Regulatory

01Apr2020

COVID-19 and the Competition Ordinance

In light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, the Competition Commission (“Commission”) issued a press release on 27 March 2020 on the application of the Competition Ordinance (Cap 619) (“Ordinance”) in terms of the supply of critical goods and services in Hong Kong. The Commission recognises…Read More

26Jan2020

Change is coming: An update on proposed changes to the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance

2023-03-07 UPDATE: Please see our overview of potential changes at: https://www.tannerdewitt.com/potential-changes-pdpo/ Two major data breach incidents in 2018 involving Cathay Pacific and TransUnion are now driving long overdue legislative change to personal data privacy protection in Hong Kong. On 20 January 2020, the Constitutional and…Read More

11Nov2019

Legal update: SFC clarifies obligations on licensed corporations using cloud-based storage for keeping records with “external electronic data storage providers”

Under section 130 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap 571) (SFO), a licensed corporation shall not, without the Securities and Futures Commission’s (SFC) prior written approval, use any premises for keeping records or documents relating to the carrying on of the regulated activity for…Read More

18Sep2019

Legal update: TCSP licensees – assessing risk and keeping records

Since 1 March 2018 any person who intends to carry on a trust or company service business in Hong Kong (i.e. a trust and company service provider (“TCSP”)) is required under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (“AMLO”) to apply for a licence from…Read More

17Sep2019

Asialaw 2020 rankings announced

Tanner De Witt is delighted to announce Asialaw’s 2020 rankings of domestic law firms which can be found here. Each firm ranking is divided into the following categories: Outstanding; Highly recommended; Recommended; and Notable. Besides the ranking for our private client practice (which is new…Read More

24Apr2019

Tanner De Witt hosts two-part Tech Talk series on Security Token Offerings

A select group of industry insiders gathered at the Tanner De Witt office over two Wednesdays (10 and 17 April) to attend our two-part TDW Tech Talk event series “A toolkit for conducting a Security Token Offering”. The first part of the event series saw…Read More

29Jan2019

The New Profit Tax Exemption Regime for Funds in Hong Kong

Introduction The Inland Revenue (Profits Tax Exemption for Funds) (Amendment) Bill 2018 (“Bill”) which introduces a new set of preferential profit tax treatment for both eligible onshore funds and offshore funds, was published in the Government Gazette on 7 December 2018. The Bill, if made…Read More

17Dec2018

Legal update: SFC and CSRC signs Memorandum to Enhance Cooperation and Exchange of Information

The Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) has announced on 3 December 2018 that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (“MoU”) with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”), regarding the cooperation and exchange of information in connection with the supervision and oversight of regulated…Read More

12Dec2018

SFC reprimands and fines SFM HK Management Limited HK$1.5 million over illegal short selling

Case Background The Securities and Futures Commission announced on 6 December 2018 that it has reprimanded and fined SFM HK Management Limited (“SFM”) for HK$1.5 million for its naked short selling, contrary to section 170 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (“SFO”). SFM is licensed…Read More

08Nov2018

A summary of the new SFC regulatory framework for virtual assets

Executive summary Here are the five points you need to know about the changes announced on 01 November 2018 by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to the regulatory framework for virtual assets: The SFC will supervise and regulate firms that distribute in Hong Kong…Read More

10Oct2018

Legal update: When do judges refer matters to prosecuting authorities and regulatory bodies for consideration of criminal behaviour or regulatory misconduct?

Introduction When judges learn of a possible crime or professional misconduct during the trial of a matter, they sometimes refer the factual issues to the Secretary for Justice (“SJ”) and/or regulatory bodies for further investigation. In most cases judges do not specify whether they are…Read More

28Sep2018

Asialaw 2019 rankings announced

Tanner De Witt is delighted to announce Asialaw’s 2019 rankings of domestic law firms which can be found here. Each firm ranking is divided into the following categories: Outstanding; Highly recommended; Recommended; and Notable. All of our firm rankings, as in previous years, are ‘Highly recommended’…Read More