Work Area: Foreign investment control

New UK business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg is expected to adopt a more hawkish approach in overseeing a foreign investment control regime that has already blocked two deals in eight months, according to local practitioners.

08 September 2022

J Philip Ludvigson, a former senior official at the US Department of Treasury office that chairs the country’s foreign investment review body, has joined King & Spalding as a partner in Washington, DC.

02 September 2022

A Swiss company that invests in renewable energy and environmental protection technologies has abandoned its planned purchase of a US-based eco-friendly oil producer after failing to secure foreign investment control approval.

30 August 2022

The UK government has blocked the acquisition of a British electronic design company by a Hong Kong-based business over national security concerns, marking the second time in less than a month it has prohibited a merger under its new foreign investment regime.

18 August 2022

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reviewed a record number of notifiable transactions in 2021 and more than twice as many deals involving Chinese buyers compared to 2020, the committee’s annual report has shown.

09 August 2022

Ireland has introduced a bill that will allow the country’s minister for enterprise, trade and employment to screen and potentially block foreign investments that cause public order and security concerns.

05 August 2022

A UK politician has raised concerns that the country’s business secretary has a conflict of interest in leading the national security review of satellite services provider OneWeb’s merger with French rival Eutelsat, since he also oversees the government’s stake in the former.

02 August 2022

Canada has implemented a voluntary notification mechanism under the national security provisions of its foreign investment control law, which obliges the government to decide whether it will take action on deals within 45 days of a filing.

02 August 2022

The Australian government has doubled the filing fees for foreign investors acquiring domestic assets, including for deals subject to national security reviews.

26 July 2022

China has warned the UK that using its foreign investment regime in a discriminatory manner will damage the country’s investment environment following the government’s decision to block a Chinese company’s purchase of technology from the University of Manchester.

25 July 2022