Covid-19 coronavirus: key regulatory and enforcement risks

As companies grapple with this new reality and position themselves to survive the crisis, and then thrive once the crisis ends, Allen & Overy has been actively monitoring the risks companies face from a regulatory and enforcement perspective.  While companies must rightly focus on their pressing short-term needs and commercial issues, a key lesson from the 2008 financial crisis should not be forgotten: the economic turmoil sparked a years-long wave of regulatory and enforcement action targeting crisis-era conduct. 

With that lesson in mind, this note contains guidance across a range of regulatory and enforcement risks that companies across different industries are grappling with during the Covid-19 crisis, including securities, commodities and related derivatives, antitrust, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, sanctions, foreign investment, and political law.

We identify key risks and suggest mitigation strategies.  More in-depth analyses on specific issues and industries can be found below, and will be updated.

Securities

• Covid-19: U.S. Regulatory Enforcement and Civil Litigation Over ESG Disclosures Update

Antitrust

• Covid-19: Global Merger Review Update
• Covid-19: Global Application of Antitrust Rules
• Covid-19 and the EU State aid response