The new package of legislation overhauling Australias foreign investment laws the first major revision in 40 years commenced on 1 December 2015 While many features of the previous regime have been retained and sometimes re-named there are also a number of significant changes Partners Jeremy Low ...

In a recent case a leasing company lost 23 million worth of leased equipment because it had registered the lease against the lessee companys ABN rather than its ACN - involving just two extra digits The equipment vested in the lessee company when it went into voluntary administration The court ...

Earlier today Treasury released exposure draft regulations for Innovative Superannuation Income Streams They set out income stream standards that will be relevant for products such as deferred annuities and group self-annuitised products The Allens Superannuation team reports ...

Exposure draft life insurance regulations were released yesterday They are a marked departure from the existing conflicted remuneration provisions Now a benefit can only be conflicted remuneration if it could reasonably be expected to influence financial product advice These regulations will create ...

The Australian Government has identified value capture and innovative financing as key elements of its Smart Cities Plan The move will have significant implications for traditional project finance By Paul Kenny Sector Leader Government and Phillip Cornwell Project Finance Consultant at Allens ...

At first glance the recent Productivity Commission Draft Report on How to Assess the Competitiveness and Efficiency of the Superannuation System August 2016 could be dismissed as nothing more than a procedural step along the road to the ultimate goal as recommended by the FSI of developing an ...

Fund financing facilities have continued to flourish in Australia providing sponsors general partners and trustees with additional funding flexibility and liquidity Allens Partner Tom Highnam Managing Associate Rita Pang and Associate Victoria Johns provide an overview of the funds sector current ...

Allens has adopted e-signature using DocuSign as a service to clients. Senior Finance Counsel Diccon Loxton has written an article in two parts that examines the efficacy of e-signatures. ...

Treasurer Scott Morrison this week announced that he has tasked the Productivity Commission to review the state of competition in Australias financial system The Budget has also included other measures focused on competition in the financial sector including funding to establish a dedicated ACCC ...

The Federal Courts decision about the proposed TabcorpTatts merger has provided significant clarification about the public benefit test for authorisations This is timely in light of the legislation before the Senate that proposes to combine the Tribunal authorisation process with the formal ACCC ...