EXPERTISE
Financial Institutions

The new EU AML framework and its far-reaching implications  

June 2024 – The Council of the European Union has recently adopted a new set of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules, nearly three years after the European Commission unveiled its package of legislative proposals. The legislative package introduces significant...

Navigating the Regulatory Landscape: An Overview of Banking as a Service

June 2024 – In an era defined by digital transformation and the ever-evolving landscape of financial services, the concept of banking as a service (“BaaS”) has emerged as a key force reshaping the industry. By enabling non-bank entities to offer...

The National Bank of Ukraine significantly eases the temporary currency restrictions  

May 2024 – The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) significantly eases the temporary currency restrictions imposed under martial law and, among other things, simplifies the terms of servicing residents' external borrowings and allows a number of cross-border...

Kinstellar advises Halyk Bank on the sale of its subsidiary in Kyrgyzstan

April 2024 – Kinstellar's Kazakhstan office has successfully advised Halyk Bank, a leading financial services group, on the sale of its subsidiary in Kyrgyzstan, to a consortium of buyers within the investment group Visor International DMCC. The financial...

Kinstellar announces new promotions to Counsel

February 2024 – Kinstellar is delighted to announce the promotions to Counsel of: Yerlan Akhmetov, Kuanysh Shekerbekov (Almaty, Kazakhstan), Cătălin Dinu, Cătălin Graure (Bucharest, Romania), Barnabás Sági (Budapest, Hungary), Yulia Eismont, Maksym...

A year in review: A brief analysis of the Serbian banking sector in 2023

February 2024 – As of the close of 2022, Serbia's banking sector faced challenges amid global economic conditions. The year 2023 brought its distinct set of obstacles, with a noteworthy slowdown in global inflation compared to the last quarter of 2022....

Kinstellar advises Nova Ljubljanska Banka, d.d. (NLB) on the acquisition of Summit Leasing Slovenia

December 2023 – Kinstellar has successfully advised Slovenia's largest banking group, Nova Ljubljanska Banka, d.d. Ljubljana ("NLB"), on the acquisition of 100% shareholding in SLS Holdco, the parent company of Summit Leasing, a leading provider of...

Kinstellar advises AIK Banka on the acquisition of Eurobank Direktna in Serbia

December 2023 – Kinstellar has successfully advised AIK Banka on the competition law aspects of the EUR 280 million acquisition of 100% of Eurobank Direktna Beograd. The transaction closed in November upon receiving the necessary regulatory approvals...

Uzbekistan introduces a new legal framework to govern competition within commodity and financial markets

October 2023 – On 3 July 2023, the President of Uzbekistan signed the Law No. ЗРУ- 850 “[o]n competition” (the “New Law”), which comes into force on 4 October 2023, replacing the law on competition No. ЗРУ-319 dated 6 January 2012 (the...

Currency restrictions in Ukraine: Changes to the rules for external debt financing

June 2023 – Following the outbreak of the full-scale Russian invasion, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) implemented temporary restrictions on cross-border foreign currency transactions. These restrictions were outlined in Resolution No. 18 of the...