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Full-Text Articles in Law
The New Law On Foreign Interference: What's Next For Businesses?, Tan K. B. Eugene, Benjamin Joshua Ong
The New Law On Foreign Interference: What's Next For Businesses?, Tan K. B. Eugene, Benjamin Joshua Ong
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
The Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill (Fica) was passed in Parliament on Monday after about 10 hours of impassioned debate. Despite the government agreeing to several amendments proposed by the Workers' Party, the substance was not changed in any significant way. Although the government provided more details on how Fica is to operate, more details will be unveiled when it comes into operation. What does all this mean for businesses?
The New Law On Foreign Interference – What’S Next For Businesses, Tan K. B. Eugene, Benjamin Joshua Ong
The New Law On Foreign Interference – What’S Next For Businesses, Tan K. B. Eugene, Benjamin Joshua Ong
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
In a joint commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan and SMU Assistant Professor of Law Benjamin Joshua Ong discussed what the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill (Fica) means for businesses. They opined that businesses could have disclosure policies for themselves and their stakeholders, akin to conflict of interest disclosures. They also noted that more can be done to clarify the limits to government powers under Fica, and pointed out that conversations about foreign interference must go beyond Fica.
The Taxation Of Cryptocurrency Gains, Vincent Ooi
The Taxation Of Cryptocurrency Gains, Vincent Ooi
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
Taking Singapore as an example, this article lays out a series of tests for determining whether gains arising from the disposal of cryptocurrencies are trade or business income, “all other income” or capital gains. It also considers the possibility of a presumption that individuals engaging in such transactions are gambling.
The Value Of Insolvency Law In The Covid‐19 Crisis, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez
The Value Of Insolvency Law In The Covid‐19 Crisis, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
The COVID-19 pandemic not only has generated a social, humanitarian and public health crisis but it has also led to the worst recession the world’s economy has experienced since the Great Depression.283 As a response to the economic challenges generated by the COVID-19 crisis, many countries are responding with a variety of legal and economic measures that seek to support businesses, employees, and households
Shareholders’ Rights And Corporate Meetings Post Covid‐19, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen
Shareholders’ Rights And Corporate Meetings Post Covid‐19, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
This short paper reflects on corporate governance and shareholders’ rights during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown has affected the way companies’ organs operate. It is unfortunate that the pandemic took place around the critical time of year when most companies hold annual shareholders’ meetings (or general meetings). How, then, can shareholders exercise their rights? How can the board of directors and senior management function during the lockdown period? Technology naturally provides a solution, similar to online teaching and working from home. However, do virtual and remote meetings serve the purpose of having those meetings? Even when we get …
Stock Buybacks: Some Old Norm Should Remain New, Wei Zhang
Stock Buybacks: Some Old Norm Should Remain New, Wei Zhang
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
Corporate payouts, especially through stock buybacks, are never short of critics. COVID-19 has simply energized them further. From the energy industry to airlines and banks, US public companies are blamed for ensnaring themselves into the abysmal crisis in the midst of COVID-19 by handing out cashes extravagantly to buy back stocks years before. However, as astutely pointed out by Professors Jesse Fried and Charles Wang, the critics did not get the facts right even before COVID-19. After taking into consideration the amount of newly raised capital through equity or debt issuances, the cumulative net payouts by US public companies between …
Covid‐19 And The Spotlight On Stakeholderism, Pearlie Koh
Covid‐19 And The Spotlight On Stakeholderism, Pearlie Koh
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
The global disrupter that is COVID-19 has profoundly impacted human life on earth. Lives and livelihoods have been lost. But even for those amongst us fortunate enough to escape such calamity, significant adjustments have had to be made to the ways in which we live, play and work. As the United Nations noted, “[t]his is much more than a health crisis. It is a human, economic and social crisis. The coronavirus disease … is attacking societies at their core”.
