The year 2022 will not be remembered fondly in the cryptocurrency market. The progressive decline in the value of coins, the problems of the FTX exchange and the collapse of trust are all raising questions about the future of crypto. Can regulating the crypto-asset market be a panacea for the market’s ills?

Disagreements between shareholders can be a healthy thing, leading to creative solutions through the reaching of compromises. Differences can involve issues as diverse as how a company should be managed and controlled, and the direction and strategy it is taking. However, if differences become entrenched, the result can be potential deadlock and the loss of the ability to make important decisions, which can be severely damaging to a company and its shareholders.

Ten Partners at Kochanski & Partners have been elevated to Equity Partner status in 2022. These are: Pawel Cholewinski, Aleksandra Ryzkowska, Jacek Kozikowski, Andrzej Palys, Wojciech Wrochna, Agata Dziwisz-Moshe, Anna Gwiazda, Michal Konig, Pawel Mardas, and Mateusz Ostrowski.

As a new business trend, ESG is of growing interest to an increasing number of markets. More and more businesses are publishing ESG strategies and with good reason. According to PwC’s 2021 U.S. survey, 83% of consumers indicated a preference for companies to implement ESG best practices, and 86% of employees prefer to work for companies that care about ESG values.

Pro Bono Lawyer Parasto Yari, who has been with Kochanski & Partners since early 2022, will be taking on a new role leading the firm’s efforts to support diversity, inclusivity, gender equality, and refugee assistance.

History shows that the last bastion of freedom of speech, which guarantees these values, is the free press. But it’s no secret that since 2015, key constitutional values have been in crisis. Over the past three years, there have been repeated legal actions by state institutions, state-owned companies, businessmen and other lobbying organizations aimed at stifling the work of journalists, publishers and NGOs.

Kochanski & Partners, the authors of the first metaverse report in Poland, published a follow-up tax themed report on 27 October. “Taxation of Cryptocurrencies and NFTs, and Challenges in the Metaverse” is a comprehensive overview of the tax consequences of events and transactions involving cryptocurrencies and NFTs. The publication was coupled with presentation of the report and an expert debate featuring the participation of representatives of business, new technology market practitioners who deal on a daily basis with crypto, NFTs and the Metaverse, and lawyers specialising in digital economics and taxes.

Kochanski & Partners has advised Savills on its acquisition of Knight Frank’s commercial property and asset management team. KPMG reportedly advised the seller.

Kochanski & Partners has advised Polish gas transmission pipeline operator Gaz-System on the construction and related agreements for the Baltic Pipe project with Danish operator Energinet.

Kochanski & Partners has advised Klima Energy on leading a PLN 70 million investment round into SunRoof. Gessel advised SunRoof.

Uncertainty and fluctuations in the energy market are raising concerns about whether it will be possible to keep warm in the autumn and coming winter.

Legislative overview.

Disruptions to supply chains due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, staff shortages, increasing inflation, rising fuel prices, wage pressure from workers, the war in Ukraine – these are just some of the challenges faced by economic operators. All of them significantly affect the profitability of existing public contracts.

Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU, commonly referred to as the work-life balance directive, is due to be implemented into the Labour Code by the Polish government.

Arrangements and consultations on the draft act amending the VAT Act and certain other acts, i.e. the so called SLIM VAT 3 (draft No. UC128), were scheduled to complete by 26 August.

On 8 August, the latest draft amendment to the Commercial Companies Code was published. The bill implements Directive (EU) 2019/2121 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 amending Directive (EU) 2017/1132 as regards cross-border conversions, mergers and divisions.

Only a few years ago, Europe faced a major upheaval to the international economy with Brexit, i.e. the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. This event, like the war in Ukraine or the COVID-19 pandemic, has had significant consequences for the global economy, affecting the quality of our daily lives.

Pawel Cholewinski has been appointed as the Partner in charge of Kochanski & Partners’ Transactional Practices group.