SINGAPORE, 12 July 2023 ― Duane Morris & Selvam LLP is pleased to announce the appointment of director Ramiro Rodriguez as the head of its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) department and its funds industry practice. With this strategic appointment, Duane Morris & Selvam reinforces its commitment to delivering exceptional legal services and further strengthening its position as a trusted advisor in the industry. Continue reading “Duane Morris & Selvam Appoints Ramiro Rodriguez Head of Mergers and Acquisitions Department and Funds Industry Practice”
New Incentives for Family Offices
New Incentives for Family Offices
At the 50th anniversary of the Association of Banks in Singapore (“ABS”) last Friday, Senior Minister and Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) chairman Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced that improvements will be made to the tax incentive scheme for single family offices (“SFO”) in Singapore. These include providing tax privileges, incentives or grants for contributions to charity, channelling capital towards blended finance and investing in the mitigation of global climate change. Further details of these will be announced by the MAS in July.
The Appointment of Daniel Soo as the Head of Selvam LLC’s Restructuring and Insolvency Group
SINGAPORE, 14 October 2022 ― Selvam LLC is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Soo as the head of its Restructuring and Insolvency Group. Soo will continue as a partner in the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group.
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”
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.
Continue reading “Singapore and Pacific Alliance Sign Free Trade Agreement”
Duane Morris & Selvam acts on Affle’s INR 6 billion (US$82 million) QIP
SINGAPORE, 25 May 2021 – Duane Morris & Selvam LLP acted as international legal counsel to Axis Capital, Nomura and UBS, in their role as the book running lead managers, on the sale of INR 6 billion (US$82 million) of equity shares in Affle (India) Limited in a qualified institutions placement, including concurrent private placements outside India.
Affle is a global technology company with a proprietary consumer intelligence platform that delivers consumer engagement, acquisitions and transactions through mobile advertising, as well as platform aims to enhance returns on marketing investment through contextual mobile ads and also by reducing digital ad fraud.
The Duane Morris & Selvam team was led by Jamie Benson, the head of the firm’s US capital markets and India practices, and also included Zabrina Hamid, Wang Bei, Justin Santarosa, Jacob Low and Yeo Ming Ze.
Induslaw acted as Indian counsel to Affle and J. Sagar Associates acted as Indian counsel to Axis Capital, Nomura and UBS.
About Duane Morris & Selvam
Duane Morris & Selvam LLP is the joint law venture between Duane Morris LLP and Selvam LLC, with its headquarters in Singapore. By way of its global platform and extensive range of legal services, the firm helps companies conduct business in and out of Asia, the United States, Latin America, the United Kingdom and beyond. In addition to the excellent skills of its lawyers, clients benefit from the cultural fluency and key relationships that the firm has developed over many years of practising law throughout the region. The firm has a presence in the key markets of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City as well as offices in Shanghai and Yangon. Supporting these regional offices, the firm operates a series of country desks for India, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, as well as an alliance in Sri Lanka. It is regularly ranked among the region’s leading law firms by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500 and IFLR1000.
Best Lawyers Singapore 2022 recognizes Duane Morris & Selvam Partners
Singapore, 3 May 2021 – Duane Morris & Selvam is pleased to announce that 5 of our partners have been recognized across 8 practices in the 2022 edition of Best Lawyers. Best Lawyers is a peer review guide to the legal profession and lawyers are nominated by their peers.
| Arbitration and Mediation | · Sarbjit Singh Chopra |
| Banking and Finance | · Arfat Selvam |
| Capital Markets Law | · Gerard A. Hekker |
| Corporate Law | · Arfat Selvam |
| Mergers and Acquisitions Law | · Arfat Selvam |
| Mutual Funds | · Arfat Selvam |
| Private Equity Law | · Krishna Ramachandra |
| Private Funds | · Arfat Selvam |
About Duane Morris & Selvam
Duane Morris & Selvam LLP is the joint law venture between Duane Morris LLP and Selvam LLC, with its headquarters in Singapore. By way of its global platform and extensive range of legal services, the firm helps companies conduct business in and out of Asia, the United States, Latin America, the United Kingdom and beyond. In addition to the excellent skills of its lawyers, clients benefit from the cultural fluency and key relationships that the firm has developed over many years of practising law throughout the region. The firm has a presence in the key markets of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City as well as offices in Shanghai and Yangon. Supporting these regional offices, the firm operates a series of country desks for India, Indonesia, Korea and Japan, as well as an alliance in Sri Lanka. It is regularly ranked among the region’s leading law firms by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500 and IFLR1000.
Duane Morris & Selvam acts on IDFC First Bank’s INR30 billion QIP
SINGAPORE, 21 April 2021 – Duane Morris & Selvam LLP acted as international legal counsel to ICICI Securities Limited, Citigroup Global Markets India Private Limited, Credit Suisse Securities (India) Private Limited, JM Financial Limited and UBS Securities India Private Limited in their role as the book running lead managers on the sale of INR 30 billion (US$400 million) of equity shares in IDFC First Bank Limited in a qualified institutions placement (QIP), including a concurrent US private placement.
Continue reading “Duane Morris & Selvam acts on IDFC First Bank’s INR30 billion QIP”
A Message from our Chairman
The COVID-19 pandemic has been rapidly evolving and the safety and health of our staff and clients are of utmost importance. In compliance with the Singapore government’s advisory and to further prevent the spread of the coronavirus, our split team arrangements will cease and our office will be fully closed from 7 April till 4 May 2020.
In the meantime, our lawyers will work from home and can be reached via email and telephone. Our robust IT and communication systems will ensure that you continue to receive the same level of responsiveness and service.
Our Firm stands ready to guide you through issues related to this crisis and we will continue to provide updates and resources to address your concerns.
Our multi-disciplinary COVID-19 team provides comprehensive and swift responses on specific legal issues arising from disruption of your commercial transactions as a result of the crisis. Our team is part of a global practice group which constantly monitors the situation worldwide and is available to advise across all industries and practice areas.
During these extraordinary and uncertain times, please do not hesitate to reach me, any of our Directors, or your usual contact at our Firm. We want you to know that we are here for you and our team is committed to support you during this challenging period.
Should you wish to contact our COVID-19 team directly, please reach us at: covid19team@duanemorrisselvam.com
More COVID-19 Resources can be found on our LinkedIn page .
Please stay healthy and safe.
Leon Yee
Chairman
Duane Morris & Selvam LLP