The Freshfields Podcast

Managing Risk in Asia #6: Managing transactional risks in life science investments in Asia

Supported by increasing demand, partially fuelled by the impact of COVID-19, recent years have seen the life sciences sector develop into a critical growth area in Asia Pacific, which is home to approximately 60% of the world’s population. As a result, global investors are increasingly looking at opportunities in the region to capitalise on the demand. At the same time, Asian investors are increasingly expanding their footprint outside Asia Pacific.

In this episode, our speakers cover:

• Trends in investment strategy in life sciences in Asian markets.
• The challenges and risks associated with different transaction structures, and emerging risks for investors in Asian markets and for Asian investors investing outside the region.
• Practical tips on managing different risks and cultural preferences in cross-border transactions.

Tax matters: what is the impact of the proposed restrictions to the UK sovereign immunity tax exemption?

The UK government recently published an unexpected consultation setting out proposals to reform the existing UK sovereign immunity exemption from direct tax. The proposals include significantly restricting the scope as well as changing the eligibility criteria for this exemption.

In this podcast Joshua Critchlow discusses the proposals in the consultation with London tax partners Helen Buchanan and May Smith and London tax associate Charlotte Anderson.

This includes a detailed overview of the key proposals and the rationale for the proposals as well as discussion on which investors will be most impacted by these proposals. It is highlighted that the most significant implications are likely to be for sovereigns investing in UK real estate, including sovereign wealth funds and overseas government pension funds, as well as fund managers that have relied on the sovereign immune status being available for investors

A new European AML authority – A year on

Following on from our 2021 podcast on the European Commission’s AML/CFT legislative package, this new podcast will focus on the progress made to the proposed Regulation for a new AML Authority since its publication a year ago.

In this podcast, Janina Heinz (Financial regulatory Counsel based in Frankfurt), Marcel Michaelis (White-collar defence, compliance and global investigations Associate, based in Berlin) and Victor Garcia Lopez (EU Regulatory and Public Affairs Consultant, based in Brussels) analyse the developments that have taken place over the last 12 months around this piece of legislation. They provide updates on where this initiative stands in the EU legislative procedure, the main tasks and powers of the new authority, as well as the key points for industry players and market participants to consider.

MedTech and Health Equity for Women - A Conversation with Marissa Fayer

In this episode of our MedTech podcast series, Freshfields Partner Vinita Kailasanath sits down with Marissa Fayer – CEO and Founder of HERhealthEQ – to discuss trends in the global women’s healthcare market, including the women’s health industry’s growth beyond fertility solutions, efforts to increase clinical trial diversity, health equity, and more.

Essential Antitrust #22: Global focus on labor: not necessarily business as usual

Antitrust Authorities worldwide have been very vocal on their increasing focus on antitrust violations in the labor market – but what does this actually mean for businesses?

In this latest Essential Antitrust podcast, host Meghan Rissmiller is joined by Holly Insley, a partner in Freshfields’ People and Reward practice in London, and Ermelinda Spinelli and Bruce McCulloch, antitrust partners in Milan and Washington DC. They discuss trends in antitrust labor enforcement and some practical implications for businesses looking to ensure compliance amidst the ever-evolving enforcement regimes.

Does the proposed UK corporate re-domiciliation regime measure up?

The introduction of an inward UK corporate re-domiciliation regime has been given the green light in the responses to an initial consultation - but otherwise the detail of the regime remains subject to consideration by the UK government and further consultations on the design of the regime are expected in due course.

In this podcast Joshua Critchlow interviews tax partner Jill Gatehouse, corporate partner George Swan and senior knowledge lawyer Alison Dickie to discuss some of the key UK corporate and tax aspects of the proposals as well as what we can expect in terms of next steps.

This includes discussion of the rationale for introducing a UK corporate re-domiciliation regime and whether the proposals deliver on the objective of making it easy to re-domicile to the UK. Key tax implications of the proposals are also considered, including the interaction with existing UK corporate tax residence and stamp duty/SDRT rules and the potential impact on the base cost of capital gains and intangible assets for companies re-domiciling to the UK.

Essential Antitrust #21: New EU and UK distribution rules for the next decade: check for compliance and new opportunities

On 1 June new EU and UK rules on agreements for the supply and distribution of goods and services enter into force.

In this latest Essential Antitrust podcast, host Meghan Rissmiller is joined by Tone Oeyen and Alex Potter, partners in Brussels and London, to discuss the implications for businesses as they look to ensure compliance with the new regimes and adapt their strategies to take advantage of some of the changes.

Essential Foreign Investment #4: Expanding areas of global regulation

In our fourth podcast in this series, partner Alastair Mordaunt is joined by Michele Davis, partner in London, Aimen Mir, partner in Washington, DC, and Felix Roscam Abbing, senior associate in Amsterdam to look at developments in some of the fastest changing areas of global regulation.

Together they share their initial impressions of the UK’s new National Security and Investment Act, provide an update on enforcement activity in the US by CFIUS, and discuss risks for limited partners in financial sponsor deals.

Essential Antitrust Asia #6: Key updates and enforcement trends in Hong Kong

This episode focuses on the key updates and enforcement trends in Hong Kong.

It features Hong Kong-based partner Alastair Mordaunt, co-head of Freshfields’ Antitrust, Competition and Trade practice in Asia, and senior associate Laurent Bougard, moderated by Hazel Yin, co-head of the Antitrust, Competition and Trade practice in China.

In this episode, our experts cover:

• An overview of Hong Kong competition regime, including the latest developments and enforcement trends
• Practical tips when doing businesses in Hong Kong

Fintech in focus: Buy now, pay later

Driven by accelerated digitalisation, evolving consumer demand and merchant adoption since the onset of COVID-19, the buy now, pay later sector is growing rapidly with emerging business models, new payments providers and increased interests from investors as well as incumbents.

In this podcast, Matt O’Callaghan (Head of Financial Services Asia), Janina Heinz (Counsel) and Eugene McQuaid (Senior Consultant, EU Regulatory and Public Affairs) provide an update on the market landscape and how different regulators around the globe are approaching this topic. We explore how the regulatory trends will shape the market in 2022 and beyond, and what new entrants and investors interested in this space need to be mindful of.