In the US, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) (enacted April 2012) sought to redress the balance of regulation in the US and facilitate capital formation. Almost two years later, with improving economic conditions and new market practices having taken hold, a tipping point may have been reached in favour of US capital markets for foreign issuers. The article: • Provides a brief summary of the provisions of the JOBS Act. • Sets out the IPO process and advantages for foreign issuers. • Sets out the benefits of the "emerging growth company" category under the JOBS Act. • Sets out the types of exempt offerings available to foreign issuers. • Considers to the extent to which the JOBS Act has redressed the balance of regulation and encouraged foreign issuers to pursue US IPOs.

This article is part of the multi-jurisdictional guide to capital markets law. For a full list of jurisdictional Q&As visit www.practicallaw.com/capitalmarkets-mjg.