The shipping industry was recently in the headlines when on 31 August 2016 Hanjin Shipping Co filed for bankruptcy protection in the Seoul Central District Court. Hanjin was South Korea’s biggest container carrier and the seventh largest in the world.

The latest development in what has been a long-running (and expensive) cross-border insolvency proceeding involving Nortel (see our June 2015 and September 2015 legal updates for previous instalments) is a settlement between:

On 3 June 2016, the Hong Kong Government gazetted the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Ordinance 2016 (“Amendment Ordinance”). The date of commencement of the Amendment Ordinance will be appointed by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury by notice published in the Gazette.

Background

Key points

• Automatic stays on proceedings are imposed by Article 20 of the UNCITRAL Model Law (and mirrored in s.130(2) IA 1986)
• The case reinforces the principle that automatic stays are designed to avoid the unnecessary expenditure of assets otherwise available for distribution amongst creditors

The facts

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has recently rendered a decision in a dispute between the Portuguese investor Dan Cake and Hungary. The dispute was based on a bilateral investment agreement between Portugal and Hungary concluded in 1992. In its decision, the Tribunal declared Hungary liable for the breach of the investment agreement. The Tribunal will decide on the amount of damages at a later date.

Dan Cake versus Hungary

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System proposed a rule that would require US global systemically important banking institutions to amend their contracts for certain common financial transactions to preclude the immediate termination of such contracts if a firm enters bankruptcy or a resolution process. Relevant contracts – termed “qualified financial contracts” – that would have to be amended include those used for derivatives, securities lending and short time financing such as repurchase agreements.

Introduction

Global—On August 29, 2014, the International Capital MarketAssociation (“ICMA”), a group of banks and investors,announced a proposal designed to reduce the ability of holdoutbondholders to undermine sovereign debt restructurings. The plan was created after meetings convened by the U.S. Treasury Department in the aftermath of Greece’s debt restructuring and came on the heels of Argentina’s second default on its sovereign debt in 13 years.

In September 2014, in response to the Argentinian and Greek debt crises, both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations General Assembly (UN) published their proposals for making the restructuring of sovereign debt a more orderly process. The IMF’s focus is on firming up the contractual framework of sovereign bond documentation, while the UN’s focus is on establishing a legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring.

For the benefit of our clients and friends investing in European distressed opportunities, our European Network is sharing some current developments.

Recent Developments