Introduction
Introduction
In part 1 of our multi-part series on Corporate Insolvency, Restructuring and Recovery in the COVID-19 world,[1] we outlined two major changes introduced by the long-awaited Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (“Act”). The Act officially came into force two days later, on 30 July 2020. Here in part 2, we explore the manner in which a company may seek to restructure its debts under the Act.
A. What is debt restructuring and in what circumstances would a company apply for one?
In March this year, the High Court in Beluga Chartering1 addressed a unique provision of Singapore's Companies Act that requires local liquidators to ring-fence a foreign company's assets for the settlement of the debts it incurred in Singapore before they transmit its assets to overseas liquidators and creditors. This decision exploring the implications of section 377 on Singapore's cross-border insolvency legal framework is timely considering the ongoing review of Singapore's insolvency laws.
A summary of the factual background