In this edition of the Navigator, we briefly review some of the geo-political changes that impacted financial services throughout 2018, share industry conference chatter and examine old news that resurfaced in the headlines last year.

Despite the dire warnings and recent failures of notable name brand retailers, many signs point to a surge in next generation retailers that have the capability and vision to successfully navigate retail’s rapid evolution and transformation.

For those of us not satisfied with only one voluminous set of regulations per week, the IRS has heard our cries. On Wednesday, the IRS released 312 pages (including the preamble) of proposed regulations on foreign tax credits (FTCs).

Alvarez & Marsal's (A&M’s) Compensation and Benefits Practice is pleased to share the results of its 2019 Oil and Gas Oilfield Services (OFS) Incentive Compensation Report.

Brazil’s economy is slowly recovering from its deepest ever recession. Its gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 10 percent between late 2013 and the middle of 2017, hit by the fall in commodity prices and corruption scandals linked to the government that undermined the confidence of both foreign investors and Brazilians.

Corporate cartel detection and conviction rates have been growing significantly across the globe as authorities continue to develop and implement new tools and tactics. The U.K. regulator’s recent campaign shows that employing even relatively simple new approaches can be highly effective when it comes to fighting price-fixing agreements.

This edition of Tax Advisor Weekly provides a high-level overview of some of the key features of Section 163(j) Proposed Regulations.

“I believe there will be more infrastructure projects in 2019 than in 2018, particularly for social infrastructure due to the significant need for capital improvements in this asset class and the significant momentum that is building in the municipal and higher education Public Private Partnership (P3) spaces.”

SCRA protections and benefits remain high risk areas for financial services companies. Regulators continue to enforce the rights of servicemembers through informal and formal enforcement actions, civil money penalties, remediation for customer harm, credit repair of affected servicemembers, and necessary enhanced risk and control measures.

Maybe there never was a golden age when it was easy (and perhaps even fun!) to be the chief risk officer (CRO) of a bank. But if there ever was, then today’s CRO must feel that it was a long, long time ago. How did it get to be so tough? We explore.

General counsel today feel a growing pressure to conduct due diligence on every potential business partner of the company.

In a recent chapter of the Journal of Property Investment & Finance (Vol. 35 Issue 3 pp. 321- 340), A&M Senior Adviser Steven Laposa introduces several new models that examine the ability of historical macroeconomic indicators to provide early warning signals and identify turning points in real estate valuations, specifically negative office appreciation rates caused by the Great Recession.

Several Alvarez & Marsal Disputes and Investigations professionals have been recognized in the 2019 edition of Who’s Who Legal’s Arbitration guide.

Global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (“A&M”) today announces the findings of its latest analysis and predictor of shareholder activism in Europe, the “A&M Activist Alert”, or “AAA”. The study shows that Industrial companies are now predicted to be most in demand from activist investors.