This quarterly publication includes a variety of legal and market focused articles on current topics of interest in the world of trade finance. In this edition, we feature an article that examines the implications of the EU-UK Trade Co-Operation Agreement for businesses engaged in international trade and related financing; an article that looks at the scope of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and its potential implications for finance documentation and the future of sovereign debt;…
On 31 December 2020, the UK’s Brexit transition period with the EU ended, and the UK became a third country with respect to the EU from a sanctions and export controls perspective. The UK now has its own autonomous sanctions and export control regimes – closely related to the EU’s regimes, but with important differences and complexities that clients need to be aware of. We have written an alert that summarises the key considerations for companies in…
Signing of the “Al-Ula Declaration” ending trade and other restrictions against Qatar As reported in our previous client update, on 5 January 2021, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, along with Egypt, signed the “Al-Ula Declaration” at the 41st GCC Summit held in the city of Al-Ula. This marks the end of a three and a half year boycott against…
On 12 January 2021, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced new measures to ensure that UK companies are neither complicit in, nor profit from, alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang, China. See press release here. Under the new measures, the UK will review export controls in order to prevent exports of goods potentially contributing, either directly or indirectly, to alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. This review will determine specific items that will become subject…