This paper assesses the emerging regulatory framework for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). According to this framework, mergers of SPACs, known as de-SPACs, must be “fair” to public (or unaffiliated) SPAC shareholders, and transaction participants face heightened liability risk...

For centuries, our systems of banking, money, and payments have been legally and institutionally intertwined. The fact that these three—theoretically distinct—systems have been bundled together so tightly and for so long reflects a combination of historical accident, powerful economic and...

In his critique of the legal aspects of my book Prosperity: Better Business Makes the Greater Good, Paul Davies raises five objections. These are: (a) the inclusion of social or communal elements in mandatory business purpose statements; (b) the assertion that the envisaged adoption of purpose...

In this essay, we propose a principled approach for government bailouts of critical/systemic firms who find themselves in COVID-19-induced financial distress. We also demonstrate why bankruptcy is the wrong tool to address the problems of these types of firms. The current pandemic threatens...

ESG ratings deliver the short-hand evaluation that investors need to incorporate environmental, social, and governance aspects in their decision-making. In this capacity, they give direction to the ESG movement and define its objectives. The paper argues that an ESG rating can serve two distinct...

Important capital market, regulatory and technological developments have created greater investor appetite and capacity for engagement with public companies. This development is highlighted by investors’ current efforts to engage with companies in various markets on material environmental,...

If securities regulation curbs greenwashing, institutional shareholders catering to climate-conscious beneficiaries are profit-seeking, Socially Responsible (SR) investors with a mandate to ameliorate climate change. SR investors can contribute to sustainable corporate governance making...

In this paper we argue that, as market mechanisms have worked acceptably well and there has been no investor protection crisis, ICOs and IEOs have so far failed to offer arguments in favour of a mandatory prospectus-like regime. Investors in the blockchain space know where to get information and...

Financial markets play a significant role in channeling funds from surplus spending units (fund givers) to deficit spending units (fund takers). Whether financial intermediation is carried out by banks or capital markets, market failures are ubiquitous and call for financial regulation. This...

How do the corporate laws of Global South jurisdictions differ from their Global North counterparts? Prevailing stereotypes depict the corporate laws of developing countries as either antiquated or plagued by problems of enforcement and misfit despite formal convergence. This Article offers a...