Asia: Corporate/Commercial Law

On 21 July 2026, the Advisory Group on Corporate Governance (Advisory Group) released the draft 5th edition of the ASX Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations (5th edition). This article outlines the key changes from the 4th edition (currently in force and released in February 2019).

This article examines the need for statutory reservation of seats for women in Bar Councils in India. It analyses the current under-representation of women in legal governance structures, the constitutional and policy justifications for affirmative action, and the potential benefits of greater gender diversity for the legal profession and the justice delivery system.

The Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (Act No. 35 of 2020) came into force on 21st November, 2025, consolidating three foundational labour statutes. The Code represents a significant structural...

The Gujarat High Court has ruled that corporate guarantees furnished by holding companies to subsidiaries constitute taxable supplies under GST, even without consideration...

生物安全及人类遗传资源管理是医药企业开展研发、临床试验、生物制品生产及跨境科研合作时需要关注的重要合规领域。本文结合医药企业的主

Thailand’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is seeking public comments on a draft amendment that would establish a specific licensing framework for the distribution of electricity to data centers. The public consultation runs from September 19 to October 18, 2026.

Building a successful startup requires more than just a great product and passionate founders. From founder agreements and intellectual property protection to investor readiness and employment compliance, understanding the legal framework that supports your business can mean the difference between smooth scaling and costly disputes. This comprehensive guide walks through five critical legal questions every founder should address before their next major business milestone.

Venture capital investment involves far more than assessing a startup’s product, revenue potential or market opportunity. Before committing capital, investors examine whether the business has a legally sound structure capable of supporting investment, governance, ownership and future growth. Company structure forms an important part of this assessment because it determines how ownership is recorded, how decisions are made, how investors receive equity and how legal obligations are managed.

The Bangalore bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (‘ITAT’) has held that ESOP expenditure cross-charged by a foreign holding company to its Indian subsidiary is allowable as a deduction under section 37(1) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 ('Act'). The Tribunal reiterated that ESOP discount constitutes employee compensation and gives rise to an ascertained liability during the vesting period and that the possibility of future forfeiture, non-exercise of options, or issuance of a valuation report after the financial year-end does not render the liability contingent or hypothetical.

Pursuant to the consultation paper discussed in our March 2026 edition of Inter Alia (the writeup can be accessed here), SEBI on June 16, 2026, issued a Circular formalising the framework for winding up of AIFs and surrender of registrations.

The SC in Pila Pahan v. State of Jharkhand [1], inter alia, held that the judgments reserved before a High Court (‘HC’) must ordinarily be pronounced within three months from the date of the reserving such judgment.

The RBI, by way of a Circular dated June 5, 2026, has amended the regulatory framework governing investments by Foreign Portfolio Investors (‘FPIs’) in Government securities. With a view of providing greater ease of investment, the RBI has decided to withdraw the requirements for FPIs to comply with the short-term investment limit, security-wise limit, and concentration limit for their investments in Government securities under the General Route