Overview of the event: 

Speakers: Alexander Dmitrenko, Partner, Tokyo, Ashurst

                   Tom Cummins, Partner, London,

Date:          Tuesday, December 6^th, 2022

Time:         15:00 – 16:00 (JST) 

Venue:       MS Teams (The link will be distributed after the registration is closed)

Summary:

Sanctions and Trade Wars remain at the top of the geo-political and regulatory agenda.  2022 has been a hectic year in this regard with the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, the escalation of tensions between the US and China, instability in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Belarus.  Adding to the complexities of compliance, the UK imposed a range of sanctions under its own post-Brexit sanctions regime distinct from EU sanctions.  Sanctions enforcement already affects global companies and will likely continue to focus on the Asia-Pacific region due to the geographic proximity to many sanctions’ hot spots, potential conflict of laws between the US and China, and perceived – rightly or wrongly – low levels of sanctions compliance.  Financial institutions will certainly remain key to both sanctions’ compliance and enforcement in 2023.  Our specialists in this area will discuss how 2022 evolved and the outlook for 2023, covering key jurisdictions including US sanction trends and priorities for 2023.US sanctions: trends and priorities for 2023

1. UK sanctions: the evolving regime and enforcements

Speakers:

Alexander Dmitrenko, Partner, Tokyo, Ashurst

Alexander is a partner in the dispute resolution practice.  Through his practice in both New York and Tokyo over the last 15 years, Alexander has gained unique expertise in sanctions and export controls, anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, human rights and forced labour and other compliance-related matters.  In recent years, Alexander advised numerous financial institutions and other companies on measures related to US-China regulatory tensions around sanctions and export controls.  A significant part of his practice is involved in corporate transactions and projects through conducting due diligence and advising on risk mitigation and compliance system enhancements.

Alexander has received extensive client praise for his caring and careful approach to compliance mandates as well as first-hand understanding of business models and cultures in Japan and across Asia, particularly related to sensitive internal investigations and cross-border transactions.

Alexander frequently writes and conducts media interviews related to sanctions developments.  He teaches International Compliance at Temple University Law School Japan, where he is also the Chair of the Compliance Advisory Committee.

Tom Cummins, Partner, London, Ashurst

Tom is a partner in the dispute resolution practice and is based in London. He has advised clients in a range of industries, with an emphasis on the energy, resources, and infrastructure sectors.

Tom regularly advises international corporations on sanctions compliance and related issues. His work has involved advising on the preparation of sanctions compliance policies and accompanying staff training products; on whether transactions are permitted under sanctions legislation and the consequences of sanctions breaches; on contractual drafting to take account of sanctions risk, both in commercial contracts and loan agreements; and on dispute resolution matters arising from the imposition of sanctions.