Breaking news for Payment Service Providers (PSPs) operating in Belgium!

On March 23rd, 2023, the Belgian legislator adopted a draft law amending the Belgian VAT Code with regard to the introduction of certain information obligations applicable to Payment Service Providers (PSPs), transposing Directive 2020/284 into Belgian law. Under the new law, PSPs will be required to report specific information to the Belgian tax administration on […]

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens): An introduction guide

Simont Braun takes a deep dive into the technicalities and unique legal challenges that come with NFTs. This article is the introductory part of a series dedicated to NFTs and law and takes a closer look at what NFTs are, how they work and what use cases exist.  | INTRODUCTION Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital […]

The FSMA Regulation on the marketing of virtual currencies to consumers

On Friday 17 March 2023, the Financial Services and Market Authority (FSMA) regulation on the marketing of virtual currencies to consumers (as approved by Royal Decree) has been published in the Official Gazette (the Regulation). | WHAT IS IT ABOUT? The Regulation imposes new requirements regarding the marketing of virtual currencies to consumers. It will […]

Accord UPC | L’Opt-Out

ACCORD UPC : LE «PAQUET BREVET UNITAIRE» ET LA JURIDICTION UNIFIÉE DU BREVET («UNITARY PATENT PACKAGE» & UNIFIED PATENT COURT) | L’OPT-OUT Vous pouvez télécharger l’article complet ici. Dutch version of the article can be consulted here. La réforme du droit européen des brevets introduisant un brevet européen à effet unitaire s’accompagne de la création […]

Accord UPC | Compétence Matérielle

ACCORD JUB («UPC») | QUELLES COMPÉTENCES POUR LA JURIDICTION UNIFIÉE DU BREVET? Partie 1 | COMPÉTENCE MATÉRIELLE Vous pouvez télécharger l’article complet ici Dutch version of the article can be consulted here L’introduction du brevet européen à effet unitaire s’accompagne de l’institution d’une juridiction unifiée exclusivement compétente pour connaître de certaines actions relatives à ce […]

Accord UPC | Aperçu général

ACCORD UPC : LE «PAQUET BREVET UNITAIRE» ET LA JURIDICTION UNIFIÉE DU BREVET («UNITARY PATENT PACKAGE» & UNIFIED PATENT COURT) | APERÇU GÉNÉRAL Vous pouvez télécharger l’article complet ici. Dutch version of the article can be consulted here Le 19 février 2013, vingt-cinq Etats membres de l’Union européenne («l’Union») signaient une convention établissant la «Juridiction […]

EU launches its DLT Pilot Regime

In June 2022, the EU published the final version of the ‘DLT Pilot Regime’. Later this month, on March 23rd, the regime will formally be open to applications. The regulatory sandbox will act as a probing ground for a secondary market in financial instruments that are based on distributed ledger technology. Under certain conditions, the […]

We are celebrating our 20 Years!

| 20 YEARS AGO… a group of highly skilled and motivated specialists founded an independent Belgian business law firm. The start of an exciting journey built on high quality expertise and always aiming for the best, practical and comprehensive legal assistance for a wide range of domestic and international clients. A fully integrated and multidisciplinary […]

Access to the Belgian insurance distribution market for UK providers in a post-Brexit era

Anticipating and reacting to the effects of Brexit, various insurance intermediaries based in the United Kingdom looked for means to continue serving the European market after the loss of their passporting rights (i.e. their right to recognition of their UK licence as an insurance intermediary throughout the EEA). A traditional solution, chosen by many UK […]

Simont Braun boosts its mediation capabilities with Alexia Faes named certified mediator

We are delighted to announce that Alexia Faes, associate in construction law, has been named registered mediator in civil and commercial matters by the Federale Bemiddelingscommissie – Commission fédérale de mediation. More than ever, enterprises want efficient and swift solutions rather than lengthy judicial proceedings to solve their disputes. At Simont Braun, we understand this […]

The Special Commission on Construction: in case of dispute, think of mediation!

The construction sector is a permanent mediation. Contractors, suppliers, site managers, all of them have to engage in constant dialogue to find pragmatic solutions to possible conflicts. The event “Construction & Mediation into the wild”, organised by Simont Braun and the Federal Mediation Commission on 31 August at Pairi Daiza, was the perfect opportunity to […]

Payment service providers can rely on bank secrecy in case of tax audit

Can payment service providers rely on bank secrecy in case of tax audits? On 31 May 2022, the Court of appeal of Ghent ruled on the possibility for the Belgian tax authorities to request information from payment service providers (PSP) regarding financial transactions. In its decision, the Court notably confirms the following: PSP should be […]