Bibliographie sélective OHADA

Depuis quelque temps, nous recevons constamment des actualités et des commentaires sur les « Non-fungible Tokens » (jetons non fongibles), la croissance exponentielle du marché des « crypto-arts » , l’utilisation de ces NFT dans les secteurs de la musique, de l’audiovisuel, de l’édition et de la mode et, bien sûr, leur projection non seulement dans les réseaux sociaux, mais aussi dans le métavers. L’avalanche d’informations, que ces nouveaux « actifs » ont générée, a suscité des opinions mitigées, allant du scepticisme total à l’enthousiasme le plus radical. Cet article vise à aborder cette question d’un point de vue concret et clair, en analysant le contexte actuel, en mettant en évidence les défis juridiques et économiques posés par l’utilisation des NFT et en discutant des questions clés pour comprendre ce que sont ces nouveaux actifs virtuels, à quoi ils servent, comment nous pouvons les utiliser, leurs risques et les opportunités qu’ils offrent. Recently, we have been receiving constant news and comments about NFTs (non-fungible tokens), the exponential growth of the “crypto-arts” market, the use of these NFTs in the music, audiovisual, publishing and fashion sectors… and, of course, their projection not only in social networks but also in the metaverse. The avalanche of information that these new ‘assets’ have generated has provoked mixed opinions, ranging from total scepticism to the most radical enthusiasm. This article aims to approach this issue from a realistic and clear perspective, analysing the current context, highlighting the legal and economic challenges posed by the use of NFTs and discussing the key questions for understanding what NFTs are, what they are used for, how we can use them, their risks and the opportunities they offer.

Compliance with the GDPR while using blockchain technology for data processing results in compliance issues, due to the fact that the blockchain and the GDPR employ different methods to ensure privacy-by-design and privacy-by-default. The blockchain is built on disintermediation and relative decentralization, whereas the GDPR aims for re-intermediation and relative centralization of the data protection process. This paper provides an overview of and suggestions on how to secure compliance with the GDPR while processing data using the blockchain. A focus is placed on the data protection impact assessment on the blockchain network, issues in identifying and determining the role(s) of sole and joint data controllers and data processors, obstacles to exercising the right to rectification and right to be forgotten when the data is recorded on the blockchain, GDPR data transfer requirements as applied to the blockchain, and the protection of privacy in the process of creating blockchain-based smart contracts.

There is a growing concern over the qualifications and social interactions of investment treaty arbitrators. The characteristics of this class of international adjudicators have significantly evolved over the past few decades. The contemporary arbitration panelist interacts within a broad and complex network of arbitration participants. Their patterns of social behavior both within the community of panelists and within the broader network of actors in arbitration proceedings have fundamentally reshaped the composition, dynamics and culture of the arbitration community. These new forms of relationships and patterns of conduct are new in the context of public international law. These have created unprecedented challenges to the investment treaty arbitration system. New manifestations of attributes and social behavior of panelists demonstrate inadequacies of the existing standards, rules and procedures that govern panelists. This study surveys problematic patterns of social behavior of investment treaty adjudicators and shows how certain instances of social behavior inevitably or potentially jeopardize the very foundations of the system. This research empirically examines the voting behavior of two distinct groups of party-appointed panelists, and the results reveal a relationship between appointments and the decision-making attitude of adjudicators. It further methodically maps the pool of ICSID panelists and answers the question ‘who are ICSID panelists?’ It reviews the evolution of the attributes of ICSID adjudicators, assesses the composition of the ICSID pool, and evaluates the social interactions of this group of investment treaty adjudicators. To address the challenges that investment treaty arbitration faces, a radical and multidimensional shift is occurring in the system. This transformation is directed towards greater control over the qualifications and conduct of adjudicators. These developments reconstruct the composition of the pool of adjudicators and influence how they interact with other actors in investment treaty arbitration proceedings. The ongoing reform progress indicates that the attributes and behavior of future investment treaty adjudicators would likely be different from the characteristics and conduct of the contemporary generation of panelists.

