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TMT Legal Update
Our TMT Legal Update provides insights from our law experts and aims to keep you regularly up to date with sector news, trends and legislation in the Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions. This issue covers key updates from our jurisdictions from the past few months. REGIONAL Implementation status of certain EU regulations Technology 01. New development regarding NIS 2 Directive implementation in various Kinstellar jurisdictions The EU's NIS2 Directive is a cybersecurity act aimed at improving overall cybersecurity in the EU. Member States must implement it by 17 October 2024. Below we provide
Tímea Bana, a leading TMT lawyer in Hungary, joins Kinstellar as Partner
Kinstellar is pleased to announce that Tímea Bana, a high-profile Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT), Data Protection (DP) and Intellectual Property (IP) lawyer, has joined the firm’s Budapest office as a Partner and Head of the local TMT service line and sector, effective 14 October 2024. This strategic move reflects Kinstellar’s commitment to enhancing and expanding its TMT team in Hungary to serve our clients seamlessly across all service lines and sectors. With over 20 years of experience at media companies and top-tier law firms, Tímea is a renowned expert in media, telecommunications and entertainment law. She brings a broad range of knowledge and experience across telecommunications regulatory
Kinstellar advises A1 on the acquisition of a significant greenfield site in Serbia
Kinstellar is pleased to announce that it has successfully advised A1 Srbija, a leading telecommunications company in Serbia, on the acquisition of a significant greenfield site in Serbia. A1 Group is a leading telecommunications provider in Central and Eastern Europe, offering advanced communication solutions and digital services to millions of users. Operating in multiple countries including Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bulgaria, A1 Group provides mobile, broadband, TV, and cloud services. Kinstellar provided full legal support throughout the process, including the legal due diligence of the location, negotiations with the seller, signing and notarization of the purchase agreement. This transaction marks another
Hugh Owen, a top M&A lawyer in Central and South Eastern Europe, joins Kinstellar as Partner
Kinstellar is very pleased to announce that Hugh Owen joins the Firm as a Partner, effective 1 October 2024. Hugh is a very well-known leading M&A lawyer in the Central and South Eastern European region with an impressive track record. He spent over 23 years at Allen & Overy, including 13 years as a partner. He then ran his own law firm and M&A training business for four years as a sole practitioner, closing over 20 deals with a combined value of over EUR 2.5 billion. For two years from July 2022 to June 2024 he served as Head of Legal Business Solutions for PwC CEE, responsible for the strategy for Legal in over 25 jurisdictions, including Eurasia, core CEE countries, the Baltics, Ukraine and South-Eastern
Kinstellar advises France’s NJJ Capital on the landmark roll-up of businesses in the telecommunications sector in Ukraine
Kinstellar is proud to have acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to NJJ Capital, the investment company of France’s leading technology entrepreneur Xavier Niel, on the acquisition and merger of Datagroup-Volia, one of Ukraine’s largest fixed telecom and pay-TV providers, and Lifecell, Ukraine’s third-largest mobile operator. This landmark transaction is a significant consolidation of and investment in the Ukrainian telecoms market, that will bring many benefits to telecoms consumers, especially during wartime circumstances. Kinstellar’s legal team provided comprehensive Ukrainian law advice to NJJ Capital throughout the transaction. Lead lawyer and office managing partner Olena Kuchynska, noted:
Kinstellar advises France’s NJJ Capital on the landmark roll-up of businesses in the telecommunications sector in Ukraine
Kinstellar is proud to have acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to French tech entrepreneur Xavier Niel’s investment company, NJJ Capital, in the acquisition and merger of Datagroup-Volia, one of Ukraine’s largest fixed telecom and pay-TV providers, and Lifecell, Ukraine’s third-largest mobile operator. This landmark transaction is a significant consolidation of and investment in the Ukrainian telecoms market, that will bring many benefits to telecoms consumers, especially during wartime circumstances. Kinstellar’s legal team provided comprehensive Ukrainian law advice to NJJ Capital throughout the transaction. We hope that this investment serves as a signal to other foreign investors to not wait to the
Kinstellar and KST Law advise Eleven Fund III Cooperatief on its investment in Magfi, Turkey
Kinstellar and KST Law are delighted to have advised Eleven Fund III Cooperatief, a multi-strategy growth fund, on its US$1.1 million in seed investment in Magfi, a SaaS platform based in Istanbul. Magfi enables seamless advertising across Telegram and Discord communities using machine learning and AI. The investment will support Magfi's planned expansion into the Brazilian market. Our team was led by Partner Edmund Emre Özer, with support from Associates Helin Akbulut and Hatice Nur Arslan.
