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Kinstellar named Law Firm of the Year in Central Europe at The Lawyer European Awards ceremony
Kinstellar is pleased to announce that it has been named “2022 Law Firm of the Year: Central Europe” by the leading UK and European legal publication The Lawyer at its annual European Awards ceremony. Each year the awards celebrate excellence across the European legal market and recognise firms that have demonstrated outstanding achievements through their mandates, performance, impressive strategic growth and excellence in client service. Winners are chosen from among over 120 independent law firms headquartered in Europe and global firms across the continent. Kinstellar is also proud to have been shortlisted for the “Law Firm of the Year: South Eastern Europe” and ‘’Law Firm of the Year: Ukraine’’
Kinstellar, Gen Temizer Özer advise Unifonic on the acquisition of Sestek in Turkey
Kinstellar, Gen Temizer Özer are delighted to have advised Unifonic, a leading cloud-based customer communication and engagement solutions (CPaaS) provider in the MENA region, on the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Sestek, an R&D-focused AI-powered conversational automation company in Turkey. Unifonic’s solutions integrate customer communication channels, including text, voice, messaging and web, into a single platform that enables companies to create stronger customer relationships. With proven expertise in emerging markets since 2006, Unifonic is committed to delivering excellence handling 10+ billion annual transactions for millions of recipients in over 160 countries, backed by a local corporate
Kinstellar and Gen Temizer Özer advise Torunlar Group on the acquisition of a 50% stake in AKCEZ—a joint venture between ČEZ Group and Akkök Group in Turkey
Kinstellar and Gen Temizer Özer are delighted to have supported Başkent Doğalgaz Dağıtım Gayrimenkul Yatırım Ortaklığı A.Ş., the second-largest gas distributor in Turkey and publicly listed on the Istanbul stock exchange, and Torunlar Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., a Turkish investment holding company and the majority owner of Başkentgaz, on the acquisition of a 50% stake in AKCEZ Enerji A.Ş. (AKCEZ) from ČEZ Group, which following final closure of the deal will exit its existing joint venture with Akkök Group. The transaction is subject to, inter alia, approval by the Turkish antitrust authority and local energy regulator. AKCEZ—a joint venture of ČEZ Group and the Akkök Group—owns the
Kinstellar promotes Mert Elçin to Counsel in Istanbul
Kinstellar is delighted to announce the promotion of Mert Elçin to Counsel in our Istanbul office. Mert has more than 10 years of experience in corporate, M&A and banking and finance transactions as well as regulatory matters and has represented clients from a wide range of sectors, in particular banks, brokers, insurers, asset managers, investment funds and other market participants from the financial services industry, venture capital firms, founders, angel and private equity investors, and companies focusing on life sciences and healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications, retail and manufacturing. He is also experienced handling international arbitration. Mert joined Kinstellar in 2019 as
Setting up operations in Turkey
Today’s uncertainties at the European Union’s eastern border have left companies questioning the safety of their people and the continuity of their operations in that part of the world. Businesses in the IT and BPO sectors that had found talent and growth opportunities in countries such as Ukraine or Moldova are now rethinking their strategy and options to move operations across the border, either temporarily or permanently. Our team in Istanbul has prepared a quick overview of the most important aspects that you need to consider if you decide to move your operations to Turkey. Download in English: Download in Ukrainian:
5G auctions
As the process of 5G coverage expansion continues, we bring you a short status update on 5G auctions and 5G rollout in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions. Kazakhstan Frequency already allocated: 3.5 GHz. Announced / expected 5G auctions: Three lots each for 100 MHz around 3.5 GHz will be sold at auctions that are planned for the end of May 2022. One lot per city—Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Shymkent—will be offered. Stage of 5G auctions and auction method: The relevant law and regulations for holding auctions have been adopted. Auctions will be held in two stages. At the first stage the bidders' compliance with qualification requirements
Transposition of New Deal for Consumers (Omnibus Directive, SGD, DCD)
Nearly a year has passed since the lapse of the transposition period for the Digital Content Directive and the Sale of Goods Directive, which brought important changes to national consumer protection rules. However, many jurisdictions still have not implemented the Directives. We are closely monitoring the implementation process in our EU jurisdictions. Below is an overview of the implementation status of the Directives in the remaining EU Member States where Kinstellar operates that have not yet implemented the Directivesand a brief summary of the main changes and the expected country-specific implications for business. In addition, we bring you information from several non-EU countries that have taken inspiration from the
Cookies: New Legislation
With France and Austria deciding on data protection issues in relation to Google Analytics, many more countries have followed suit in relevant changes to so-called web browser cookies. In order to limit the amount and quality of data retrieved by providers from users, mainly without them realising the true scope of this data and the use of such data by providers, legislators are passing stricter rules on data collection. Below is an overview of new legislation adopted to combat the extensive collection and usage of user data: Bulgaria The current legislative environment provides a more relaxed opt-out model of user consent regarding the use of cookies.
Misinformation in cyberspace
Since the war in Ukraine became the main subject of newspaper headlines, the amount of related misinformation spread online has reached new heights. As a result, several governments have adopted legislation that provides tools to combat the spread of misinformation. Below is an overview of legislation used to combat misinformation in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions: Bulgaria It is worth noting that on 1 March 2022 the Bulgarian electronic media watchdog decided to suspend the distribution of TV channels “Russia Today” and “Sputnik” in line with the EU response to Russian military activity in Ukraine.
Cybersecurity in Emerging Europe and Central Asia
With the invasion of Ukraine and a substantial increase in cyberattacks on governments, critical infrastructure and other strategic targets, the topic of cybersecurity has gained even more importance. Below is an overview of the steps that national security authorities have taken to strengthen national security. Bulgaria On 24 November 2021, the Bulgarian government designated the State e-Government Agency as a national coordination centre for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2021/887. The establishment of the coordination centre is expected to contribute to achieving a high level of network and information security, thus boosting the standards and
Changes to web browser cookies
With France and Austria deciding on data protection issues in relation to Google Analytics, many more countries have followed suit in relevant changes to so-called web browser cookies. In order to limit the amount and quality of data retrieved by providers from users, mainly without them realising the true scope of this data and the use of such data by providers, legislators are passing stricter rules on data collection. Below is an overview of new legislation adopted to combat the extensive collection and usage of user data: Bulgaria The current legislative environment provides a more relaxed opt-out model of user consent regarding the
Data Privacy Concerns in the Metaverse. May the privacy be with us!
All of us have concerns regarding data privacy in the metaverse. Countless questions come to mind, such as: What is the metaverse? Can a digital personality be considered as personal data? What happens if digital data is processed? In this short article we touch on the metaverse’s main data privacy concerns. What is the metaverse? The metaverse is a virtual world that relies on multiple technologies such as virtual reality, blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc. There is no longer just one world like the real world anymore. A new virtual-world era has begun with the advent of different metaverses such as Horizon, Decentraland, Sandbox, and Upland, and it appears that their number will continue to increase.