Singapore's Legal And Economic Response To The Covid-19 Crisis: The Role Of Insolvency Law And Corporate Workouts, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez, Samuel Loh
Singapore's Legal And Economic Response To The Covid-19 Crisis: The Role Of Insolvency Law And Corporate Workouts, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez, Samuel Loh
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
The international spread of the coronavirus has forced many countries to put their economies into ‘hibernation’, leading to one of the worst recessions observed in modern times. Since Singapore is not isolated from this crisis, the Government had to intervene by adopting a very ambitious package of legal and financial measures to support businesses, households and employees. Among these measures, the Government has implemented various temporary changes to the insolvency legislation, and the use of out-of-court agreements has been encouraged for debtors facing financial trouble. This article argues that, while insolvency law can play an important role in the current …
A One-Size-Fits-All Approach To Corporate Governance Codes And Compliance By Smaller Listed Firms: An Examination Of Companies Listed In Hong Kong And Singapore, Christopher C. H. Chen
A One-Size-Fits-All Approach To Corporate Governance Codes And Compliance By Smaller Listed Firms: An Examination Of Companies Listed In Hong Kong And Singapore, Christopher C. H. Chen
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
This article examines the impact of a one-size-fits-all corporate governance code on smaller listed firms, which should have fewer resources to hire more qualified independent directors for their boards and board committees. After examining data from a sample of companies listed in Hong Kong and Singapore, we find some limited support for these resources-based arguments. While smaller firms do not necessarily have a lower proportion of board members who are independent directors, some evidence suggests that smaller firms do pay less to independent directors and that these directors have to serve on multiple board committees. Although many larger firms also …
Enforcing Town Councils’ Duties Of Financial Prudence: Problems Addressed By The Town Councils (Amendment) Act 2017, Benjamin Joshua Ong
Enforcing Town Councils’ Duties Of Financial Prudence: Problems Addressed By The Town Councils (Amendment) Act 2017, Benjamin Joshua Ong
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
This article discusses the means by which a TownCouncil’s statutory duties, particularly its duties of financial prudence, maybe enforced. It studies the law as it was prior to 2017 and reveals variousconceptual and practical problems, the result of which was that it was possiblefor a Town Council to fail to perform its statutory duties and face onlyminimal consequences. This article willprovide a background to some of the new statutory procedures introduced in the2017 amendments to the Town Councils Act, which solve the problems from whichthe previous law suffered. It is hoped that this will shed light on the historyof the …
Modernising Company Law: The Singapore Experience, Pey Woan Lee, Christopher C. H. Chen
Modernising Company Law: The Singapore Experience, Pey Woan Lee, Christopher C. H. Chen
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
In October 2014, the Singapore Parliament passed the Companies (Amendment) Act 2014 (Singapore). Encompassing the most comprehensive revision of corporate legislation in the history of Singapore, this Act has been implemented in two phases. This article will consider the impetus for as well as the salient themes that guided this wide-ranging review in the period 2014-2016.
A Reconsideration Of The Shareholder's Remedy For Oppression In Singapore, Pearlie Koh
A Reconsideration Of The Shareholder's Remedy For Oppression In Singapore, Pearlie Koh
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
The statutory remedy for oppression plays an important role in minority shareholder protection in Singapore. Both the scope of its application and the court's jurisdiction to make remedial orders must necessarily be wide in order for the remedy to be effective. Nevertheless, the remedy is not without limits. Indeed, it is crucial that the boundaries of the remedy be made clear so that legitimate rule of the majority is not too often, and erroneously, equated with tyranny by the majority. This paper considers a number of issues as to the scope of the oppression remedy in Singapore through a careful …
Agency And Partnership Law [2010], Pearlie Koh, Stephen Bull
Agency And Partnership Law [2010], Pearlie Koh, Stephen Bull
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
No abstract provided.
The Statutory Derivative Action In Singapore: A Critical And Comparative Examination, Pearlie Koh
The Statutory Derivative Action In Singapore: A Critical And Comparative Examination, Pearlie Koh
Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law
As a mechanism for shareholder control of corporate wrongs and thus as a tool of corporate governance, the statutory derivative action has had much international attention given to it, particularly in the last 10 years. Singapore introduced its statutory derivative action in 1993 and since then, there have been two reported cases in which the action was invoked. In this paper, I consider the Singapore derivative action as contained in sections 216A and 216B of the Singapore Companies Act. The approach taken is a comparative one as I also look at the statutory derivative actions in Australia and other common …