EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE ON INSIDER DEALING

Market Abuse Directive defines insider dealing objectively
The European Court of Justice, in its decision dated 23 December 2009 (Case C‑45/08; Spector Photo Group NV and Chris Van Raemdonck versus Commissie voor het Bank-, Financie- en Assurantiewezen (CBFA)), has clarified the elements of insider dealing following a request from the Court of Appeal of Brussels.
The European [...]

THE CUSTODY OF SECURITIES IN THE NETHERLANDS CARIBBEAN

Separate legal entity
Generally, securities that must be held by a Netherlands Antilles bank on behalf of its clients will be held by a custodian. In most cases the custodian is either a foundation (‘stichting’) or a wholly owned subsidiary (NV or BV) of the bank.
The scope of the activities of the custodian will be limited [...]

RESTARTING SECURITIZATION MARKETS IS CRITICAL

IMF: securitization can positively contribute to financial stability and sustainable economic growth
Although recent public opinion has focused on what went wrong with securitization, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it is important to recognize the many benefits associated with sound securitization. Mobilizing illiquid assets and transferring credit risk away from the banking system to [...]

STRUCTURING TRANSACTIONS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

Example: Parallel debt structures under Dutch Caribbean law
In a parallel debt structure, a company (the borrower) acknowledges a debt to an appointed agent by promising to pay the agent an amount equal to the sum of the borrower’s obligations under the (syndicated) loan agreement with the lenders. Thus an independent, parallel debt is created between [...]

THE OFFERING OF NOTES IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Only to licensed credit institutions
Any Notes (including rights representing an interest in a Note in global form) that are offered as part of their initial distribution or by way of a re-offering in the Netherlands Antilles, shall, in order to comply with the Netherlands Antilles National Ordinance on the supervision of banking and credit institutions [...]

THE STRUCTURE OF A DUTCH CARIBBEAN FUND

It is easy and inexpensive to set up a SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle)
From a legal point of view, establishing a fund in Curaçao is very attractive under the corporate law in force since March 1, 2004, whereby a private limited liability company (besloten vennootschap) can be established very quickly and flexibly. Virtually everything is possible [...]

DUTCH GOVERNMENT INJECTS $13 BILLION IN ING GROUP

Restoring confidence is key
Recently, the Dutch government acquired all shares in the capital of the Dutch subsidiary of Fortis, i.e. Fortis Bank Nederland, including ABN AMRO Bank.
Furthermore, the Dutch government has set aside $27.5 billion of capital to protect the financial institutions of the Netherlands. Although there are many banks that have enough capital to [...]

IN THE SHADOWS OF DEBT

Who is to blame for the current crisis?
Massive borrowing, hedge funds, credit default swaps (CDSs), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and other instruments seem to be part of the current trillion dollar problem. What was known about these instruments and the risks attached to them in the recent past? There was actually quite a lot known right from the start.
A must [...]

DUTCH CARIBBEAN REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Central Bank monitors compliance
The regulatory rules and regulations in the Netherlands Antilles deal with credit institutions, investment institutions and administrators, insurers and insurance brokers, company pension funds, trust service providers, capital markets, anti-money laundering and identification, and foreign exchange control and license fees.
The Netherlands Antilles have one regulator: the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles [...]

CURACAO RECEIVES TOP RANKING IN HEDGE FUND ADMINISTRATION SURVEY

Curacao is again ranked #1
According to the 2008 Global Custodian Hedge Fund Administration Survey, Curacao (Dutch Caribbean) is the # 1 location for hedge fund administration services. Curacao outperformed Singapore, Dublin, Toronto, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Amsterdam and the Cayman Islands, to name just a few.
Curacao is known for its excellent legal and tax infrastructure, high quality [...]