Each week Frontier Strategy Group’s global team shares their view on key media stories, and what the implications are for businesses that operate in emerging markets. For more information about how to contact our analysts, send us an email.

Pratima Singh on “Indian Government Tells Courts That Pharma Firms’ License to Sell Is Irrelevant”

“Overnight changes in regulations and costly court battles with the government have always been characteristic of the Indian market. Despite pharma companies having licenses and permits to sell FDCs, a government notice has banned 344 drugs. Multinationals affected should assess losses and preempt further bans on other FDCs in their India portfolio. Expect the already complex market to get worse.”

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Matthew Spivack on “Foreign Firms Face New 75 Percent ‘Saudization’ Regulation”

“While reports of the new Saudization regulations must still be verified, this is a troubling development if it is confirmed. Foreign companies without a local presence would face new obstacles to investing and those already operating in Saudi Arabia would need to overcome a skills mismatch in the labor force within two years.”

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Mario Gutierrez on “Argentina Clears Way for Repayment Of ‘Holdout’ Creditors”

“Argentina’s senate has cleared the way for the repayment of its “holdout” creditors and marked the end of a decade-long legal battle triggered by the country’s 2001 debt default. With this decision, Argentina has officially regained access to the international capital markets.”

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Alec Lee on “Brazil’s PMDB Party Quits Ruling Coalition”

“The exit of the PMDB will make it extremely difficult for the government to retain the necessary votes to avoid the opening of an impeachment trial in the Senate. With a vote in the lower house to open impeachment expected for mid-April, the entire impeachment process could very well last until November and generate further economic uncertainty.”

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