In this episode of The Deal Makers podcast, Professor Dr. Chiara Zilioli, General Council at the European Central Bank (ECB), discusses with our ILF alumnus Papuna Papuashvili, who was a senior lawyer at the National Bank of Georgia, and is now a senior analyst at Goldman Sachs, the concept and legal framework surrounding the digital euro, a proposed Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in Europe. She outlines the shift towards digitalization in payment methods, leading to the exploration of the digital euro to ensure citizens have access to central bank money in a digital era. Zilioli identifies three primary objectives behind this initiative: supporting financial innovation, ensuring central bank money supply in a digital age, and enhancing Europe’s strategic autonomy in payment infrastructure. She explains the legal tender status of the digital euro and its implications, including its nature as a direct liability of the ECB and the distinction between central bank and commercial bank money. The discussion also touches on the limits on holdings and the lack of programmability in the digital euro, ensuring its fungibility as a form of currency.

In “Revving Up for the Road: The High-seed world of IPOs”, our 5^th episode of the Deal Makers Podcast series, Dr. Sebastian Sieder, our student and Vienna based lawyer and Alexander Rang, Partner at Hengeler Mueller, focus on the how, what and why of an IPO, including a basic understanding of the process and important legal stipulations of a company going public.  They touch upon the specific tasks, which are done by a Junior Associate, the so-called SPACs, direct listings and the EU Listing Act or the Zukunftsfinanzierungsgesetz in Germany. Please have a listen from the expert who advised IONOS, the first IPO in Germany for 2023, and his experiences with advising a company going public under multiple crises challenging market conditions.

Dear Listeners, in our third episode of the Deal Makers - ILF Podcast Series, Dr. Markus Burianski (Partner and Head of White & Case's German arbitration practice, as well as Lecturer at the Institute of Law and Finance) together with Ms. Buket Bayril discuss the topic on Third-Party Funding in Arbitration. With the support of Basavan Patil, they explore the motivations behind funders, their meticulous evaluation of potential cases, and the intriguing possibility of public offerings in third-party funding. If you are fascinated by the world of arbitration and want to learn more about the nuances of this dynamic practice, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in now for valuable insights!