Crystal Concise March 2021: a monthly roundup from the world of IFC comms…

Here’s a snapshot from the Crystal team of some of the highlights and points of note from around the jurisdictions and the world of IFC comms this past month…

Public sector social media use (Channel Islands): the fallout of the case of a politician in Guernsey trolling and using fake accounts and of a politician in Jersey posting contentious content has highlighted the importance of robust policy when it comes to social media use in all organisations. Meanwhile…
…in Jersey, the Chief Minister pointed to the need for greater clarity when it comes to online cyber abuse guidance.
Global Financial Centres Index (Luxembourg): rankings should always be treated with caution, but the latest GFCI was published in March, with one of the key points of note being Frankfurt overtaking Luxembourg as the top EU financial centre.
Regional perspectives on tax havens (Asia): one of Hong Kong’s most senior officials promised business this month that the territory’s status as a “tax haven” is safe. Matthew Cheung, the city’s highest-ranking bureaucrat, said: “You can rest assured that for some time Hong Kong will still remain a tax haven — very low tax in Hong Kong is assured, foreign investors don’t worry about it.” Contrast this with attitudes towards tax havens in Europe.
Court case marks significant milestone in LuxLeaks saga (Luxembourg): a court in France rejected journalist’s claims regarding confidential sources in a judgment that has implications for leaked documents.
In the world of media this month, FT title The Banker got a new editor, Joy Macknight, as it said goodbye to long-term editor Brian Caplen; in a sign of the times, PEI Media launched a new title, New Private Markets, focusing on ESG; and a new updated analysis of media ownership in the UK was published, which found that just three companies now own 90% of the UK newspaper market