Japan heading for biggest M&A spree in the U.S.

Japan is on track this year for its biggest acquisition spree in the US as advisers tell chief executives to pounce on deals while Chinese companies are hampered by trade war tensions. The advice of bankers and lawyers to accelerate US-targeted deals has intensified over recent months in line with both the surge in trade war rhetoric and the perception...

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Silver Lane Advises AFAM Capital in merger with Kovitz Investment Group

Silver Lane Advisors, a premier investment bank that specializes in the financial services industry, is pleased to have served as exclusive financial advisor to AFAM Capital in its merger with Kovitz Investment Group. Jeff Brand led Silver Lane's deal team. AFAM's roots trace back to 1977, when Al Frank launched "The Prudent Speculator"...

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The 25th World Islamic Banking Conference

Held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and convened by leading financial intelligence platform Middle East Global Advisors in strategic partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain, the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC) will take place on November 26th, 27th & 28th at...

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Will the M&A boom continue?

The global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is enjoying a boom – of that there can be little doubt. In the first half of this year global M&A deals reached a record $2.5trn (£1.9trn) in value, according to Thompson Reuters, a rise of 65 per cent on a year earlier. Much of this has been underpinned by the generous use of debt but also a lot...

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Ten years on from the financial crisis, have we learned enough?

Graham Bishop, Investment Director at Heartwood Investment Management, the asset management arm of Handelsbanken in the UK Fear and greed typically characterise the beginning and end of economic cycles (the natural fluctuations between periods of growth and recession). But although the basic fundamentals defining the health and stability of financial...

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Headlines

Americas

Kavanaugh and #MeToo

WHEN Clarence Thomas, rigid with anger, accused the Senate judiciary committee of subjecting him to a “high-tech lynching for uppity blacks”, white America winced. Late in the process to confirm Mr Thomas’s appointment to the Supreme Court bench, he had been accused of sexual harassment by a former assistant, Anita Hill. Her claims were credible....

Black Lives Matter is becoming slightly more conventional

Campaign strategist CRUMPLED paper roses, a broken vase and a brass plaque mark the spot in Ferguson, Missouri, where a policeman shot dead Michael Brown four years ago. Kesha Burnett, a resident of a nearby housing block, gives it a glance and hurries along Canfield Drive to her bus. Has anything changed for her since the black teenager was killed...

If the Democrats retake the Senate, they will do it with moderates

IN A year that has seen huge numbers of women and minority candidates step forward for the Democrats, the party’s hopes of retaking the Senate may rest on the shoulders of a 74-year-old white man in a pinstripe suit. Phil Bredesen (pictured above, right) served two terms each as Tennessee’s governor and Nashville’s mayor; he is running against...

The swampy business of lobbying for foreign governments

The full-fee service THE legal woes of Nisar Chaudhry, a 71-year-old Pakistani national living in Maryland, would be otherwise forgettable. But Mr Chaudry, who as self-appointed president of the Pakistan American League had tried to parlay his title into political influence on behalf of the Pakistani government, pleaded guilty to a rare sort of...

Nevada’s most notorious brothel-keeper is also a Republican candidate

“YOU’RE the master of your own destiny in this job, much like any small business owner.” So says Alice Little, who claims to be America’s top-earning legal prostitute, on track to book $1.2m this year. Next to an undulating sex sofa in an otherwise homely suite at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, she lists the perks of her trade. They include...

Asia Pacific

Rachika A Sahay joins HSA Advocates as Partner in the New Delhi office

Rachika A Sahay joins HSA Advocates as Partner to further strengthen the Projects, Energy and Infrastructure and Corporate practices. She will be operating out of the firm’s New Delhi office. Rachika has over a decade of experience in handling a broad range of deals in the energy sector. She also has diverse experience in handling corporate transactions...

Japanese firms step up overseas M&A

Number of deals hits record in first half as smaller companies get into the game With SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son taking the lead, Japanese companies have been engaging in mergers and acquisitions at record levels. Japanese corporations made 339 overseas mergers and acquisitions during the first half of the current Japanese fiscal year, the highest...

Investcorp adds Deepak Parekh to International Advisory Board

Investcorp, a global provider and manager of alternative investment products, today announced that Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC Limited, Indian’s leading Financial Services conglomerate, has been appointment to Investcorp’s International Advisory Board. Mr Parekh has played a significant role in the development of the financial sector...

South Korea: Making up for lost time

After the impeachment of South Korea’s former president, Park Geun-hye, amid a far-reaching corruption scandal, the country was ready for change. South Korea’s new liberal president, Moon Jae-in, appears set to take on that challenge. Campaigning on a policy platform of job creation, corporate governance and labour market reforms, as well as promises...

Alibaba acquires majority stake In Indian ticketing startup TicketNew

Alibaba Pictures, the entertainment unit of China’s ecommerce major Alibaba Group, has acquired a majority stake in Chennai-based TicketNew for an undisclosed amount. Post-acquisition, Alibaba will have four representatives on TicketNew’s board and the firm’s promoters will have two of their representatives. TicketNew founder and CEO Ramkumar...

