Asia-Pacific “most attractive” for oil, gas investment
A survey from
Ashurst reveals strong intentions for M&A activity in the global oil and gas industry during 2016. Respondents expect the sector’s M&A volume to increase by 50 per cent this year with 83 per cent forecasting a ‘substantial’ increase in the next 3 to 5 years.
Asia-Pacific is highlighted as the most attractive region for investment with 31 per cent of respondents expecting their next investment to be in the region compared to 22 per cent in Africa, 19 per cent in Europe and 15 per cent in the Americas. For issues of new equity, 37 per cent of Asia-Pac companies are expecting to do so in the next five years.
US law firm announces Hong Kong expansion
Pillsbury has announced that it will open its intended office in Hong Kong as part of its expansion plans in Asia-Pacific. The US firm said in March that it was applying for a licence to open the office.
The new location will focus on transportation finance and will be headed by Paul Jebely as managing partner. He will be joined by associates Luca Denora, Zara Machado and Sharon Nourani.
Freshfields appoints new global sector group heads
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed three new global sector group heads. New York partner Valerie Ford Jacob becomes co-leader of the financial institutions group; Rafique Bachour in Brussels will co-lead the general industries group; and Natasha Good in London has been made co-sector group leader of the TMT group.
Samsung hit with new IP lawsuit
Chinese tech firm Huawei has filed lawsuits in China and the US alleging that its patents for 4G technology have been infringed by Samsung. Technology patent disputes have hit the headlines frequently in recent years with the Apple v Samsung lawsuit gaining the most attention. In this latest dispute, Huawei says that it hopes an agreement can be worked out with Samsung.
