Amid COVID-19 Crisis, Public Companies Make the Move to Virtual Meetings

Economic tools advance US foreign policy and national security goals

Taiwan continues to promote FDI under a two-track screening mechanism for foreign and PRC investors.

New Zealand has recently seen a period of stabilization of the overseas investment regime.

The Republic of Korea continues to welcome foreign investment, offering enhanced incentive packages and easing regulations while heightening scrutiny over transactions involving strategic industrial.

The Japanese government expands business sectors subject to Japan's FDI regime to secure stable supply chains and mitigate the risk of technology leakage and diversion of commercial technologies into military use.

FDI continues to be an area of focus for the Indian government, which has announced plans to attract further foreign investment into the country.

China continues to optimize its foreign investment environment by reducing investment restrictions, opening up market access and lowering investment thresholds into listed companies.

Australia's FDI regimes underwent some modifications in 2024, designed to streamline the process of carrying out investments.

FDI in the UK is covered by the National Security and Investment Act 2021, and in 2024 the government continued to update information and guidelines concerning the legislation.

Foreign direct investment is permissible in the UAE, subject to applicable licensing and ownership conditions.

Strengthening Türkiye's position as a key investment hub remains a government priority.

Apart from limited sector-specific regulations, there is currently no general FDI regime in Switzerland. An FDI Act is expected to come into force in 2026 at the earliest.

In its second year of operation, the Swedish FDI Act has become a standard component of a large portion of all transactions involving Swedish companies.

Since 2020, certain foreign direct investments are subject to scrutiny in Spain and, since then, additional formalities have been introduced, specifically by a developing FDI regulation that entered into force on September 1, 2023.

Slovenia's updated FDI regime now extends to branch offices and introduces new challenges for foreign investors navigating critical sectors.

After two years of foreign investment regulation in Slovakia, a supportive climate for foreign investments remains.

The year 2024 was not marked by any major changes in the sphere of regulation of foreign investments in Russia, and the regulator continues to implement the course taken earlier in 2023.

While far-reaching in its scope, compared to other EU countries, the Romanian FDI regime is generally perceived as investor-friendly.

In Portugal, transactions involving acquisition of control over strategic assets by entities residing outside the EU or the EEA may be subject to FDI screening.

After revision of the Polish FDI regime in 2024, the way the authorities are assessing transactions is evolving.

Norway's foreign direct investment regime is in the process of being expanded, with more profound changes expected in the future.

The Netherlands is set to expand its investment screening regime by extending the general mechanism to more sectors and by introducing additional sector-specific regulations.

The Middle East continues to welcome foreign investment, subject to licensing approvals and ownership thresholds for certain business sectors or in certain geographical zones. 

Malta's FDI regime regulates specific transactions that must be notified to the authorities and may potentially be subject to screening.

The Luxembourg FDI screening regime is now a year old, and the first notification filings have been made.

All investments concerning national security are under the scope of review in Lithuania.

The law in Latvia provides for sectoral FDI regimes for specific corporate M&A, real estate dealings and gambling companies.

Italy's "Golden Power Law" review more than ten years old and continuously expanding its reach.

Ireland’s Screening of Third Country Transactions Act entered into force on January 6, 2025.