The inflation and interest rate storm raged well into the second half of 2023, although both are expected to ease in 2024. Attention will now turn to the maturity wall that is upon borrowers, with a significant ramp-up in debt refinancing activity expected between 2024 and 2026. Striking new deals will be challenging for some businesses in a high-interest environment, requiring the full spectrum of funding options to be considered. Outlook for dealmaking in M&A for 2024 and beyond is...

IIE is pleased to announce that the IIE Center for Access and Equity is partnering with the Council for Opportunity in Education to enhance and support existing and new programming and activities aimed at increasing study abroad participation among low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities in college or university.The latest Open Doors report indicates that only 10.5% of students with disabilities in the U.S. studied abroad in the 2021/22 academic year. Through CASSIE data, we know that first-generation college students are underrepresented in...

Foreign direct investment in Portugal was 180,411 million euros in 2023, 6.24% more than in 2022, with Lisbon receiving more than half, according to data from the Bank of Portugal (BdP). The statistics on foreign direct investment in Portugal (FDI) by region, analyse the amounts of this investment by beneficiary Portuguese region. One of the methodologies used by BdP is called establishments and considers “not only the region where the direct investment counterparty is located (…), but also the regions of...

The European Union Digital Services Act (DSA) now applies to all digital “intermediary services” that provide users with access to online goods, services, and content. The DSA took effect on November 16, 2022, and regulates a wide range of aspects such as transparency, safety, targeted advertising, and liability for illegal content. The broad range of obligations under the DSA varies depending on the category of online service. The most stringent regulations—which are for very large online platforms (VLOPs) and...

EU Commission announces new Digital Infrastructure Initiative The European Commission has unveiled a comprehensive set of proposals aimed at bolstering the innovation, security, and resilience of digital infrastructures across the continent. With the relentless march of technological progress, the future competitiveness of Europe's economy hinges upon the robustness of its digital network infrastructures. From telemedicine to automated driving, predictive maintenance of buildings to precision agriculture, fast, secure, and widespread connectivity is indispensable for the deployment of these groundbreaking innovations. Keep reading. Europe reaches agreement on Carbon...

Many of the taxpayer-friendly provisions of the tax code introduced by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017 are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025, exposing individuals and businesses to the prospect of significantly higher tax liabilities beginning in 2026. While there is a possibility lawmakers will intervene, extending some provisions of the law or making others permanent, it is important to recognize that we are in an election year when the winds of political...