Publication
Blue Bonds: Making a splash in the Capital Markets
In 2018, the Republic of Seychelles launched the first-ever “blue bond”, with the support of the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility.
On 27 July 2017, Andrew Bailey, the Chief Executive of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) announced that the FCA would no longer compel or persuade banks to make submissions to LIBOR as from the end of 2021.
LIBOR was originally a survey- based benchmark, compiled by panels of banks answering the question “at what rate could you borrow funds were you to do so by asking for and then accepting interbank offers in a reasonable market size just prior to 11am?” However, in the wake of the manipulation scandal, regulators found that there were very few transactions taking place to support some of the currencies and tenors for which LIBOR was published. As such, LIBOR submissions were largely based upon expert judgement rather than transaction data. This led to concerns that LIBOR was unrepresentative and vulnerable to potential manipulation which in turn culminated in a number of criminal actions brought in various jurisdictions around the world.
Our briefing note explains everything you need to know about the transition to risk-free rates including key regulatory issues and challenges concerning IBOR transition.
Recent publications
Publication
The parallel imposition requirement in exclusive distribution systems: key takeaways from the CJEU’s ruling in Beevers Kaas
On 8 May 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the CJEU) delivered its ruling in case C-581/23 (the Ruling), providing guidance on one of the conditions for an exclusive distribution agreement to benefit from the block exemption under Article 4(b)(i) of the 2010 Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (the VBER)1, notably the so-called ‘parallel imposition requirement’.
Publication
Global antitrust and competition trends: 2025 hot topics
Antitrust authorities are increasingly aggressive in pursuing new theories of harm, pushing the boundaries of what amounts to an antitrust violation, and expanding the use of current legislation and regulation to fit a new era of issues.
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