In this article, David McIlroy and Ruhi Sethi-Smith of Forum Chambers examine the basis of the Court of Appeal decision in Philipp v Barclays Bank Plc [2022] EWCA Civ 318 and highlight the salient points of the appeal judgment before providing their conclusions on what this means for the victims of sophisticated Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud scams in the future.
25 March 2024This article gives an overview of cryptocurrency fraud in the UK, highlights the risk that recovery actions may be time barred, considers the s 32 test in the light of recent authority, and then offers practical tips as to how cryptocurrency investors might increase their prospects of being able to rely on that provision.
25 March 2024The market share of ESG funds is rising rapidly and by some estimates is set to become a third of the total market as measured by assets under management. Many questions around ESG funds have yet to be resolved. There is active debate about the issues between, amongst others, asset managers, investors, regulators, lawmakers, scientists and pressure groups. However, some questions can be answered immediately. An ESG fund which shorts a stock which it would deem to be environmentally sound, or, more likely, lends it to another fund to short is acting against the principles of the ESG ethos which attracted its investors in the first place. This is because there is a tension between portfolio returns and environmental concerns. There is a risk of accusation of mis-selling resulting in litigation and censure by the regulator unless the fund’s modus operandi and their rationale are explicit.
25 March 2024The question of whether a derivative transaction is properly characterised as a hedge or as speculation has long vexed the English courts. It has arisen recently in a decision of the Commercial Court dealing with the capacity of an Italian local authority to transact interest-rate swaps. This article reviews the caselaw on the question and asks: (i) is it possible for the courts to make any distinction between hedging transactions and speculative transactions?; and (ii) what test should be applied?
25 March 2024In this article the author considers the regulatory approach of four jurisdictions to the policing of cryptocurrency advertisements.
25 March 2024The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 (the Act) implements the highly anticipated register of beneficial ownership of UK property, forcing overseas entities to disclose details of beneficial ownership in order to transact with UK property. It is designed to improve the transparency of foreign ownership of UK property and clamp down on economic crime. However, the new regime is not faultless, and the new register is at risk of exploitation in certain areas. In this article, we consider key aspects of the Act, the new register, and issues for lenders ahead of the implementation of the new regime.
25 March 2024In this article, the authors compare the approaches US and European direct lenders take to certain deal terms and highlight market-specific trends.
25 March 2024Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have captured investor attention as an emerging asset class, with the value of the relevant market estimated at US$10.7bn (third quarter of 2021). Although there is nothing new about their underlying technology (blockchain), what is novel is its use by artists, athletes, and public figures to commercialise their creative work, and to monetise their brand name. We explore three of the plethora of legal issues that NFTs throw up: (i) the nature of NFT holders’ rights; (ii) whether NFTs can qualify as “securities”; and (iii) the extent to which they are covered by crypto-asset-specific regulation in select jurisdictions.
25 March 2024The application of green and sustainable lending principles to the aviation industry has long been a source of controversy and confusion. At the heart of the matter is whether lending to an airline can ever be considered truly “green” and if not, then whether aviation could be considered a transitioning industry with lending practices supporting the move towards lower emissions. The lack of definitive criteria as to what constitutes green or sustainable financing in the context of aviation has led to the inability of airlines and lessors to access this kind of financing. This article considers whether the inclusion of aviation in the EU’s Taxonomy Regulation1 will facilitate the availability of green and sustainable finance products for the finance and leasing of aircraft.
25 March 2024In this article, Georgia Quenby considers the documentary and structural changes that are becoming prevalent in secured lending and special situations documentation to mitigate the impacts of both the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 and the Crown Preference.
25 March 2024