Secoué par le vent de la démocratie et de la libéralisation économique qui a soufflé sur le continent africain au cours des années 90, l’État du Cameroun s’était davantage préoccupé d’encadrer les échanges commerciaux. La problématique de la protection du consommateur était secondaire. Il a fallu attendre les années 2010 pour que soient enfin adoptés une loi relative à la protection du consommateur et d’autres textes qui ont transformé le visage du droit camerounais de la consommation. La présente étude met en lumière, dans une approche comparée, les avancées réalisées dans la protection des droits aussi bien substantiels que processuels des consommateurs. Elle souligne également l’apport des institutions et des mouvements consuméristes à la défense, encore émergente, des intérêts non matériels des populations et leur influence sur cette dernière.

Klasik anlamdaki şirketten çıkarma düzenlemeleri, "haklı sebep" temeline dayanmaktadır. Bu düzenlemelerin en tipik özelliği, düzenlemiş oldukları çıkarma hakkı ile şirketin feshi kurumu arasında bir bağlantıya yer vermiş olmalarıdır. Bu bağlantı, haklı sebebe dayalı çıkarma düzenlemelerinin hizmet ettiği birincil amacı da ortaya koymaktadır: Şirketin devamlılığını sağlamak suretiyle ortaklar arasındaki menfaatler dengesi korumak. Türk hukukuna 6102 sayılı Türk Ticaret Kanunu ve 6362 sayılı Sermaye Piyasası Kanunu ile kazandırılan "squeeze-out" müessesesi ise daha farklı bir kuramsal temele dayanmaktadır. Bu müessese ile, şirkette genellikle %90-95 arasında nitelikli bir pay ve/veya oy oranına ulaşmış olan hâkim pay sahibine, azınlığın paylarını herhangi bir sebep göstermeden iktisap edip, onu şirketten çıkarma hakkı tanınmıştır. Böylece çıkarmanın ekseni, "haklı sebep" olgusundan "hâkimiyet" olgusuna kaymıştır. Kanun koyucuların bu şekilde bir çıkarma hakkını öngörmelerindeki temel sebep ise kurumsal nitelikte bazı amaçları gerçekleştirmek isteyen hâkim konumdaki pay sahiplerine bir imkân sunmaktır. Tezimizde, klasik anlamdaki çıkarma müesseselerinin dayanmış olduğu kuramsal temelden ayrılan "squeeze-out" kurumunun kuramsal temeli, düzenlemenin hangi amaçlarla öngörüldüğü meseleleri ele alınmakta; bu bağlamda, kurumun karşılaştırmalı hukuktaki ne şekilde düzenlendiği, kurumun ortaya çıkardığı sorunlar ve bu sorunların çözümüne yönelik önerilere yer verilmektedir. The classic rules designed for exclusion of a partner has a simple theoretical basis: A/an justified/objective reason (or in other words "good cause"). The most typical feature of these rules is they build a bridge between the exclusion right and the dissolution of the company. This bridge also shows the the primary purpose served by these rules which is to maintain the balance of interests among the partners by ensuring the continuity of the company. In comparison with the classical rules, the "squeeze-out" rules which have been introduced into Turkish law with the Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 and the Capital Markets Law No. 6362, have a different theoretical basis. The controlling shareholder who has reached a qualified percentage of capital and/or voting rights (usually %90-95), has been granted the right to acquire the minority's shares without asserting any justified reason and exclude him from the company. Thus the idea behind the exclusion has been changed from "good cause" to the "dominance/control". The main reason for designing such an exclusion right is to provide an opportunity to the controlling shareholders trying to achieve institutional objectives in the company. In our thesis, the theoretical basis of the "squeeze-out" rules and the reasons for designing such a new exclusion right will be examined within the framework of other squeeze-out rules in comparative law. Within this context, the most common problems in squeeze-outs and suggestions for solving these problems are analyzed.

