Debt Collection Post-Covid-19: Force Majeure, Frustration and Winding-Up in Hong Kong

Businesses who wish to take aggressive action to enforce contractual obligations may consider a statutory demand as a means to pressure a counterparty into performance. A statutory demand may result in the winding-up of the counterparty, resulting in the liquidation and dissolution of that counterparty. However, the counterparty may resist the winding-up, disputing that the obligation is in fact owed. The present coronavirus pandemic may provide...

Surviving the Covid-19 Virus: Debt Restructuring for Businesses Facing a Liquidity...

Hong Kong businesses are undergoing a period of tremendous challenge, with the reset in economic relations between the U.S. and China, the Hong Kong protests and the Covid-19 virus battering the economy. In this environment, even businesses with strong long term prospects may face real short term working capital challenges. In this article, we explore some of the options available to address liquidity deficiencies.

Licensing of Private Equity Sponsors: A New Hong Kong Approach?

On January 7, 2020, the Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) issued its “Circular to private equity firms seeking to be licensed” (“PE Circular”) setting out its view on the licensing obligations of private equity firms. The PE Circular suggests that a number of activities frequently undertaken by private equity firms may trigger licensing obligations. As a result, private equity firms operating in Hong Kong without a license...

Heightened Regulation of the Stock Market: What Directors of Listed Companies Need to...

The Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (“SEHK”) both shifted their enforcement strategies and priorities after the conclusion of their joint consultation in 2017 in relation to the regulation of listed companies. The SEHK has stepped up the number of investigations it conducts and the number of resulting sanctions has risen accordingly. At the same time, the SFC has adopted a more...

Enhanced Suitability Requirements for the Sale of Complex Products: A Pullback?

New enhanced suitability requirements applicable to the sale of complex products will come into force on July, 6 2019. Though heavy-handed and paternalistic on their face, recent guidance issued by the Securities and Futures Commission appears to soften the impact of these requirements. In this article, we discuss the major changes.