With the prospect of a covid-19 vaccine on the horizon and renewed investment opportunities on the cards for 2021 and beyond, there may be a turn in the tide for Latin America’s oil and gas industry, predicted panellists at Latin Lawyer Interactive: Oil and Gas.
As the covid-19 pandemic pushes countries in the region to look inwards, rising nationalism in parts of Latin America is brewing a “perfect storm” that threatens to set anti-corruption efforts back decades if insufficient action is taken, warns Drago Kos, chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Working Group on Bribery.
Risk tends to be a negative pressure on deal-making, but the covid-19 pandemic has forced buyers and sellers to assimilate to new conditions to keep M&A activity flowing, according to panellists speaking at Latin Lawyer Live Interactive M&A.
M&A activity in Latin America is down as much as 50% following the onset of the covid-19 pandemic – but technological innovation and new financing conditions present opportunities for experienced buyers, according to panellists speaking at Latin Lawyer Live Interactive M&A yesterday.
Lawyers speaking at Latin Lawyer-GAR Interactive: Arbitration Summit yesterday recommended companies plan infrastructure investments carefully and with the backing of investment treaties and thorough due diligence, amid arbitrary actions by populist politicians and a slew of new laws pursued by governments in Latin America to fight the covid-19 pandemic.
Specialists from the US, Brazil, Chile and Mexico met to discuss the allure of the Chapter 11 process for Latin American’s three largest airlines, Avianca, LATAM and Aeroméxico, as well as the potential pitfalls of forum shopping.
The onslaught of emergency laws implemented in Latin America to tackle the covid-19 pandemic has reduced transparency and public procurement controls, with lawyers recommending governments and companies prepare to justify their actions in the many investigations that will follow.
Many of Latin America’s public companies remain family-owned, leaving limited trading volumes across stock markets. This makes shareholder activism a rarity, but a gradually changing landscape means it is not impossible.
Tech companies present the possibility of drastic upheaval for many industries, forcing governments and regulators to wade through unmapped terrain. M&A lawyers from the region consider the unique challenges tech pioneers can present in deal-making.
A transcript from Latin Lawyer Live Private Equity, which took place in 2019, is now available to read online.