Kinstellar announces new Senior and Managing Associate promotions in Zagreb
Kinstellar is delighted to announce a new round of promotions in our Zagreb office. Tena Pajalić, Andrej Skljarov and Franciska Fadljević have been promoted to Managing Associates, and Hrvoje Klišanić and Kristina Marinov have become Senior Associates. These skilled professionals have demonstrated their expertise and have become integral members of our team. This promotion acknowledges their professionalism, outstanding service to clients, and significant contributions to the Firm.Miroslav Plašćar, Office Co-Managing Partner Tena Pajalić advises on financing projects, particularly on acquisition finance and project finance. She is also regularly involved in corporate housekeeping matters and due
Kinstellar advised Accountor on the sale of its outsourcing business in Ukraine
Kinstellar acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to Accountor, a leading provider of mission-critical business software, on the sale of its subsidiary company in Ukraine to Aspia. Aspia is a leading business partner offering technology-enabled accounting, payroll, tax and advisory services in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Accountor specialises in financial, payroll and HR management services. The group employs about 1,700 experts and operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands and Ukraine. In July 2024, Accountor became part of Aspia Group. For the transaction details, see Accountor’s press release here. The advice provided by Kinstellar related to legal support for the sale, by Accountor
Czech Republic is preparing a new incentive scheme for the video games industry
The Czech Republic will soon join a group of European countries that offer incentives to the video games industry. The video games industry has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the Czech Republic in recent years, and enjoys an excellent reputation worldwide – despite the lack of any kind of state support. However, this will likely soon change with the adoption of an amendment to the Czech Act on Audiovision (the “Amendment”). Some of the most significant new changes introduced by the Amendment are the transformation of the current Czech Film Fund into the Czech Audiovisual Fund (the “Fund”) and the extension of the state incentive system to include the video games industry. According to the Amendment
Kinstellar announces New Office Managing Partners in Bratislava and Prague, Adam Hodoň appointed as COO
Kinstellar is delighted to announce the appointment of new managing partners for our Bratislava and Prague offices, and of a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective 1 July 2024. Viliam Myšička is the new Managing Partner of the Bratislava Office, succeeding Adam Hodoň. Adam has been appointed as the Firm’s COO. Viliam has been with Kinstellar since its inception and was previously with Linklaters. He leads the M&A service line in Slovakia and serves as the head of the firm-wide Restructuring & Insolvency service line, as well as the co-head of the firm-wide Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) sector. Viliam brings nearly 20 years of professional experience, advising clients across a wide range
Kinstellar advises ING Bank on a new EUR 150 million senior facility granted to Romanian telecommunications service provider DIGI Romania
Kinstellar, together with Linklaters LLP, has successfully advised ING Bank N.V. on a EUR 150 million senior facility agreement granted to DIGI Romania, the leading Romania-based paid television and telecommunications provider (and part of Dutch-registered Digi Communications N.V.). The term loan has a maturity of three years and will be used for the refinancing of the EUR 450 million senior guaranteed bonds issued by DIGI Romania, which are due in 2025. ING Bank N.V. acted as arranger and original lender, with ING Bank N.V. London Branch acting as facility agent. Kinstellar’s office in Romania has advised on various iterations of this transaction since 2016 and has thus been thoroughly involved in preparing