Tez çalışmasının amacı, kripto varlıkların ödeme aracı olarak kullanımını dış ticaretin bileşenleri kapsamında değerlendirmek ve kripto varlıkların yurtdışı ödemelerde ve bireysel yatırımlarda kullanılmaları bağlamında, bireylerin tutumlarını etkileyen faktörleri incelemektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda öncelikli olarak, kripto varlıkların para işlev ve özelliklerine ne ölçüde uyum sağladıkları hususunda tespitlerde bulunulmuştur. Ulusal paralara eşdeğer kılınan stabil fiyatlı kripto varlıkların geleneksel ve modern para işlevlerine uyumlu oldukları yönünde görüş bildirilmiştir. Para özellikleri açısından ele alındığında da "kabul edilebilirlik" ve "sıradanlık" dışındaki para özelliklerine, tüm kripto varlıkların uyum sağladıkları değerlendirilmiştir. Ayrıca kripto varlık birimleri parasal niteliklerine göre tasnif edilerek, değişken fiyatlı, stabil fiyatlı ve finansal ürünlere bağlanan kripto varlıklar olmak üzere, üç kategoriden oluşan bir sınıflandırma geliştirilmiştir. Para işlev ve özellikleri kapsamındaki tespitlerin ardından, önceden belirlenen dış ticaret bileşenlerinin özelinde kripto varlıkların mevcut ve muhtemel kullanım alanları incelenmiştir. Belirlenmiş olan dış ticaret bileşenleri, uluslararası para birimleri, uluslararası bankacılık, uluslararası lojistik, dış ticaret hukuku ve gümrük işlemleridir. Dış ticaret bileşenlerine yönelik değerlendirmelerde kripto varlıkların ödeme aracı olarak kullanımları esas alınmıştır ve değerlendirme sürecinde çalışma kapsamında oluşturulmuş olan kripto varlık sınıflandırmasının kategorileri için de görüşler oluşturulmuştur. Çalışma kapsamında kripto varlıklara yönelik bireysel tutumları irdelemek amacıyla ampirik bir araştırma gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında UTAUT-2 modelini temel alan bir araştırma modeli oluşturulmuş ve yurtdışı ödemelerde kullanım niyeti ile yatırımda bulunma niyeti olmak üzere, iki farklı bağımlı yapıyı etkileyen unsurlar irdelenmiştir. Yol katsayısı değerine (β) göre yurtdışı ödemelerde kullanım niyetini anlamlı ölçüde etkileyen yapıların önem sırasına göre, "performans beklentisi", "sosyal etki" ve "algılanan risk" adlı boyutlar olduğu bulgusuna ulaşılmıştır. Yatırımda bulunma niyetini anlamlı düzeyde etkileyen bileşenler ise sırasıyla; "performans beklentisi", "sosyal etki", "farkındalık" ve "algılanan risktir". Araştırma kapsamında bağımlı ve bağımsız yapılar arasındaki etkileşimi incelemek amacıyla etki büyüklüğü (f²) ve tahmin gücü (q²) değerleri de hesaplanmıştır. Yol katsayısı değerlerine göre modelin bağımlı yapılarını anlamlı düzeyde ve negatif yönde etkileyen "algılanan risk" boyutunun, f² değeri açısından anlamlı bir katkısının olmadığı görülmüştür. Ayrıca yol katsayılarına göre "performans beklentisi" bağımlı yapılar üzerinde en çok etkiye sahipken, etki büyüklüğüne göre en önemli yapı "sosyal etkidir". Bağımsız yapıların tahmin gücü (q²) değerleri de etki büyüklüğü (f²) değerleri ile paralel sonuçlar ortaya koymuştur. Ortaya koyulan ampirik araştırmanın sonucunda, örneklemin yurtdışı ödemelerde ve yatırım kararlarında kripto varlıkları kullanma eğilimleri açısından en önemli etmenlerin "performans beklentisi" ve "sosyal etki" olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. The aim of the thesis study is to evaluate the use of crypto assets as a payment instrument within the scope of the components of foreign trade and to examine the factors affecting the attitudes of individuals in the context of the use of crypto assets in foreign payments and individual investments. For this purpose, first, it was evaluated that to what extent crypto assets are compatible with money functions and features. It was stated that stable priced crypto assets, which are equivalent to national currencies, are compatible with traditional and modern money functions. When considered in terms of money features, it was evaluated that all crypto assets are compatible with money features other than "acceptability" and "ordinariness". In addition, crypto assets were classified according to their monetary characteristics, and a classification was developed consisting of three categories: variable priced, stable priced and crypto assets linked to financial products. After the evaluations within the scope of money functions and features, the current and possible usage areas of crypto assets were examined specifically for the previously determined foreign trade components. The determined foreign trade components are international currencies, international banking, international logistics, foreign trade law and customs procedures. Evaluations for foreign trade components were based on the use of crypto assets as a payment instrument and arguments were formed for the categories of the crypto asset classification created within the scope of the study during the evaluation process. Within the scope of the study, an empirical research was carried out to examine individual attitudes towards crypto assets. A research model based on the UTAUT-2 model was formed and the factors affecting two different dependent structures, namely "intention to use in foreign payments" and "intention to invest", were examined. According to the value of the path coefficient (β), it was found that the structures that significantly affect the intention to use in foreign payments are the dimensions called "performance expectancy", "social impact" and "perceived risk", in order of importance. The components that significantly affect the intention to invest are "performance expectancy", "social impact", "awareness", and "perceived risk", respectively. Effect size (f²) and predictive relevance (q²) values were also calculated to examine the interaction between dependent and independent structures within the scope of the research. It was seen that the "perceived risk" dimension, which affects the dependent structures of the model significantly and negatively according to the path coefficient values, does not have a significant contribution in terms of f² value. In addition, according to the path coefficients, "performance expectancy" has the largest impact on the dependent structures, while the most important structure according to the effect size is "social impact". The predictive relevance (q²) values of the independent structures also showed similar results with the effect size (f²) values. As a result of the empirical research, it was concluded that the most significant factors in terms of the tendency of the participants to use crypto assets in foreign payments and investment decisions are "performance expectancy " and "social impact".

