Clifford Chance

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are having a significant impact on businesses globally. We look ahead and assess the challenges and opportunities on a range of strategic issues, from regulations on corporate sustainability reporting and transition planning, the evolution of sustainable finance and the role of carbon markets in funding net zero, to the increase in ESG-related litigation.

We look at five trends across AI, data, cyber, digital infrastructure and emerging tech, that are shaping 2024.

In this briefing, we detail some of the current approaches to privately placed high-yield bonds and their practical and legal basis.

The energy transition requires a massive and increased rate of investment from both the public and the private sectors. Here we explore some trends which will shape the year ahead, focusing on the innovations and legal developments that we are seeing in clean hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, green fuels, carbon pricing, digital transformation, innovative finance and incentives to mobilise capital.

Following a challenging year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), the macroeconomic climate is now stabilising, and confidence returning to boardrooms. As a result, we expect the recent growth in M&A to gain momentum into 2024, with deal-making influenced by geopolitics, new technology, and the regulatory response to it. Here are five trends to watch in 2024.

From the next phases of market development for AI, payments, cryptoassets, tokenisation and digital bonds to operational resilience challenges, we highlight the five key legal trends for global fintech in 2024.