Harneys

We are pleased to announce the promotion of two partners, eight counsel, and six senior associates across our BVI, Cayman, Cyprus, Hong Kong, London, Singapore, and Shanghai offices. In addition, we have made two leadership changes with Partner George Weston appointed BVI Head of Transactional, and Partner James Smith appointed Cayman Islands Head of Transactional. All changes are effective 1 January 2025. These promotions underscore our commitment to nurturing and rewarding talent. Our new partners: ➣ Strachan Gray (Litigation, Insolvency, and Restructuring | Hong Kong) ➣ James Petkovic (Litigation and Insolvency | BVI) Our new counsel: ➣ Christiana Achilleos (Litigation and Insolvency | Cyprus) ➣ Natalie Bundy (Investment Funds | London) ➣ Marissa Christodoulidou (Corporate | Cyprus) ➣ James Kitching (Corporate | BVI) ➣ Annie Liu (Corporate | Hong Kong) ➣ Aline Mooney (Litigation, Insolvency, and Restructuring| Cayman) ➣ Caitlin Murdock (Litigation, Insolvency, and Restructuring | Cayman) ➣ Lily Zhang (Corporate | Shanghai) Our new senior associates: ➣ Greg Coburn (he/him) (Litigation and Insolvency | Cayman) ➣ Jonathan Lim (Banking & Finance | Singapore) ➣ Kyle Lo (Litigation, Insolvency, and Restructuring | Hong Kong) ➣ Priya Mattu (Corporate | BVI) ➣ Titus Teo (Litigation, Insolvency, and Restructuring | Singapore) ➣ Robert Van Buuren (Corporate | London) All promotions are subject to the necessary regulatory approvals. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/enBZYDBn Congratulations all!

This year, we continued our firmwide photo competition, alongside our strategic alliance partner Harneys Fiduciary, in which our people submitted photos, capturing moments from their daily lives and scenes. Each month, everyone was invited to vote on their favourite photos. Along with winning a prize, the finalists' photos were compiled into a digital calendar for 2025. You can download it here: https://lnkd.in/eYhKSrEr Congratulations to Charl Brand, Otis Jacob, Marilena Papachristodoulou, Rebecca Biancardi, Iphigenia Georgiou, Kathryn Procter, Charlene Kowlessar, Katie Lilley, Warren Bank, FCIArb, Loukia Georgiou, Lakeisha Warner, and Minna Wu for your fantastic photography skills. Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos with us.

Happy New Year from all of us at Harneys! Wishing you a joyful, prosperous, and memorable year ahead.

We acted as British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands legal counsel to Dmall Inc., Xiaocaiyuan International Holding Ltd., and HealthyWay Inc. on their global offering and listing of shares on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising gross proceeds exceeding US$235 million. Our team comprised Partner Raymond Ng, Counsel Denise Chan, Senior Associate Annie Liu, and Paralegal Matt Ip. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eQXDwtzN

Is this an agreement to arbitrate? – A case concerning multiple dispute resolution clauses The judgment in the recent English case of Bugsby Property LLC and Anor v Omni Bridgeway (Fund 5) Cayman Invt. Ltd serves as a useful reminder of the test for the exercise of the discretion of the Court in appointing an arbitrator and the importance of taking care when drafting dispute resolution clauses. Read or listen to the full blog by Joyce Yuen - https://lnkd.in/ebm2BKJF We understand that everyone absorbs information differently. We are now offering you another way to consume our blog content through listening to an audio version. #offshorelitigationblog

Catch up on our recent Regulatory Blog posts: ✒️ BVI FSC and FIA release comprehensive guidance on enhanced customer due diligence - https://lnkd.in/e7aJqBsn ✒️ CSSF issues new AML/CFT FAQ on asset side due diligence obligations - https://lnkd.in/eiAfg9fB ✒️ New amendments to the BVI Business Companies Act: A closer look at the BVI Business Companies (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2024 - https://lnkd.in/exMaJx4f ✒️ BVI FSC provides update on revised beneficial ownership arrangements from January 2025 (relevant to registered agents) - https://lnkd.in/ekRtdsEY ✒️ EMIR 3.0: Introduction of safer and more attractive EU clearing services rules - https://lnkd.in/e9PMyVwa ✒️ 15th EU sanctions package on Russia published and implemented - https://lnkd.in/e9UWaeT7 Don't want to miss out on our posts? Sign up to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eshfpYCr    #RegulatoryBlog

We acted as the offshore counsel to Global Brain in connection with the establishment of Global Brain Flagship Fund IX. The primary focus is to acquire minority interests in early-stage technology Japanese startups. This initiative marks Global Brain's inaugural global fundraising exercise. Our team was led by Partner Yucheng FAN, with support from Counsel Jacquelyn Wong and Senior Paralegal Ada Xie. Allen & Gledhill LLP served as the legal adviser on matters related to Singapore and international law, while Mori Hamada & Matsumoto provided legal counsel on Japanese law. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7u_FngC

We are pleased to share photos from our Q4 2024 photo competition winners! Congratulations to Loukia Georgiou, Lakeisha Warner, and Minna Wu for their beautiful submissions, and thank you to everyone who shared their photos with us. This competition, organised in collaboration with our strategic alliance partner, Harneys Fiduciary, allows our people worldwide to showcase images that capture meaningful moments and inspirational scenes from their lives. Each month, everyone is invited to vote on their favourite photo. Winners receive a prize and have their photos featured in our upcoming 2025 digital calendar. Keep an eye out for our 2025 calendar—it’s coming soon!

We extend warm wishes for Christmas to our colleagues and clients. We hope you have a wonderful break and enjoy the festivities.

The Proceeds of Crime Act (Revised) was amended by the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act 2023 (Act 12 of 2023) and was published in the Cayman Islands Gazette No, 32 on 6 October 2023. The Amendment was due to commence on 30 April 2024 but was postponed to 2 January 2025. Under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act there are various money laundering and other criminal conduct offences. Learn more in this article from Counsel Mirza Manraj: https://lnkd.in/eMxC_VJi