Talking CEE

In this next episode, our hosts, Cristina Reichmann (Head of Capital Markets, FIS and Structured Finance, CMS Romania) and Ihor Olekhov (Head of Finance, CMS Ukraine), are joined by Stefan Häbich (Managing Director, George Labs, Erste Bank) and Enkelejd Zotaj (CIO, Raiffeisen Bank Aval) to discuss the latest trends and developments in open banking in Central and Eastern Europe. The panel takes a closer look at some of the hot topics in this space, including:

• FinTech innovation and open banking market evolution across Central and Eastern Europe 
• The second Payment Services Directive (PSD II) and its implementation and impact on CEE markets
• The interplay between traditional lenders and FinTech companies in light of the creation of new digital banking products 
• Cultural change affecting innovation drivers and the adoption of digital banking services in the region
• Focusing on Ukraine in light of PSD II implementation and lessons learnt from other Central European markets

This episode of Talking CEE is hosted by Horea Popescu (Head of CEE Corporate/M&A) who is joined by Helen Rodwell (Managing Partner, Prague and Bratislava), Eva Talmacsi (Partner and Co-head of CEE TMT) and Slawomir Czerwinski (Partner, Corporate, Poland) to discuss recent trends in M&A and the outlook for the CEE investment scene. Our panel looks at some of the findings from our Emerging Europe M&A report launched earlier in the year, with particular emphasis on:

• The abundance of high-value and high-profile deals in e-commerce
• The increase in IPOs and dual-track processes in CEE
• Activity in Telecoms and IT, which was the busiest sector on the M&A side in 2020
• The buzz in renewables with several transactions forecast to take place in the next few months

In the next episode of Talking CEE, we look at the future of technology, media & telecommunications with a particular focus on topics related to digital transformation in Central and Eastern Europe. Co-hosted by Olga Belyakova (Co-head of CEE TMT at CMS) and Eva Talmacsi (Co-head of CEE TMT at CMS), the panel is joined by Ersida Docaj (Senior Banker, TMT, at EBRD) and Tomasz Marciniak (Managing Partner, Poland, at McKinsey & Company) who discuss the current trends and future opportunities that lay ahead of TMT in CEE. 

Our experts explore the following key topics:

• Trends and opportunities shaping the TMT landscape
• Accelerating development in the TMT ecosystem triggered by the pandemic
• Challenges affecting digital transformation in CEE
• New ways of extending digital infrastructure across sectors
• Roll-out of 5G
• Investment trends and opportunities in the tower, fiber and data centre space as well as in AI
• The rise of innovative and disruptive technologies
• Recommendations for businesses concerning digital transformation 

Rebound & Remodel: Capital investing and restructuring in CEE in the midst of the global pandemicOur next episode is hosted by Glen Flannery (partner, Restructuring & Insolvency, CMS UK) who is joined by an expert panel consisting of Ana Radnev (Head of Finance, Romania) and our guests Mary Ellen Collins (non-executive director in several companies in CEE), David Lofts (portfolio manager and Head of Trading & Origination, Cheyne Capital) and Raj Apte (Head of Restructuring for the CESA region, EY). The panel share their insights and views on restructuring and investing in CEE in the near future, taking into account the impacts of the global pandemic.In addition to valuable insights drawn from previous experiences in CEE, the panelists address the following key questions:

• What will happen next, as government support measures are inevitably wound down and withdrawn?
• When and how will businesses fix their broken balance sheets?
• How equipped is CEE to deal with this?
• How should businesses, banks and other stakeholders address the situation?
• What is key to a successful turnaround?
• What investment opportunities lie ahead in CEE?

Our next episode is hosted by Iain Batty (Partner, Head of CEE Commercial) who is joined by Olga Shenk (Counsel, CMS Ukraine) and Artur Bednarski (Senior Associate, CMS Poland) to discuss the legal issues affecting businesses during the second wave of the global pandemic and beyond, with a particular focus on contractual obligations and liability issues.

Our experts address the following key concerns:

• How has uncertainly caused by the global pandemic been affecting businesses in Central and Eastern Europe?
• What are the options for tackling disruption in supply chains?
• What happens if your suppliers are in danger of going bankrupt and what options do businesses have when they are no longer able to supply to their customers?
• Is force majeure an instrument frequently claimed by businesses in CEE in light of disrupted contractual obligations?
• And what happens next, beyond the second wave of the pandemic?

Based on a recent survey canvassing the views of our clients and contacts whose operations span 18 countries across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), our latest thought leadership explores the region’s digital ambitions, as well as the risks, opportunities and regulatory landscape around CEE’s digital future.

Our experts discuss trending topics including:

• CEE’s digital infrastructure and business ambition
• Data and ethics – what does the future hold for CEE?
• Innovation vs regulation – can AI redefine CEE’s economic future?
• Technology transforming industries in CEE – what’s next?

Katarzyna Dulewicz (Head of Employment, CEE) is joined by Nataliya Nakonechna from Kyiv, Gyorgy Balint from Budapest and Jakub Kabat from Prague, to discuss new trends and policies in employment arising from lockdown in CEE.

Our experts discuss some of the trending topics today, including:

• which sectors have been most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic;
• what trends we have seen concerning mass redundancies and retaining key staff in these uncertain times;
• how companies have been handling the new normal in their employment policies and how they have been operating during the pandemic;
• which health & safety and other employment measures should companies across CEE be aware of while implementing new HR policies to address the trends arising from lockdown. 

In our third episode, hosted by Lukas Hejduk (Head of Real Estate in CEE, CMS), our guests – Roxana Fratila (Head of Real Estate in Romania, CMS), Josef Krautman (Head of Tenant Representation Services, Cushman & Wakefield, Prague) and George Lewis (Director Capital Markets, Knight Frank, Warsaw) – discuss the changing dynamics of the office market in CEE as a result of the pandemic. 

Our guest speakers provide their insights addressing the following questions:

• Will firms require less space?
• Will there be less demand for offices?
• Will offices become riskier investment?
• Will people like working remotely for a long period of time?
• Can firms manage and train staff remotely? 

Our second episode, hosted by Zsolt Okanyi (Global Head of Dispute Resolution), who is joined by Malgorzata Surdek (Head of Dispute Resolution, CMS Poland) and Daniela Karollus-Bruner (Head of Dispute Resolution, CMS Austria) looks at the challenges that businesses have been facing in dealing with dispute resolution over the last few months, with a particular focus on contract disputes as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our experts talk about: 

• The legal and commercial areas most disputed and industry sectors likely hit by increasing number of disputes arising from the pandemic
• How the courts in Central and Eastern Europe have been handling the lockdown measures and what the outlook is for virtual and in-person hearings in the near future
• Navigating the increasing number of postponed court proceedings and delayed hearings in light of social distancing and health safety measures
• Mediation and arbitration models as alternatives to litigation in CEE
• Dispute resolution planning and management recommendations for businesses in these unprecedented times

Financial relief measures, recovery and future robustness in the wake of COVID-19.

Our host Dora Petranyi (CEE Managing Director) joins Malgorzata Urbanska (Head of Competition & Public Procurement, CMS Poland), Andrzej Posniak (Head of Tax CEE and Managing Partner, CMS Poland) and Mark Segall (Head of Finance CEE/CIS) to discuss the challenges multinational businesses operating across CEE face as they look to return to scale in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 – financial relief measures, now and moving forward.