For decades, securities litigation and vigorous enforcement of securities laws have been hallmarks of a U.S. market that prides itself on investor safeguards. More recently, those fundamentals are rapidly spreading to markets around the world.
From global anti-corruption efforts to insider-trading prosecutions and enforcement to fledgling efforts to launch investor class-action lawsuits, countries around the world are now seeing a marked increase in the level of public and private efforts to enforce securities laws.
In Britain, the passage of the strict Bribery Act (originally scheduled to take effect in April, now delayed until later this year) is the most visible indication that ...