The EU first adopted restrictive measures against the Russian Federation back in 2014, in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and the destabilisation of Ukraine. Since then, the EU has massively expanded the sanctions, following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and its decision to recognise the non-government-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as … Continue Reading
On 28 October 2020, the Supreme Court’s Emergency Control and Public Matters Chamber acknowledged an emergency complaint lodged by the Prosecutor General and revoked an order for payment issued against a consumer under a blank promissory note securing repayment of a bank loan. The Supreme Court ruled that the order for payment, issued by the … Continue Reading
As previewed in our prior post, Poland’s simplified restructuring proceeding (uproszczone postępowanie restrukturyzacyjne) is now in effect. The enabling legislation – with only minor changes from the description in our prior post affecting such restructurings – was finally adopted on 19 June 2020, signed into law on 23 June 2020 and took effect the same … Continue Reading
Poland’s Parliament (the Sejm, the lower House of Parliament) is close to passage of an extraordinary debtor restructuring relief law as part of its fourth COVID-19 crisis legislation. The measure, referred to as Shield Law 4.0 (Tarcza 4.0) would: Create a “simplified restructuring proceeding” that would permit any debtor to commence this proceeding if faced … Continue Reading
As the political turmoil regarding Brexit continues to grow in the UK, the spectre of a “no-deal” Brexit becomes a very realistic scenario. The shortness of time left to make the final decision is forcing businesses in the UK and EU to view the short-term future with unease and anxiety, particularly the uncertainty surrounding the … Continue Reading
In the announcement of 29 January 2019, KNF-Polish Financial Supervision Authority confirmed that, in the case of no-deal Brexit, UK entities operating on the Polish financial market will be treated as third-country entities. In the wake of the recent British Parliament vote rejecting the UK’s EU withdrawal agreement, the eventuality of a no-deal Brexit has … Continue Reading
The Polish Parliament has recently adopted a new law implementing certain changes to the Polish financial system (“the Act”).[1] The aim is to strengthen supervision over capital markets and improve protection of investors, but it will significantly impact the timing and cost of raising capital through debt securities offered outside the public market. The new … Continue Reading
On July 1, 2018 the so-called split payment mechanism was introduced into the Polish legal system. Split payment refers to the splitting of invoice payments in B2B relations between a supplier’s current bank account and a VAT account, which is automatically opened by banks as an account directly linked to current accounts. Funds constituting the … Continue Reading
If there is a holy book for finance lawyers, at least on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, it would be the Loan Market Association (LMA) standard form. Aimed to improve liquidity and efficiency in the syndicated loan markets in EMEA, the recommended standard forms developed by the LMA are here to stay. Although intended … Continue Reading
On 13 January 2018, a new regulation for the provision of payment services will come into force in the Czech Republic, introducing the most significant changes to the Czech banking market in recent years. Newly Regulated Payment Services This new regulation (Act No. 370/2017 Coll.) has been adopted in the Czech Republic based on EU … Continue Reading
The Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) recently published (on 12 January 2018) a long-awaited statement relating to the “selected regulator’s expectations” as regards the interim period(s) relating to the implementation of the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) in Poland. The statement is key for banks and FinTech companies (TPPs) to understand how to operate until the … Continue Reading
With effect from 1 March 2017, Czech Act No. 284/2009 Coll. on Payment System (the Act) has been amended in accordance with the Directive No. 2014/92/EU on the comparability of fees related to payment accounts, payment account switching and access to payment accounts with basic features (the Directive). One of the purposes of the Directive … Continue Reading
If you are in the finance world you will have heard the word “FinTech” (unless you are having a gap year or are living under a rock), one of the most popular finance buzzwords in use today. Some argue that FinTech may be a bubble – and one that is set to burst shortly – … Continue Reading