Europe

Kambio Ventures join forces with Jibrel Network to leverage blockchain infrastructure

Following the launch of Kambio Ventures earlier in the year, Kambio together with Jibrel will forge a new partnership to leverage blockchain infrastructure. Kambio Ventures is building a next-generation, blockchain-enabled and fully regulated capital markets platform for asset-backed security tokens – dedicated to start-ups and small...

Collas Crill appoints new head of corporate, finance and funds to BVI office

Offshore law firm Collas Crill has appointed partner Ian Montgomery as its new head of corporate, finance and funds in its British Virgin Islands office. The appointment comes as the firm looks to drive its commercial activities forward in the region and build its BVI office presence following Hurricane Irma. Ian was previously based in Collas...

Mazars announces five new partners

Mazars, the international accounting and advisory firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of five new partners in the UK. All five partners have been promoted from within the business and are drawn from across a range of service lines. The appointments reflect the firm’s ongoing investment in its core strategic markets including financial...

Philip Watkins joins Brown Rudnick's International Corporate practice as Partner

Brown Rudnick continues to bolster its cross-border M&A capabilities with the appointment of London private equity partner, Philip Watkins. International law firm Brown Rudnick LLP is pleased to announce the expansion of its International Corporate practice with the appointment of Philip Watkins as a Partner in the London Office. Philip joins Brown...

SETsquared set to contribute £26.9 billion to the UK economy and 22,000 jobs by 2030

The SETsquared Partnership, the global no.1 business incubation and start-up growth acceleration network, comprising five research-intensive universities: Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey, will contribute £26.9 billion to the UK economy by 2030, independent research undertaken by Warwick Economics and Development (WECD) has...

Mena

New voices: In Wayétu Moore’s Ambitious Debut Novel, Liberia Is Reborn

New voicesIn Wayétu Moore’s Ambitious Debut Novel, Liberia Is Reborn“She Would Be King” reframes the country’s history in magical terms.Image“She Would Be King” is an ambitious and expansive novel that explores the nuances of Liberian history beyond its identity as a settlement for emancipated African-Americans.CreditCreditBryan...

Nigerian Herders Face Threat From Farmers Competing for Land

Nigerian Herders Face Threat From Farmers Competing for LandImageMen load cows that will be sold at market into a truck outside of the town of Garin, Nigeria in September.CreditCreditAdriane Ohanesian for The New York TimesBy Dionne SearceySept. 22, 2018DAMINIYA, Nigeria — Hundreds of horned cattle wandered back to camp after a long day of grazing,...

Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes, Killing at Least 131

Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes, Killing at Least 131ImageRescue workers on Friday recovered the body of a woman who was killed after a ferry overturned on Lake Victoria.CreditCreditReutersBy Joseph GoldsteinSept. 21, 2018NAIROBI, Kenya — The death toll from the capsizing of a Tanzanian ferry on Lake Victoria had climbed to at least 131 people and could...

Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes, Killing at Least 126

Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes, Killing at Least 126ImageA still image taken from a video showing rescue workers at the scene on Friday after a ferry overturned in Lake Victoria.CreditCreditReutersBy Joseph GoldsteinSept. 21, 2018NAIROBI, Kenya — The death toll from the capsizing of a Tanzanian ferry on Lake Victoria had climbed to at least 126 people...

Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes, Killing More Than 90

Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes, Killing More Than 90ImageA still image taken from a video showing rescue workers at the scene on Friday after a ferry overturned in Lake Victoria.CreditCreditReutersBy Joseph GoldsteinSept. 21, 2018NAIROBI, Kenya — The death toll from the capsizing of a Tanzanian ferry on Lake Victoria had climbed past 90 people and may...

International

Return of global megadeals could see biggest deal boom since financial crisis

Global M&A activity hits $2.12trillionM&A activity back to pre-crisis levelsAsian companies taking a greater portion of deal making activity With the return of megadeals, mergers and acquisitions could see a record year of activity this year, with global dealmaking reaching $2.12trillion so far in 2018. A wave of megadeals has seen the average...

Collas Crill bolsters dispute resolution team with two new appointments

Collas Crill has appointed two new associates, Daisy Bovingdon and Courtney Clelland, to its growing dispute resolution team in Jersey.Following a highly successful 2017 for the dispute resolution team, which also saw the firm move into St Helier’s landmark Gaspé House, these appointments reflect the ongoing growth in activity seen through 2018. Daisy's...

Pinel Advocates appoints senior property lawyer

Pinel Advocates is delighted to announce the recruitment of senior property lawyer, Advocate Peter Bertram, to its growing property team.  Advocate Bertram has extensive commercial and residential property experience, having been a Partner and Head of Property at two large Jersey law firms.  He will lead the development of Pinel Advocates'...

Three post-war liberals strove to establish the meaning of freedom

ONE definition of a liberal is a person who supports individual rights and opposes arbitrary power. But that does not tell you which rights matter. For example, some campaigners say they want to unshackle transgender people, women and minorities from social norms, hierarchies and language that they see as tyrannical. Their opponents say that this...

SANNE expands leadership team in Mauritius

SANNE is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Nagle as SANNE’s new Country Head - Mauritius. Based in SANNE’s Mauritius business, Peter will be responsible for providing expert guidance and support to the local client service leadership teams based on the island. SANNE’s office in Mauritius is the second largest staffed office across...