1.All eyes on redemption right
Redemption rights have increasingly been under the spotlight in the past year, as more and more investors contemplate an exit from under-performing investments.
As the redemption of shares involves a return of capital, it is prohibited under Cayman Islands law except to the extent permitted by statute. Section 37 of the Cayman Islands’ Companies Act (the Act) provides:
Key takeaways
In many of the recent insolvencies of digital asset companies, liquidators have been appointed over companies in which digital assets have been fraudulently transferred from wallets controlled by an insolvent company into other unidentified wallets in foreign jurisdictions.
The anonymity of cryptoassets causes serious difficulties for insolvency practitioners in identifying the third parties who received funds and the location of the digital wallets.
Introduction
In certain circumstances, the liquidator of a British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) company may be able to set aside certain transactions which took place in the lead up to the company’s liquidation. It is important for those concerned with the affairs of a BVI company that they are aware of the statutory powers available to the liquidator.
Russell Crumpler & Christopher Farmer (as Joint Liquidators of Three Arrows Capital Ltd (in Liquidation)) v Three Arrows Capital Ltd (in Liquidation) and BVIHC (Com) 2022/0119 (unreported 26 July 2023)
Our analysis of a recent court judgment in the ongoing liquidation of the high profile crypto-asset hedge fund Three Arrows Capital is by Nicholas Brookes and Romauld Johnson, part of Ogier's BVI team representing the joint liquidators.
Read our update on crypto insolvency issues from Three Arrows, which illustrates implications of the judgment including
Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands all have legislation that enables a company to present a scheme of arrangement to restructure its debts.
One of the defining features of a scheme of arrangement carried out under the relevant legislation in each jurisdiction is the ability to cram down dissenting creditors or members (or classes of them, as the case may be) if the requisite statutory majorities are satisfied and Court sanction of the proposed scheme is obtained.
Peter Ferrer, Harneys
This is an extract from the 2024 edition of GRR's the Americas Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
This is an Insight article, written by a selected partner as part of GRR's co-published content. Read more on Insight
In summary
With commercial property companies’ debt burdens reaching pre-2008 levels and warnings being issued this month by the European Central Bank, in this article we outline some of the key issues to be considered and steps which may be taken by BVI real estate holding companies to protect their position in the face of rising financing costs and other inflationary pressures.
Does a bondholder have standing to petition for winding up? In the landmark decision of Cithara Global Multi-Strategy SPC v Haimen Zhongnan Investment Development (International) Co.