South Africa is currently undergoing harsh economic times, and as such, many companies are feeling the brunt of the situation. As a result, these companies begin to trade at a loss and are left without any other option but to liquidate their affairs in order to pay off creditors. However, with the development brought by the Companies Act 71 of 2008 (“the Act”), business rescue was introduced. Business rescue is an alternative to liquidation and it allows the company to undergo rehabilitation and continue trading if certain requirements are met. Chapter 6 of the Act aims to assist businesses in providing some sort of relief in the form of business rescue to provide them with the breathing space that they require to try and become a viable business again. Just like any new formulated concept, it is susceptible to abuse. Many companies that are already under liquidation are suspending their liquidation in favour of business rescue, despite, in some instances, the liquidation order having already been granted against the company. The Covid-19 pandemic has made the question of whether a business can suspend liquidation proceedings in favour of business rescue more prevalent as the pandemic has caused a detrimental financial impact on a number of businesses. Now more than ever businesses find themselves struggling to keep afloat, and as a result many of them have to consider the avenues of liquidation or business rescue. This dissertation aims to look at both liquidation and business rescue proceedings and decipher whether the courts were correct in their decision regarding when business rescue proceedings can be instituted during liquidation proceedings. The importance of taking into account the above is due to the fact that many companies in present day are experiencing financial difficulties, and liquidation or business rescue proceedings are the options that they are left with. However, one has to carefully consider both options, taking into account the company’s financial circumstances. This is of importance, as one needs to establish if there is a reasonable prospect of rescuing the company or not. If there were, then business rescue would indeed be the route to be taken, but if not, then liquidation proceedings would be. However, many companies that have no prospect of being rescued, and that have already opted for liquidation may want to institute business rescue proceedings to delay the inevitable and frustrate creditors, thus leading to the abuse of the newly formulated concept, which has to be curbed.

