Kinstellar has advised Banque Federative du Credit Mutuel on the acquisition of BNP Paribas’s Hungarian subsidiary Magyar Cetelem Bank. Wolf Theiss advised BNP Paribas.

Former Clifford Chance Counsel Aneta Disman has joined Wikov as its Chief Legal Officer in the Czech Republic.

White & Case has advised CEZ Group on the issuance of EUR 700 million 4.125% sustainability-linked notes due 2031 and EUR 750 million 4.250% sustainability-linked notes due 2032 under its EUR 8 billion EMTN program. Dentons reportedly advised the underwriters.

White & Case has advised BNP Paribas and J.P. Morgan as the joint global coordinators, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs Bank Europe, and J.P. Morgan as the joint lead managers and joint bookrunners, and J&T Banka as the co-manager of Moneta Money Bank's issuance of EUR 300 million fixed-to-floating rate senior preferred notes due 2030. A&O Shearman Sterling advised Moneta.

Glatzova & Co has advised on the merger of Shopsys, Reservio, Smartsupp, and Survio into the new Abugo group.

Finreg Partners advised Fondee founders and majority shareholders Jan Hlavsa and Eva Hlavsova on the sale of the company to Direct Group. Erudit Law Firm reportedly advised Direct Group.

White & Case has advised PPF Group on an in-depth merger investigation under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation.

Weinhold Legal has appointed former Associate Jakub Nedoma to the position of Associate Partner.

Nedelka Kubac Advokati has successfully represented Beko before the Office for the Protection of Competition regarding a fine imposed for an alleged obstruction during a dawn raid.

In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court (case no. 27 Cdo 3499/2023) decided that the delivery of a legal act by email to a statutory body of a company is effective from the moment the email reaches the recipient's inbox, even if the recipient has not opened the email or was on vacation at the time.

Glatzova & Co has advised Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka on its investment into Ownest.

In The Corner Office, we ask Managing Partners at law firms across Central and Eastern Europe about their backgrounds, strategies, and responsibilities. With industry-specific software emerging left and right, the legal industry was not left behind. To explore some of the trends in this regard, we asked: What are some of the specific legal tech platforms you use?

In the Inside Track, General Counsels across CEE share the nuances of their roles, challenges, and strategies for success. As summer is a time to unwind, we asked: With summer here, what is your one favorite yearly activity to disconnect and switch off?

Digitization is affecting many sectors and healthcare is no exception. It is a key tool for speeding up and streamlining processes that can significantly improve the quality and availability of medical care. In the Czech Republic, the overall level of digitization in healthcare is still low.

White & Case has advised joint lead managers Commerzbank, Danske Bank, DZ BANK, Erste Group Bank, Raiffeisen Bank International, and UniCredit Bank on the issuance of EUR 500 million 2.875% mortgage-covered bonds due 2029 under the EUR 10 billion mortgage-covered bond program of UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Dentons has advised the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic on an addendum to the existing production sharing agreement with BP, MOL, INPEX, Equinor, ExxonMobil, TPAO, ITOCHU, and ONGC Videsh for the development of the non-associated natural gas reservoirs in the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli field.

At the beginning of the week, Apple introduced its latest iPhone 16, which entices customers with the integration of artificial intelligence called "Apple Intelligence."

It can be interesting to examine how other countries address anti-competitive agreements. The European trend is certainly moving towards penalising a broader range of cartel behaviour using new tools, rather than relying primarily on leniency applications (self-reporting) as in the past.