tracking these numbers more than 20 years ago. So, why are so many people quitting? Economists and labour experts point to several reasons, including a tighter labour market, low-paid workers looking for better opportunities, employees looking for...

The Russian military’s recent invasion of Ukraine, and the related sanctions against Russia have many companies asking:  how does this chaos impact our workforces in those countries?  This broad question is answered below, with the caveat that these answers are subject to change, given the very fluid nature of the situation. Background As fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces continues, the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and a host of other jurisdictions have imposed sanctions against certain Russian corporate entities...