Hogan Lovells (JD Supra Singapore)

Six years ago, the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) came fully into force – a lifetime in technology terms. That period has seen the development of blockchain technology and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), and the creation, curation, and consumption of personal data has grown at a staggering rate, with 90 percent of all data in the world being generated in the last two years...

The government agency responsible for employment matters in Singapore, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), has from an early stage taken a proactive and realistic approach to employment matters in Singapore as a result of COVID-19. The MOM has recognized that the introduction of cost-cutting measures directly impacting employees' salaries will be necessary for many companies, notwithstanding that...

* Updated following Prime Minister Lee's speech on 21 April 2020 at 5pm SGT. Circuit breaker: Partial lockdown of Singapore - Implications for individuals - On 3 April 2020 as the COVID-19 situation worsened in Singapore, the government announced the closure of all workplace premises and retail outlets except for those deemed essential to support the daily living needs of the population...

Overview of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market in Singapore - Singapore was one of the first countries outside of China to encounter the virus. Whilst deal activity was down on the prior year, M&A transactions were still happening with sectors such as e-commerce and renewable energy appearing attractive. The impact on M&A activity for the second quarter of 2020 isn't clear at present but...

The Singaporean response to the COVID-19 outbreak has been comprehensive and coordinated. The 18 February 2020 "Unity Budget" introduced a raft of measures designed to help protect jobs and businesses from the economic fallout of the outbreak. As it became clear that the situation was by no means a quick-fix, on 26 March 2020 a second stimulus package dubbed the "Resilience Budget" was announced,

As part of the budget announced on 18 February 2020 by Deputy Prime Minister, and Finance Minister Mr. Heng Swee Keat (the "2020 Budget," also referred to as the "Unity Budget"), the Singapore government introduced a raft of measures designed to help protect jobs and businesses from the economic fallout of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Please see full Publication below for more...

Employers batten down the hatches There is no doubt the world has changed – for certain businesses, even previously reliable revenue has severely declined, and for the first time employers are examining their otherwise stable workforce with an apprehensive eye on surviving the coming months. Across the world, employment norms are shifting, and this is equally true in Singapore. Please see...

COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Bill to offer respite for businesses and individuals struggling to fulfil contractual obligations or facing bankruptcy/insolvency as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

After a long lead-up, the Singapore Prime Minister's Office has now confirmed that the Payment Services Act 2019 (the Act) (other than sections 111, 113, and 114) will imminently come into force on 28 January 2020 (the commencement date). Please see full Publication below for more information.

In 2019, Singapore was ranked no. 2 for “Best Country in the World to do business” by the World Bank. Singapore is seen as a gateway to the Asian markets, where spending by 3.2 billion middle-class consumers could hit US$55 trillion by 2030. Attuned to the similarities and differences between Western and Asian consumers, as well as the diversity within Asia, Singapore has been the choice of many...

As the issues surrounding data protection become increasingly complex, in recent years the advisory guidelines (Guidelines) issued by the Personal Data Protection Commission of Singapore (PDPC) have been invaluable in guiding corporations on the scope and implementation of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA). Whilst the Guidelines are not legally binding, they are issued pursuant to...

In our October (and seventh) issue of #SEAView, Adrian Emch looks at competition law in SEA. Adrian describes a competition framework which is new and full of nuance. His message is pervasive: international norms are arriving or settling into the area, but have local peculiarities which corporates must be attentive to. Please see full Publication below for more information.

Five years on from the enactment of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) (enacted on 2 July 2014), and what has Singapore learned about data privacy? Please see full Publication below for more information.

On 26 February 2019 the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced the expansion of its Green Bond Grant Scheme to include social and sustainability bonds, and renamed the framework the Sustainability Bond Grant Scheme.

The draft ‘Rules on the Efficient Conduct of Proceedings of International Arbitration’ (the “Prague Rules“), which were released on 1 September 2018, makes for sombre reading for users of arbitration.

Often referred to as “a city within a garden”, Singapore has a proud tradition of forging ahead with “green” policies. Launched by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in June 2017, the Green Bond Grant Scheme (the Scheme) continues this tradition, aiming to nurture the growth of the green bond market and place Singapore at the forefront of this growing asset class. Please see full...

Energy storage is picking up pace as renewables did a decade ago. It is perhaps the crucial missing piece of the puzzle to bring about greater penetration of renewable energy and accelerate the smooth global transition to clean energy.

In what has been a long-standing dispute comprising several applications before the courts of Singapore and Hong Kong, the Singapore High Court has rejected an application to refuse enforcement of an arbitral award for US$200 million in damages.

The Singapore High Court has refused an application to set aside an award on the basis that there had been a breach of natural justice. The central issue in the application was whether the imposition of an “attorney eyes only” order by the arbitral tribunal... Originally published on Practical Law.

The Singapore High Court has refused an application to challenge the enforcement of a Danish Institute of Arbitration award, and dismissed an alternate argument for the adjournment of the enforcement proceedings. Originally published on Practical Law.

As a supplement to the recent thought leadership article by the Hogan Lovells Singapore Corporate Team on 'Venture Capital and Private Equity in Asia-Pacific in 2018', Stephanie Keen (Singapore Managing Partner) and Michael O’Halloran (Associate, Singapore) have prepared a brief follow-up to this article reporting on the latest key development affecting South-East Asia’s dynamic tech sector.

On 19 March 2018, Singapore's Parliament ushered in a raft of criminal justice reforms, including the significant introduction of a deferred prosecution agreement ("DPA") regime.

On 5 March 2018, the Ministry of Manpower ("MOM") announced sweeping changes to the Employment Act (Cap. 91) (the "EA"). Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say stated that "as professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) make up 56% of the workforce – going up to 65% by around 2030 – it is timely to make a fundamental change to the coverage of the Employment Act". Please see full Publication below...

Background - This note serves as an update to two earlier notes dated August 2015 and January 2017 on the landmark Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail (the “HSR”). The HSR - In 2013, Singapore and Malaysia formally announced plans to develop the HSR. At around 350km, the HSR will connect Jurong East in Singapore with Bandar Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) in Malaysia with six stops along...

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) launched its new Asian Bond Grant Scheme (the Scheme) on 9 January 2017 with the stated aims of strengthening the Asian bond market and encouraging Asian issuers to raise international capital in Singapore.

2016 was a year of unexpected change and uncertainty across the globe. Although the Singapore M&A market generally reacted to this with caution, private equity investment saw a slight improvement following a strong year in 2015. In this post we consider whether the market can capitalise on this gradual upward trend in 2017 in the current climate of political and economic unease.