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Kinstellar bolsters its competition & compliance practice in Belgrade with new hires
Kinstellar, Emerging Europe and Central Asia’s leading independent law firm, is delighted to announce the appointment of Olga Šipka as a Special Counsel in the Belgrade office and the head of the local Competition and Compliance service line. Olga Šipka is a highly regarded and experienced lawyer in the Serbian and regional (ex-Yugoslavia) markets. Olga’s core practices include competition and antitrust, regulatory and compliance. She boasts significant, broad-based experience advising and representing leading Serbian and international companies on numerous competition, corporate, data protection, regulatory and M&A projects covering Serbia and the Western Balkans. Her experience extends across a wide range of
The problem with Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)
If a German tourist withdraws cash from an ATM in Prague, the ATM screen may display a choice whether the tourist’s euro account should be charged in the currency of their account (i.e., euro), or in the local currency – Czech koruna. If the tourist chooses the latter, they opt for the so-called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) service. DCC is a service enabling instant currency conversions for card-based transactions. DCC was introduced in 1996 to allow cardholders to pay in their home currency when making payments in foreign currencies. This can be either an ATM withdrawal or a card payment at a point-of-sale (POS) terminal in a foreign country. By using the DCC service, the amount of the transaction in the local
Žurić i Partneri (ŽiP) Kinstellar advises Angelina Yachtcharter Holding on the acquisition of 85% of the shares of Ultra Sailing
Our team in Croatia has advised Angelina Yachtcharter on the acquisition of 85% of the shares of Ultra Sailing. Angelina Yachtcharter, founded in 1995, is the leading nautical charter management company in Croatia, operating a fleet of more than 230 boats berthed in six marinas across the Adriatic coast. With the purchase of Ultra Sailing, an authorised dealer of Beneteau and Fountaine Pajot vessels in Croatia and with a charter fleet of more than 50 boats, Angelina Yachtcharter becomes the largest nautical charter provider in Croatia and strengthens its position as the leading nautical charter operator in the Croatian market. The Kinstellar team in Zagreb was led by Andrijana Kaštelan (Managing Associate)
Žurić i Partneri (ŽiP) Kinstellar advises Robin Powered on the acquisition of Flow and Form
Our team in Croatia has advised Robin Powered on the acquisition of Flow and Form, one of Central Europe’s 50 fastest-growing technology companies, known for delivering high-quality, cutting-edge solutions to the real estate technology industry. Over the course of just a few years, Flow and Form has created more than USD 1 billion of new market value and became one of the world leaders in developing innovative solutions for the workspace and real estate software industry. The purchase of Flow and Form gives Robin Powered a new international footprint, a team focused on innovation with proven experience building digital platforms to bridge the gap between in-person and virtual work, and a platform to further grow Robin’s
183 days of war in Ukraine: Tax considerations for refugees and their employers
The war in Ukraine has now passed the 183-day mark. This unfortunate milestone is a reminder to employers with a dispersed workforce of Ukrainian refugees to take a look at the status of these employees. Under many tax treaties mirrored after the OECD Model Treaty, the 183-day period implicates a significant threshold: individuals temporarily present in the treaty-party country (the Host Country) may be taxed by that country on income for personal services performed there if the individual resides in the Host Country for over 183 days in a given tax year. This is called the 183-Day Rule. Few European countries have issued guidance on how they intend to apply the 183-Day Rule to Ukrainian refugees. Although one
Kinstellar advises e-gaming company 52 Entertainment on the acquisition of Casualino (Zariba Group)
Kinstellar has successfully advised 52 Entertainment, a worldwide leader in bridge online (BBO, Funbridge) and e-sailing (Virtual Regatta), on its expansion into strategy and mind games by the acquisition of Casualino (also known as Zariba Group), the largest independent gaming studio in Bulgaria. The purchase of Causalino, a prolific creator of live games and highly popular brands, will help 52 Entertainment to continue its contribution to shaping the future of mobile and web gaming. The HLD-backed 52 Entertainment is scaling its operations to create new genre-defining top-grossing games for millions of new players. Kinstellar’s team was led by Antonia Mavrova (Partner) and Atanas Mihaylov (Counsel) and
