Alarmism would be excessive. However, recent judgments by the Brazilian judiciary call for a hint of caution when selecting Brazil as a seat for arbitration. Recent articles published in the Brazilian legal and general press have spurred a lively debate as to potential threats to the country’s development into one of the world’s leading seats … Read more

On June 30, 2021, Ecuador’s Constitutional Court (Constitutional Court) held that President Guillermo Lasso had the power to ratify the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (ICSID Convention) without the approval of Ecuador’s National Assembly (the Decision).[1] The Constitutional Court also held that the ratification of the … Read more

Peru finally has a new President-elect.  In the evening of July 19, 2021, Peru’s electoral authority named the socialist candidate Pedro Castillo as the country’s next president. The official result was delayed by more than six weeks after the June 6 runoff vote due to fraud claims from Castillo’s right-wing opponent, Keiko Fujimori. After winning … Read more

These are exciting times for the natural gas sector in Brazil. Over the past few months, the Brazilian legal framework for the sector has been completely overhauled. Energy companies and those investing in the region should be aware of what the Brazilian government and local players call a “new gas market” and the legislative reform … Read more

During the first half of May 2021, the Mexican government passed a controversial amendment of Mexico’s Hydrocarbons Law and revoked over a hundred oil and gas marketing permits. These measures are part President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (“AMLO“)’s plan to reverse the energy reforms introduced by former President Enrique Peña Nieto in 2013, which liberalized … Read more

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a widespread tool for collaboration between a government agency and a private sector company and are used to finance large-scale public projects such as transportation networks, renewable energy and/or other infrastructure related projects. The government agency and the private-sector company come together to sponsor and build the project with shared risks … Read more

Following an unexpected electoral victory on April 11, 2021, conservative candidate Guillermo Lasso assumed office as President of Ecuador yesterday. Markets welcomed Lasso’s victory when the election results were announced in April, as sovereign bonds rose to their highest point since September 2020. Lasso’s electoral campaign focused on creating employment through foreign investment, expanding investments … Read more

On 23 January 2019, after Nicolas Maduro began his second term as Venezuela’s president, the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó proclaimed himself Venezuela’s “acting president” and swore himself as interim president of Venezuela.  Following Guaidó’s declaration, more than 50 countries, including the United States, Canada, several EU Member States, and various Latin American countries, recognized … Read more