Partners Julia Smithers Excell and Stuart Willey, and associate Laura Kitchen of global law firm White & Case take a deep dive on the latest publications from EU and UK regulators aimed at providing supervisory clarity on the nascent cryptoasset market.

There has been a growth in the number of funds targeting the APAC infrastructure market as investors seek out greater returns. Meanwhile, public-private partnerships are likely to increase if they can overcome several systemic barriers

The Energy Protocol of the Economic Community of West African States seeks to attract power-sector investment

Countries make strides by streamlining regulations across 11 key areas

The CFPB continued to be active in the consumer payments space in 2018, while the Federal Reserve and market participants considered the future of payment processing, including the development of faster payment systems.

In February 2019, the CFPB released the highly anticipated revamp of its Payday Rule, reinforcing its more lenient attitude towards payday lenders.

During his tenure, former CFPB Acting Director Mick Mulvaney brought significant changes to the Bureau’s structure and operations. As the new CFPB Director, Kathy Kraninger will have the benefit of a full five-year term to develop her vision for the Bureau’s strategy and priorities.

The relatively free cross-border flow of goods, capital, information and people that have characterized globalization for decades is being replaced by regulatory "clubs" and "fences"

Growth and investment in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) lifted the technology sector after a slowdown in transaction activity throughout 2023, but regulatory challenges loomed large

The war in Ukraine and high energy prices challenged energy transition timetables, but governments and investors were determined to stay the course

Bulgaria established a foreign direct investment screening mechanism. Foreign investors' obligation to file for investment clearance will become effective after implementing regulations are in place.

Taiwan continues to promote FDI under a two-track screening mechanism for foreign and PRC investors.

After a number of years of amendments under the OIA from 2018 to 2021, New Zealand has seen a period of stabilization of the overseas investment regime.

The Republic of Korea continues to welcome foreign investment, with the government actively seeking to ease regulations and update the regulatory framework to be in line with global standards.

Certain businesses related to "Specifically Designated Critical Commodities" have been designated "core" sectors subject to Japan's FDI regime, FEFTA.

India continues to be an attractive destination for foreign investment, ranking as the world's eighth-largest recipient of FDI in 2023.

While restricting the data transfer relating to national security, China issued guidelines to further optimize its foreign investment environment. 

Australia's stringent foreign investment regulations, overseen by the Treasurer and FIRB, safeguard national interests and security.

Now into its second year of operation, the UK's National Security and Investment Act 2021 has become a standard feature of UK transactions for both foreign and domestic investors in certain sensitive sectors.

Making Türkiye an attractive investment destination continues to be a priority for the government.

Historically, Switzerland has been very liberal regarding foreign investments. However, there has recently been increased political pressure to create a more structured legal regime for foreign investment.

In December 2023, Sweden adopted and implemented a new FDI regime, meaning that a general FDI screening mechanism now applies in relation to investments in certain Swedish businesses.

The new Foreign Investments Screening Act entered into force in Slovakia on March 1, 2023.

Russian laws regulating foreign investments have been considerably amended in 2023 to extend the scope of the laws as well as to strengthen control in this sphere.

The Romanian regime regarding foreign direct investment appears to have become more stable in 2023, but continues to surprise.

In Portugal, transactions involving acquisition of control over strategic assets by entities residing outside the EU or the EEA may be subject to FDI screening.

The Polish FDI regime – ambiguous rules, no blocking decisions and evolving market practice.

The foreign direct investment regime in Norway is subject to upcoming changes, with further changes expected to come.

The Netherlands, complementing its existing sector-specific regulations, has introduced a general investment screening mechanism to enhance the protection of its national security across a broader range of sectors.

Malta's FDI regime regulates transactions that must be notified to the authorities and, in some cases, will be subject to screening.

In 2023, Luxembourg adopted a national screening mechanism for foreign direct investments.

All investments concerning national security are under the scope of review.

The law in Latvia provides for sectoral FDI regimes for specific corporate M&A, real estate dealings and gambling companies.

Italy's Golden Power Law is now more than 10 years old and is continuously expanding its reach.