La prolongada duración de los efectos de la pandemia COVID-19 sobre el tejido económico empresarial ha impulsado al Gobierno a extender en el tiempo algunas de las medidas en el ámbito de la Administración de Justicia que se habían adoptado en el marco del Real Decreto-Ley 16/2020, de 28 de abril, posteriormente confirmadas en la Ley 3/2020, de 18 de septiembre.
Los efectos de la pandemia se están materializando en un incremento significativo de la deuda de consumidores y empresas. En este contexto, nuestra previsión es que, en los próximos años, las transacciones sobre deuda y activos tóxicos alcanzarán niveles muy elevados. Desde Garrigues, analizamos en este documento la situación y tendencias del mercado de deuda en Latinoamérica, España y Portugal, donde se percibe una clara tendencia a la sofisticación de este tipo de operaciones.
Pandemia COVID-19
In the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in debt held by both consumers and companies. Over the coming years, we expect to see a large number of debt and distressed asset deals. In this viewpoint, Garrigues provides in this documentan analysis of the debt market situation and trends in Latin America, Spain and Portugal, where there is a clear move toward greater sophistication in these deals.
COVID-19 pandemic
Being a director is not just about managing and controlling a business; it also involves taking on certain legal duties and obligations. Directors get the benefit of limited liability, but directors' duties impose certain obligations to ensure they act in the best interest of the company, its employees, shareholders – and in certain circumstances, its creditors too.
Restructuring and insolvency issues are rarely out of the news at the moment, with a range of businesses seeking to adapt to the challenges of a post-COVID-19 world. You might have seen stories about struggling businesses going into administration or liquidation, or securing a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
It's fair to say 2020 has been a particularly challenging year for businesses, across most sectors. The closing and re-opening of premises, adapting business set-ups and procedures, downturns in customer numbers – all of these things have created new financial pressures.
R3, the association of business recovery professionals, has produced a Standard Form Covid 19 CVA Proposal and accompanying Covid 19 Standard Conditions.
The Standard Form proposals are intended for use by SME companies, in each of the jurisdictions across UK that have been affected by Covid 19, to save time and cost and make CVAs more accessible to them.
'Chapter 11 bankruptcy', the US insolvency regime, often features in the UK headlines. When Lehman Brothers filed under Chapter 11 in 2008, it marked the start of the global financial crisis. Chapter 11 (which refers to part of the US Bankruptcy Code) is a restructuring tool designed to rescue companies. Its closest UK counterpart is Administration, under Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986.
The reactivation of wrongful trading rules at the end of last month marks the return of personal liability risk for directors of businesses that continue to trade while on the brink of insolvency.
Corporate Insolvency: Temporary Measures extended
On 29 September 2020, The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Extension of the Relevant Period) Regulations 2020 ("the Regulations") will be laid before Parliament. It is expected that they will be passed without amendment.
The purpose of the Regulations is to extend certain of the temporary measures introduced by The Corporate Insolvency & Governance Act 2020 ("CIGA") to assist companies who are struggling to deal with the economic ramifications of lockdown.