Event Overview

The AIJA Banking & Finance Commission and the AIJA Tax Commission are pleased to organize a joint seminar, to explore Trends and Challenges in Cross-Border Finance and Taxation! This seminar will be held in the beautiful and historical city of Thessaloniki, Greece, in the end of September 2026, in front of the Aegean Sea. The perfect spot for entering smoothly into the Fall season, while enjoying the sweetness of an extended summertime and lively atmosphere!

In this seminar, the academic programme will cover a broad range of topics relating to the intersections of banking, finance, capital markets and taxation. Leading practitioners and industry experts will exchange views and discuss the latest trends and regulatory challenges in cross-border corporate structuring and asset finance transactions, involving multiple jurisdictions and stakeholders. The academic programme will also explore financing/securitisation transactions and address the role of taxes in this context, as well as the challenges of having different tax authorities potentially involved in a single transaction. In addition, investment fund structures and especially direct lending funds will be discussed from both finance and tax professionals’ perspectives. Finally, with the growing importance of sustainable finance, the programme will also address the intersection of taxation and sustainable finance initiatives, considering how tax frameworks can support or hinder the transition towards greener investments.

This event will offer an opportunity for AIJA members across the world to exchange views, build their AIJA networks, and deepen their expertise in a friendly and international setting. So mark your calendars for September 2026, in the heart of Greece’s second largest city!

AIJA Commissions involved
  • Banking, Finance and Capital Markets
  • Tax Law

Programme

Between Scylla and Charybdis: Steering Through the Waters of Cross-Border Finance and Taxation

18:45

19:00 - 21:00

21:00 - 23:30

08:00

09:00 - 09:30

09:30 - 10:00

10:00 - 11:00

The panel will discuss whether overregulation is indeed a thing and how it impacted markets in Europe and worldwide. What issues the financial markets have been financing due to excessive regulations from financial and tax perspective, such as reporting obligations, CBAM etc.?

The panelists will put some light on lessons have we learned from overregulation. They will cover the recent shift toward a more principles based regulations and discuss whether new rules have chance to raise attractiveness of local and cross-border investments.
11:00 - 11:30

11:30 - 12:30

This session will explore the practical challenges of creating, perfecting, managing and enforcing security interests in cross-border transactions involving different legal and tax regimes, assets and parties across multiple jurisdictions. Speakers will discuss how to ensure validity and perfection of collateral under conflicting legal regimes, the role of security agents and trustees in managing multi-jurisdictional securities, insolvency and enforcement rules on creditor recoveries.

While capital markets practitioners often focus on the legal perfection and enforcement of cross-border security interests, these transactions also raise complex tax challenges. The panel will explore how tax rules influence the structuring of secured loans, pledges, and guarantees — particularly when interest payments flow across jurisdictions.
12:30 - 14:00

14:00 - 15:00

How family offices and private bankers structure the financing and acquisition of luxury assets – from yachts, private jets, and art collections to prime real estate – across multiple jurisdictions? This session will discuss how legal, tax, and regulatory frameworks influence ownership and financing structures, including the use of special purpose vehicles, trusts, and offshore entities, as well as the impact of anti-money laundering rules, environmental regulations, sanctions issues and the challenges of asset mobility and enforcement.

This session will also address the tax arrangements for high-value assets. Panelists will explore cross-border issues including VAT and customs duties, WHT on financing flows, CFC implications for ownership structures, and risks around beneficial ownership.
15:00 - 15:30

15:30 - 16:30

This session will explore how corporate substance requirements and anti-abuse rules affect the application of tax treaties in cross-border restructurings and financing transactions. Panelists will examine typical holding and financing structures that now face challenges due to Principal Purpose Test (PPT), local GAARs and minimum substance requirements. The panel will discuss how to assess whether “minimum substance” is sufficient, how tax authorities approach recharacterization, and what practical solutions remain viable in 2026.
17:00 - 17:30

20:00

09:30

10:00 - 11:00

Could and how tokenisation be used as a new form of securitisation for the issuance of asset-backed interests through digital tokens? The session will explore how traditional securitisation structures can be adapted to distributed ledger environments, as well as the regulatory and tax challenges. The panel will also explore how tax systems are approaching tokenized assets from a VAT and direct tax perspective — focusing on classification, compliance, and cross-border structuring risks.
11:00 - 11:30

11:30 - 12:30

ESG, D&I, CSRD, start-ups, booming automotive, geopolitics and arming sector… - the panel will delve into latest trends on financial markets and will aim to enlighten what is yet to come. The speakers will uncover whether the most popular slogans have indeed found their place in the investment strategies of the biggest firms but also of the individual investors.
12:30 - 14:00

16:00 - 23:00

Fees & General Info

There are currently no registration fees available.

General terms and conditions

By registering you have to accept the general terms and conditions and accept that your registration is considered binding immediately, but participation to the event is possible only after full payment of the registration fee.

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It is recommended for each participant to purchase a cancellation and travel insurance.

Please note that in-house counsel registrations are subject to review and confirmation by AIJA. AIJA considers in-house counsel professionals who hold a university degree in law allowing access to a bar association and practicing law as an in-house counsel in private, public, or non-profit companies, institutions or organisations. Please note that in-house counsel who are at the same time active as fee-earning lawyers or consultants are not eligible to the discounted in-house counsel fee.

Please read the general terms and conditions applicable for AIJA events.

Scholarships

If you are a lawyer under 35 years old and meet the requirements, apply to our Scholarship Programme for this event. You can check more details here.

Organising Committee

Isabella ARO
Isabella ARO Hannes Snellman Attorneys Ltd (FINLAND)
George GERASSIMOU
George GERASSIMOU GERASSIMOU & PARTNERS LAW FIRM (GREECE)
Katarzyna JAROSZYńSKA-LEWANDOWSKA
Katarzyna JAROSZYńSKA-LEWANDOWSKA Wolf Theiss P. Daszkowski sp.k. (POLAND)
Ivan Alexander MANEV
Ivan Alexander MANEV Dimitrov, Petrov & Co. Law Firm (BULGARIA)
Christina POINTNER
Christina POINTNER Gasser Partner Rechtsanwälte (LIECHTENSTEIN)
Jérémie TENOT
Jérémie TENOT Bonnard Lawson Genève SA (SWITZERLAND)
GEORGIOS TSAKONAS
GEORGIOS TSAKONAS PAPAPETROS, PAPANGELIS, TATAGIA AND PARTNERS LAW FIRM (GREECE)

Sponsors

Become a sponsor

Partnership with AIJA as a sponsor provides the best networking opportunities in a relaxed business environment.
If you have any questions, contact us on ‘Become a sponsor’ and check for more opportunities.

Become a sponsor More about sponsorship

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