Kinstellar advises Genesis Capital and Integral Venture Partners on the acquisition of BORCAD
Kinstellar has successfully advised Genesis Private Equity Fund IV (GPEF IV), the newest private equity fund of Genesis Capital, and Evolving Europe Principal Investments I (EEPI I), a private equity and growth capital fund advised by Integral Venture Partners, on its acquisition of BORCAD, an innovative producer of train seats and interior equipment for passenger trains based in Fryčovice, Czech Republic. BORCAD is a leading European producer of railway technologies and offers a full range of seats for personal carriages, from standard seats for regional trains to luxury, fully electrically operated seats for long-distance trains. In its more than 30-year history, the company has produced nearly 500,000 seats for
Kinstellar comments on the advantages and disadvantages of the law on the protection of real estate investors in Ukraine
On 15 August 2022, the Ukrainian parliament adopted draft law No. 5091 "On guaranteeing property rights to real estate objects to be constructed in the future" which should protect investors in Ukraine's primary real estate market. At the invitation of 100realty.ua, Oleksandr Misiats, Junior Associate in our Kyiv office, sheds some light on the advantages and disadvantages of the law to residential investors. The article published in Ukrainian on 100realty.ua portal is available on this link.
Ukraine: The Post-Victory Reconstruction
Historically, Ukraine has been known as a country with a good investment climate, particularly in the energy sector. The country’s high feed-in tariff rates, general digitalization, well-established and simplified regulatory procedures, and the availability of alternative suppliers for works and services, among other factors, have contributed to a large influx of investors in new green energy projects in Ukraine. The large-scale and aggressive war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which first began in 2014 and further escalated in 2022, has led to an increasing number of human losses and widespread material destruction. Power plants and power lines, airports, ports, schools, hospitals, roads, residential
Žurić i Partneri (ŽiP) Kinstellar advises on the incorporation of employer associations in Croatia
Žurić i Partneri (ŽiP) Kinstellar has advised two separate groups of companies on the incorporation of two employer associations in Croatia: the Association of Trade and Logistics, and the Association of the Processing Industry and Technology. Both associations were founded with the aim of creating stronger conditions to respond to the challenges of the upcoming period and to contribute to the growth of the competitiveness of both industries through joint action and constructive dialogue with the stakeholders of the relevant institutions, business associations and interest groups. The Association of Trade and Logistics (UTIL) – The Association has 30 founding member companies with together more than 17,000
Kinstellar strengthens its Corporate M&A and Real Estate practices in Bucharest with new senior hires
Kinstellar proudly announces that two experienced senior lawyers have joined the growing team in Bucharest: Mihai Stan, Corporate M&A, and Diana Cochileț, Real Estate & Construction. The new hires, following the recent additions to our employment team, show our commitment to service our clients in areas with strong growth. Mihai Stan focuses on corporate M&A. In his almost nine years of practice, he has been involved in a wide range of matters from mergers, acquisitions, sales of operations and exits, to corporate governance, compliance and company formation issues, having worked for clients active across diverse sectors, including financial institutions, industrial, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.
Czech Republic approves ban and restrictions on selected plastics
The Czech Republic has adopted legislation on reducing the environmental impact of selected plastic products (along with another act amending existing regulations). The respective acts introduce several types of measures – in particular a complete ban on certain single-use plastic items and restrictions on the production of other plastic products; or granting financial support to municipalities. The acts implement the EU’s Directive on single-use plastics – albeit more than one year late. The new laws enter into force on 1 October 2022; but the various obligations become effective as of 1 January 2023, or 1 January 2024, or 1 July 2024, respectively – or, in some cases, even later, such as in 2030. Please