Sam Bankman-Fried is scheduled to be tried on eight charges starting on 3 October 2023, and US District Judge Lewis Kaplan has allowed for a second trial on 11 March 2024 on a further five charges that include bribing Chinese officials and committing financial fraud. The charges centre around the alleged fraud and conspiracy to defraud crypto investors and customers in FTX and Alameda Research.

Insolvency is a proliferating issue within the cryptocurrency ecosystem, specifically in the realm of crypto lending services. Many of the largest services have recently filed for bankruptcy, with Genesis, Voyager Digital, Celsius, and BlockFi falling in spectacular and contentious fashion [source: AP.news.com].

Bankruptcy trustees and chapter 11 debtors-in-possession ("DIPs") frequently seek to avoid fraudulent transfers and obligations under section 544(b) of the Bankruptcy Code and state fraudulent transfer or other applicable nonbankruptcy laws because the statutory "look-back" period for avoidance under many nonbankruptcy laws exceeds the two-year period governing avoidance actions under section 548.

On August 24, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held in Kirschner v. JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. et al. that certain syndicated term loans2 at the center of a transaction involving JP Morgan Chase and other banks were not securities under state law. While the Second Circuit did not foreclose the possibility that syndicated term loans could be securities under different circumstances,3 for now Kirschner cements the long-standing view -- following Banco Espanol de Credito v.

Introduction

In commercial contracts, it is not uncommon to find provisions allowing for contractual discretion on the part of one or more parties, such as the discretion to vary certain interest or payment terms, to choose a port of delivery, or an option to purchase. While such provisions give a certain amount of decision-making power to the party that has been conferred the discretion, they are not without limit. These limits were explored in the Singapore High Court decision of Maybank Singapore Ltd v Synergy Global Resources Pte Ltd [2023] SGHC 258.

This week's issue has a strong risk focus. We cover speeches from ASIC Chair Joe Longo and Minister for Home Affairs Clare O'Neil to the AFR Cyber Summit. On the financial services front, the FAR Bills received Assent and the ABA's new Banking Code is anticipated to be in place in 'early 2024' (subject to ASIC approval).

The European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 – MiCA), which entered into force on 29 June 2023, is a significant new regulation that will impact the treatment of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. MiCA requires the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to develop a series of regulatory technical standards (RTS) and implement technical standards (ITS) and Guidelines. Many of these regulations are to be developed in close cooperation with the European Banking Association (EBA).

引言

在香港、中国内地和台湾等司法管辖区运营的家族企业，通常会把企业的实益拥有权和控制权置于英属维尔京群岛（下称“BVI”）注册成立的公司股东名下。受惠于 BVI 公司隐私法的相关优势及其对高净值个人和家族的特殊吸引力，整个企业的实益拥有权甚至能位于国际业务结构顶端的 BVI 控股公司（下称“BVI 控股公司”）发行的股份。

从遗产规划的角度来看，为了确保企业由家族或高净值个人保留控制，企业的融资方式通常是通过股东或几个主要股东向企业提供贷款。如果企业多年来的融资方式一直是 BVI 控股公司获提供的贷款，那么该 BVI 公司欠下的债务总额很有可能相当庞大。一旦贷款人去世便会产生一系列问题，例如死者能否追讨 BVI 公司欠下的债务、追讨申请的正确诉讼地等。

本文将厘清上述部分问题，并分享康德明对于已故个人代表在 BVI 追讨债务的一些指引。

In the case of Bester N.O & Others v Mirror Trading International Proprietary Limited (in liquidation) t/a MTI, the Western Cape Division of the High Court considered whether cryptocurrencies fell within the definition of property under the context of the Insolvency Act and whether courts in South Africa had jurisdiction in respect of cryptocurrency.

Every passing month seems to bring with it a new set of “market making” events that consistently catapults the deal and debt financing economy in a new direction. Nonetheless, there are certain trends that the JMBM attorneys on the “financing frontlines” see repeatedly, and this fall seemed as good a time as any to convey them. By sharing these points, we hope to better prepare our friends, colleagues and clients for navigating through the current debt and restructuring markets, in preparation for the months and quarters that lie ahead.