Singapore’s asset management industry has fast become a global hub for investors and managers and is central to the country’s financial services industry. In 2020, total assets under management (AUM) in Singapore grew 17 percent to reach S$4.7 trillion, up from S$4.0 trillion in 2019[1]. This robust growth was driven by strong inflows into both traditional and alternative investment strategies, including the private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) asset classes. PE and VC AUM grew by 54 percent and 49 percent to S$375 billion and S$16 billion, respectively, in that year. In our view, the size of the industry in Singapore will continue to grow in the coming years.
新加坡家办门槛提高——深度解析金管局新政的底层逻辑
这几天，全网都在疯传下面这张图。不可否认最近移民突然成了热门话题！
4月11日，我们收到了新加坡金管局一封邮件，内容是关于新加坡家办13O/U计划的门槛大幅提高。大概就是图中戴教授所指的消息了。但是戴教授的表述不太严谨，新加坡家办免税计划并不是投资移民，实际上新加坡的投资移民难度远高于此。
MAS amends Sections 13O & 13U Application Guidelines for Family Offices in Singapore
MAS Amends Sections 13O and 13U Application Guidelines for Family Offices in Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has amended its requirements for family offices[1] applying for tax incentive schemes pursuant to Sections 13O and 13U of the Income Tax Act 1947 (the Act). The following amended policies apply to all first preliminary submissions received by MAS on or after 18 April 2022 for these schemes, and MAS may require applications that have received no communication from MAS for a span of at least six months to be resubmitted under the amended guidelines. The following applications are not subject to the amended policies:
Singapore Implements Sanctions Against Russia
Ever since Russia’s act of aggression against Ukraine that began on 24 February 2022, the United States and several of its key allies have successively imposed significant sanctions against Russia. These sanctions range from prohibitions on trade and investment in certain regions of Ukraine and the designation of specific nationals that cannot interact with the market and financial system of United States, to imposing new sovereign debt restrictions and even cutting Russia further off from the global economy by removing them from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (aka SWIFT) messaging system and disconnecting them from the international financial system, making them no longer able to operate globally. On 8 March 2022, the Biden administration also announced that the United States would be banning the import of Russian oil.
Singapore has joined these efforts, with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan issuing a Ministerial Statement in Parliament on 28 February 2022, stating that Singapore intends to impose its own sanctions against Russia. On 5 March 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a press statement with two factsheets that set out the details of the economic sanctions and restrictions.
Continue reading “Singapore Implements Sanctions Against Russia”
在缅甸债务的回收
新冠疫情在全球引发了严重的经济冲击，尤其对于缅甸这种高度依赖劳动力密集型产业的国家。最近政府的更迭更加重了人们对缅甸政局的担忧。最近出现的一些情况让我们看到外国投资者和供货方所面临的债务难以回收的困境。本文列出了债权人针对向缅甸公司追讨债务可以采取的一些法律行动，希望能起到抛砖引玉的效果。
Debt Collection in Myanmar
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered severe economic shock, particularly in countries like Myanmar that rely heavily on labour-intensive industries. The recent change in the government has added further concerns to the political state of Myanmar. With this recent set of events, we have seen foreign investors and suppliers face difficulty in recovering debts in Myanmar. This Alert sets out actions that may be considered by creditors towards recovering debts from a Myanmar company.
Singapore and Pacific Alliance Sign Free Trade Agreement
On January 26, 2022, the Pacific Alliance and Singapore signed the Free Trade Agreement (Agreement) at the 16th Summit of the Pacific Alliance. With the signature of the Agreement, Singapore became a member state of this international organization, whose members are Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru.
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Duane Morris & Selvam LLP acts on Platinum Equity’s US$306m Sale of Singapore-based Electronics Manufacturer PCI Limited to Celestica Inc.
SINGAPORE, 22 September 2021 – Duane Morris & Selvam LLP (DMS) acted as international counsel to Platinum Equity on the sale of PCI Limited (“PCI”) at US$306m to Celestica Inc. The sale is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with more than $25 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 50 operating companies that serve customers around the world. The firm is currently investing from Platinum Equity Capital Partners V, a $10 billion global buyout fund, and Platinum Equity Small Cap Fund, a $1.5 billion buyout fund focused on investment opportunities in the lower middle market. The company acquired PCI in April 2019 in a public-to-private transaction.
Negotiations have concluded for the “Pacific Alliance – Singapore Free Trade Agreement” (PASFTA).
On July 22, 2021, Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry, together with his counterparts from the members states of the Pacific Alliance – Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Peru, announced the conclusion of negotiations of the Pacific Alliance – Singapore Free Trade Agreement (PASFTA).
Singapore will become the first Asian-Pacific associate state of the Pacific Alliance (“PA” or “Alliance”) once the pact is signed, which is expected to happen by the end of the year. This is an important milestone in the economic integration between the PA region and Asia-Pacific and is a crucial development for the necessary economic reactivation of the two regions.
The Ministers of Trade agreed that the PASFTA represents an interest in the economic integration of the regions and the improvement of the commercial relationship, attracting investments and expanding access to goods and services. In particular, The PASFTA will enhance trade and deepen cooperation in areas like the digital economy, energy sector, technology, urban solutions, customs, maritime services, and infrastructure.
Latin American and Singapore businesses should take note of this development and where possible, take advantage of the significant trade opportunities and economic growth that this trade agreement will generate.
The Pacific Alliance: main objectives and member Continue reading “Negotiations have concluded for the “Pacific Alliance – Singapore Free Trade Agreement” (PASFTA).”
Down Round Fundraising: Some Insights
The spread of COVID-19 has undeniably driven the accelerated adoption of fintech solutions across Southeast Asia and leading fintech start-ups have in recent times found themselves to be in a good position to raise more capital. However, the harsher reality of the pandemic and the economic turmoil has in fact had a significant adverse impact on equity values and valuations of companies across the world, including Southeast Asia.
Start-ups looking to raise capital by across multiple rounds of fund raising may not be able to do so in the usual fashion where each subsequent round is closed at a higher price per share than the last. The spectre of “down rounds” or the issuance of shares at lower prices than previous rounds, is now an increasing reality.
For companies that have issued earlier rounds of convertible preferred equity, a down round is likely to result in the application of anti-dilution mechanisms attached to such preceding preferred equity.
This briefing will look into some anti-dilution mechanisms commonly adopted in convertible preferred equity, highlight the issues that both investors and issuers need to keep in mind when negotiating these provisions and briefly touch on possible alternatives to a down round.
Anti-dilution mechanisms
There are three common types of anti-dilution protection mechanisms used in convertible preferred equity. They are: Continue reading “Down Round Fundraising: Some Insights”