This research deals with the legal responsibility of states to provide climate finance to developing countries in order to facilitate climate mitigation and adaptation. The research demonstrates that the area of climate finance has not escaped globalization, where global actors operating at a level beyond the state (the UNFCCC and several Climate Funds) have increasingly taken over some of the climate finance functions previously performed by states. Against this backdrop, the thesis also examines the role of international bodies in providing climate finance, assesses to what extent these bodies are accountable to affected local stakeholders, and puts forward recommendations to foster increased accountability. The research project employs Global Administrative Law (GAL) as a normative framework for assessing and fostering accountability. This thesis is relevant, first and foremost, as an examination of the extent to which global climate finance is adequate for addressing climate change impacts in developing countries. To this end, it engages in a detailed analysis of the international legal framework for climate change and of the relevant financial instruments. It also engages in a normative evaluation of these instruments using the standards proposed by GAL. In keeping with this, the research gives substance and a better definition to these standards. As such, the thesis has the potential to contribute not only to the literature on climate finance, but also to the literature on GAL. It also sheds light on the relationship between climate finance and GAL, a topic that has been largely neglected in the academic literature so far.

The purpose of this study is to provide a legal analysis of the impact of targeted financial sanctions on letters of credit and demand guarantees. The letter of credit is an important method of payment used in international trade. The demand guarantee plays a significant role as an instrument of security in commercial transactions. In their simplest form both instruments constitute an undertaking by a bank to pay a beneficiary against delivery of certain stipulated documents. Letters of credit and demand guarantees are known to be reliable and provide a considerable measure of certainty and predictability to the underlying transaction. Consequently, they have been described as the “lifeblood of international commerce”. Targeted financial sanctions entail assets freezing and prohibitions to prevent funds or other assets from being made available, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of designated individuals and entities. Endorsed by the United Nations and implemented by the vast majority of jurisdictions around the world, targeted financial sanctions are increasingly being used to combat financial crime, including money laundering, terrorism financing and weapon proliferation financing. Banks play a critical role in financial crime prevention and detection. Hence they have been identified as institutions that must comply with targeted financial sanctions. The relationship between targeted financial sanctions and letters of credit and demand guarantees has generally not been well documented. It is hoped, therefore, that this study will make a meaningful contribution to the jurisprudence on letters of credit and demand guarantees. In investigating the impact of targeted financial sanctions, the study can be categorised into three parts. Part one investigates a bank’s compliance with domestic targeted financial sanctions. The chief findings of the study in this regard are that banks are under a legal obligation to comply with sanctions and, as a result, a bank that refuses to perform its contractual obligations under a letter of credit or demand guarantee may have a defence in law. In South African law the bank can raise the so-called defence of legal impossibility of performance to resist a claim for, or potential litigation in respect of, payment. Part two investigates a bank’s compliance with foreign targeted financial sanctions. Because compliance in this regard has no (legal) basis, the bank may conceivably be sued by the beneficiary for payment on the basis of breach of contract. Part three investigates problematic documentary practices that banks have adopted or conceivably may adopt to manage their sanctions risk exposure. In this regard, attention is given to so-called sanctions clauses and other non-documentary conditions. The issue of unjustified amendments by the beneficiary for the purposes of sanctions evasion is also considered in part three. The general conclusion arrived at is that by interfering with payment, targeted financial sanctions render letters of credit and demand guarantees unreliable, thereby having the effect of reducing their value to international trade and commerce. The author proposes certain recommendations and initiatives aimed at mitigating the impact of targeted financial sanctions on credits and guarantees. Key terms: letters of credit; demand guarantees; financial crime; sanctions evasion; targeted financial sanctions; compliance; banks; due diligence; payment; reimbursement; credits; guarantees.

No abstract provided.