The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has been proactive and transparent with licensing requirements, compared to other jurisdictions. The Digital Acceleration Grant (DAG) programme incentivises firms to modernise operations, equipping smaller managers with the necessary technology and helping new funds get off the ground. This programme, coupled with geopolitical influences, contributes to Singapore accelerating as a safe-haven for money and financial institutions. 

With the profound impacts of Covid-19 continuing to reverberate around the world, it is notable how robust the funds industry has been during the last six months. In Ireland, like elsewhere, significant redemptions were registered in March as investors sought to reduce risk and increase liquidity.

The Irish funds industry may have some catching up to do in the private funds space, but as the government gears up to introduce a refreshed Investment Limited Partnerships Act, the jurisdiction is expected to see an influx of managers from the UK, the US and further afield choosing to set up their private funds in Ireland.

US private equity groups spent an average USD353,000 on external legal counsel per acquisition when prosecuting deals in 2019, according to research released by Apperio, a London-based specialist legal spend management platform. In the UK, the figure was slightly lower at USD253,000. 

Private equity (PE) firms raise and invest billions of dollars. These organisations also spend millions with law firms to protect their business and investments. 

By Susana Garcia-Robles, Venture Partner, Capria Ventures – Face masks and frequent hand-washing are the new routine. But how can a company be safer in the new normal? “Good contractual hygiene,” says Joe Wallin, principal at Seattle-based Carney Badley Spellman. In particular, companies should be sure to understand – and where possible, standardise – force majeure language across all their legal contracts.

International law firm Proskauer has appointed Christopher C Robinson  as a partner in the firm’s Private Funds Group in New York.

By Deborah Ruff, Head of US & International Arbitration, Julia Kalinina Belcher, Counsel, and Charles H Golsong, Counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP – On 22 May 2020, the Tribunal de Commerce of Paris ordered the insurance giant AXA France IARD SA to pay Maison Rostang, a Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant, EUR 45,000 for two months’ worth of revenue lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A simple case of Covid-19 losses? Not quite.

Jersey Finance has welcomed a new amendment to the island's legislation that will make it significantly easier for managers to migrate limited partnership fund structures to the jurisdiction.

Private Equity (PE) firms in the US and UK spend many millions of dollars on legal services annually, but they are scrutinising their external legal spend like never before, according to a new Apperio research study entitled “Rocketing Scrutiny, Eroding Trust – The Changing PE Legal Spend Landscape.”