New Zealand: On 12 August 2026 changes to New Zealand’s Golden Visa, officially known as the Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa came into effect. The changes are intended to make it easier for investors to understand investment requirements and the evidence needed to support an application, providing greater clarity and certainty when investing in New Zealand.

A pro se litigant embedded hidden instructions in his filings – white text on a white background, invisible when rendered but readable by any software processing the file.

Costa Rica: The true value of a destination is measured not only by its ability to attract investment, but also by its capacity to generate opportunities and well-being for the communities that make it up. Eduardo Zúñiga, Managing Partner of our Costa Rica office, explores how the most successful development models manage to balance economic growth, sustainability, and community engagement to build lasting progress. We invite you to read the full article.

Kazakhstan: 15 September 2026 is the deadline for individuals to file the declaration of assets and liabilities and the declaration of income and property for 2025.

As US energy providers grapple with massive increases in power demand from new large loads, we are seeing the emergence of subsidiary or ring-fenced structures to serve data center load while addressing perceived risks around power supply and consumer perceptions about rising energy costs.

The relationship between government and business continues to change rapidly. Trade disputes, geopolitical competition, artificial intelligence, rapidly scaling energy demand, national security concerns and increasingly divergent regulatory approaches are influencing decisions that once would have been driven primarily by commercial considerations.

Singapore and Thailand: Thailand’s Direct Power Purchase Agreement pilot for data centres is moving from policy design towards implementation. This article reviews the principal developments since early 2026 and the issues that investors, developers and electricity users should continue to monitor.

New Zealand: Under the existing ‘joint and several liability’ regime, a claimant can recover the full cost of defective building work from any one liable party, regardless of that party’s relative contribution to the defect/claimed loss. This places the insolvency risk with the defendants; where there are parties which contributed to a loss that are not available to pay (e.g., through insolvency or death) then the liability falls to those defendants that are.

In a recent decision, MGC Contractors Ltd v 1417028 BC Ltd., 2026 BCSC 1438, the British Columbia Supreme Court reaffirmed the importance of compliance with all components of the Builders Lien Act, S.B.C. 1997, c. 45, including following the jurisdictional requirements.

Welcome to the August 2026 edition of Dentons Capitol Insights – Sounding the Drumbeat in Washington.

Turks & Caicos Islands: When transactions, investments or business operations involve entities, structures or regulatory considerations connected to the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI), international counsel may need to address local law issues as part of a wider cross-border matter. Prepared by Ayanna Ferdinand Catlyn and the Dentons Turks & Caicos Islands team, this guide provides a practical overview of key TCI legal considerations and is intended to help counsel identify when local advice may be required and navigate TCI-related matters efficiently.

EU: On 26 June 2026, the European Commission adopted its Guidelines on the application of the EU Forced Labour Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 and launched the Forced Labour Single Portal. The Guidelines provide stakeholders with non-binding guidance on the Regulation’s application. The Regulation will apply from December 14, 2027 and prohibits placing, making available on, or exporting from, the EU market products made with forced labour at any stage of production.

Latin America and the Caribbean: ESG is not dead in Latin American mining. Environmental, social and governance risks are becoming operational, enforceable and central to project success.

United Kingdom: Lending to investment trusts is enjoying a fresh wave of momentum in 2026, with new lenders entering the market and boards facing a wider menu of structuring options than ever before. From the resurgence of secured deals to a growing mix of committed, uncommitted, and evergreen facilities, the traditional consistency of this market has given way to genuine fluidity. We explore what's driving this shift and what borrowers need to consider before their next gearing event.

Tanzania: Whilst it is an established principle of law that an employer making the working environment unbearable for an employee, thereby leading to his resignation, could result in constructive termination of employment, a claim based on unfair labour practice can also be held to be constructive termination where factual circumstances show forced resignation. 

Australia and New Zealand: While some countries have adapted their design regimes to expressly recognise GUIs and other virtual designs, Australia and New Zealand continue to operate within frameworks developed primarily for physical products and articles.

It is well-known that registered designs (sometimes referred to as design patents in some jurisdictions) can be used to protect the visual appearance of physical products. What is less well-known is that, in some countries, design rights may also be available for digital visual elements such as graphical user interfaces (GUIs), icons, screen layouts and other virtual designs. As these digital interfaces become increasingly important commercial assets, understanding how they can be protected in different jurisdictions is becoming an important aspect of intellectual property strategy.

Colombia: Resolution 1644 of 2026 updates Colombia’s telemedicine regulations and replaces the framework that had been in force since 2019.

United Kingdom: The Court of Appeal has confirmed that training fee clawback agreements can engage the restraint of trade doctrine. We analyse the decision and how employers can reduce the risk of challenge to similar repayment provisions.

Vietnam: From this approach, Case law No. 81 resolves the ambiguity in distinguishing between a "dispute over a service contract" and a "dispute over the recovery of property," favoring the protection of the service provider when the service recipient has acknowledged the debt but failed to pay, thereby avoiding being barred by the statute of limitations for initiating legal proceedings under current civil regulations.