Fulltext Search

The Court of Appeal has provided much needed clarification of the test for validating certain transactions by companies that are subject to a winding-up petition, pursuant to Section 99 of the Companies Law (2020 Revision).

The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal has provided much needed clarification of the test for validating certain transactions by companies that are subject to a winding up petition, pursuant to section 99 of the Companies Law (2020 Revision) (the "Companies Law").

The Legal Issue of Principle

Domestic Procedures

What are the principal insolvency procedures for companies in your jurisdiction?

Liquidation: voluntary and official.

Cayman does not have an equivalent to the English concept of the company administration or to the Chapter 11 process in the United States.

Schemes of Arrangement/“Soft Touch Liquidations” allow the company to enter into an agreement with its shareholders and/or creditors.

Strike off is the procedure of removing a company from the Register of Companies (the Register) following which the company will cease to exist.

Under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (the Companies Law), a company may be struck off in one of three situations:

  1. if the company is defunct;
  2. if the company is defaulting; or
  3. if the company itself applies to be voluntarily struck off.

Strike off by the Registrar of Companies

The Registrar of Companies (the Registrar) has the power pursuant to the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (the Companies Law) to strike off companies which are either defunct or defaulting.