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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
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
Setting up operations in Turkey
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.
Kinstellar advises Earlybird Digital East on their participation in the additional USD 100 million funding of Payhawk
Kinstellar has successfully advised Earlybird Digital East, one of the top venture capital firms in Europe, on an additional USD 100 million extension to the Series B funding round for fintech start-up Payhawk, the all-in-one spend management platform. This latest round of investment increases Payhawk’s Series B round to USD 215 million. Our team has advised Earlybird Digital East since the initial seed funding of Payhawk in March 2020.Payhawk has now reached a valuation of USD 1 billion, becoming the first Bulgarian unicorn. The company will use the Series B funds to further grow its product team, double its efforts to build best-in-class enterprise features, and expand its sales and marketing team for new market penetration
Update of current eHealth trends in CEE and Turkey
As previously reported, eHealth (including telemedicine) has been one of the fastest growing areas within the healthcare sector over the last two years. Governments as well as healthcare sector operators across Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey continue to implement new solutions with a view to improving the provision of healthcare services and to enhance the digitalization of healthcare systems. Private healthcare providers and the various newly created eHealth providers and start-ups are crucial in pushing development in this highly dynamic area. Innovative solutions include online consultations and health examinations, the possibility of remote patient health data monitoring as well as electronic drug prescriptions.
Kinstellar advises Turkish “Unicorn” Dream Games on its USD 255 million Series C investment round
Kinstellar has successfully advised the Turkish “casual games” developer Dream Games in raising USD 255 million of new financing in a Series C investment round that values the business at USD 2.75 billion. The funding round was led by Index Ventures with Makers Fund, IVP, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Kora and Balderton Capital also participating. The successful C-round funding comes after we have previously advised the client on its series A and B rounds in February and July 2021. Dream Games is an Istanbul-based mobile gaming company that develops high-quality mobile games, with its debut game, Royal Match, being one of the most played mobile games globally of 2021. The company will use the funding
Renowned Capital Markets expert Müfit Arapoglu joins Gen Temizer Özer, Kinstellar’s office in Istanbul, as Partner
Kinstellar is pleased to announce that Müfit Arapoğlu has joined the Istanbul office as a Partner and Head of the local Capital Markets practice. Müfit Arapoğlu is a widely recognised capital markets and corporate lawyer in Turkey. He advises issuers and underwriters and both local and international companies in equity and debt capital market transactions, including equity public offerings, debt instruments offerings, private placements and sales to qualified investors, voluntary mandatory tender offers, sukuk issuances and structured debt issuances. In addition, Müfit has represented a large number of Turkish and international clients in various M&A transactions, particularly on the sale and purchase