Australia: Australia's financial services regulatory framework has been challenged to keep pace with the development of digital assets and new payment technologies. Whether a given digital asset was a "financial product" subject to licensing, disclosure and conduct obligations was not always clear-cut, requiring careful, case-by-case regulatory analysis and prompting a series of ASIC enforcement actions with varying outcomes.

Australia: The Victorian Government has announced that from January 2027, independent and other Victorian schools will be required to implement policies restricting student use of personal electronic devices during school hours. The change follows growing evidence that electronic devices can disrupt students’ focus, learning and social interaction. Schools should begin planning now to ensure they are ready to meet these new requirements.

India: The GIFT International Financial Services Centre, established in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is India's first international financial services centre with the intent of catering to global MNCs and financial institutions in alignment with international standards of business. To ensure that the utmost benefits can be provided, the entire zone has been equipped with world-class infrastructure akin to global standards. This newsletter navigates the journey of GIFT IFSC and the International Financial Services Centres Authority set up under the International Financial Services Centres IFSCA Act 2019.

United States: Empty desks. Full rent checks. Across industries, companies are paying for office space they no longer need. Hybrid work, lingering pandemic-era reductions, economic headwinds, and shifting workplace strategies have left lease portfolios out of step with workforce realities, yet long-term obligations remain locked in. Resolving this growing financial burden increasingly falls to in-house counsel.

Singapore: The Singapore Court of Appeal’s decision in Singapore Commodities Group Co Pte Ltd v Founder Group (HK) Ltd clarifies the limits of insolvency proceedings where debts are subject to arbitration agreements, reaffirming that such disputes should ordinarily be resolved by the agreed tribunal. It underscores that an unresolved arbitral dispute may deprive a creditor of standing to invoke the court’s winding up jurisdiction, absent clear and unequivocal admission of liability.

Global: Recent geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty across the Middle East has created a more complex operating environment for organisations with regional operations and international partnerships. As wider market commentary has observed, institutions operating internationally are increasingly having to reassess operational resilience, continuity planning and contractual flexibility in response to a less predictable regional landscape. International education is no exception.

Indonesia: This article discuss the key recommendations under the Circular Letter, including the proposed one-day-per-week WFH arrangement and workplace energy efficiency measures, as well as the practical implications for employers in Indonesia.

On April 29, 2026, following the conclusion of multilateral charter negotiations in Montréal, Canada was unanimously selected by the 19 founding member nations as the future host country for the headquarters of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), a newly established multinational financial institution purpose-built to finance defence, security and resilience projects for NATO members and allied nations.

This article surveys the seven principal government programs and initiatives currently facilitating Indigenous equity ownership in Canadian infrastructure, and identifies key themes for clients considering Indigenous equity partnerships.

Australia: IP Australia has released its annual intellectual property (IP) report for 2026. The Australian IP Report 2026 examines recent trends in Australia’s patent and design systems and provides insight into how filing activity is evolving in response to global economic shifts, technological change and increasingly competitive markets.

Ukraine: On April 23, 2026, the Board of the National Bank of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 43, amending its Resolution No. 18 of 24 February 2022 “On the Operation of the Banking System During Martial Law.”

Public entities in Iowa are subject to both open meetings and public record requirements encompassed in Iowa Code Chapters 21, 22, and 23. Multiple governmental bodies and entities within Iowa have elected boards, predominantly formed from volunteers who handle the work of the entity. It can be difficult for anyone, but especially for a volunteer board to fully assess what is and is not an open meeting or open record.

Nigeria: In a groundbreaking decision delivered by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 12 December 2025 in Appeal No: SC 400/2014 - Noble Drilling Nigeria Ltd v. NIMASA, the apex Court brought much needed clarity to the position of drilling rigs and strictly drilling operations under the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003.

In Québec (Attorney General) v. Lalande, the Supreme Court of Canada determined that Québec’s provincial Act to interrupt the electoral division delimitation process (the Act), which was found to violate s. 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter), is not saved by s. 1 of the Charter.

Ireland: The recent judgment of O'Callaghan v O'Callaghan in the High Court (Mulcahy J) again demonstrates the Irish court's strong support for arbitration. By upholding the arbitration agreement, applying the principle of separability and referring the matter to arbitration, the court reaffirmed Irish law's recognition of party autonomy and Ireland's credentials as an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction, applying recognised international standards.

Vietnam: On 11 December 2025, the National Assembly of Vietnam issued the Law on Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy No. 142/2025/QH15, marking numerous significant reforms compared to the Law on Bankruptcy 2014. Notably, bankruptcy procedures have been streamlined with significantly reduced processing times. These changes not only alleviate the procedural burden but also enhance resolution efficiency while saving time and costs for all stakeholders involved.

As the race for AI development and adoption accelerates, claims for data sovereignty and concerns about extraterritorial legal reach rise.

Nigeria. As 10 June 2026 draws closer, we have created a CBN Circular BSD/DIR/PUB/LAB/019/002: Compliance & Privacy Checklist for Financial Institutions. This document serves as a practical guide for privacy and data protection teams, highlighting legal, technological, and operational responsibilities under the circular and ensuring the integration of privacy principles into automated systems.

United Kingdom: Reviews of regulators might not excite you or they might simply invite your cynicism. However, the final report of the recent Ofgem review is worth your attention. It is frank about Ofgem's perceived shortcomings and clear-sighted about how the sector has changed since Ofgem was set up some 25 years ago. It has ideas about how to reform Ofgem and its work in ways that support current government energy and wider economic policy priorities. It promises swift action and significant changes across the range of Ofgem's work and it appears to envisage some broadening of its field of regulatory activity.

Netherlands and India: India is fundamentally reshaping its transfer pricing (TP) regime as it enters a critical transition phase. With the enactment of the Income Tax Act, 2025 (2025 IT Act), notification of the Income-tax Rules, 2026 (Rules 2026), and the TP measures introduced under the Union Budget 2026–2027 and incorporated into the legislative framework, the government has set out a clear direction toward administrative modernization, dispute reduction and enhanced tax certainty.