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The English High Court has clarified the test it will apply on an application for a moratorium. A company can get the benefit of a moratorium without applying to court but a court application is necessary if a winding up petition has already been presented or the company is an overseas company.

Background

The English Court has, for only the second time, made a compensation order under the Company Directors' Disqualification Act 1986 against a disqualified director.

Background

On 12 September 2023, the government published its long-awaited response to its consultation on the future of insolvency regulation.

The reforms will introduce:

In Hunt v Singh, the Court referred to the Supreme Court's landmark decision in BTI v Sequana (see our alert) in deciding when the directors' duty to creditors arose.

Background

Marylebone Warwick Balfour Management Limited (the Company), entered a tax avoidance scheme between 2002 and 2010 which the directors, on professional advice, believed to be valid.

On 5 July 2023 the Court sanctioned Prezzo Investco Ltd's (Prezzo) restructuring plan despite strong opposition by UK tax authority, HMRC.

HMRC has taken a more active approach to opposing restructuring plans and was successful in blocking the plans recently proposed by GAS and Nasmyth (see our alert).

The English Court of Appeal has widened the scope of transactions defrauding creditors under section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 in a recent case, Invest Bank PSC v El-Husseini and others (Invest Bank).

Under s.423, the court will only make an order if it is satisfied that a transaction at an undervalue was entered into by a debtor for the purpose of putting assets beyond the reach of a person who may make a claim against them or otherwise prejudicing their interests in relation to such claim.

一只基金在经历“募、投、管、退”几个阶段后,会进入其生命周期的最后一个阶段:清盘和解散,这个阶段涉及对于基金的资产的盘点、处置、分配以及一些法定的清盘和解散程序的履行。虽然在清盘阶段,需要盘点资产、处置及分配,但其实很多基金在运营过程中已经根据其合伙协议下的瀑布式分配条款向投资人完成了绝大多数分配(如下图所示),清盘很多时候仅成为一个注销基金的程序性必经环节而已。

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有时候由于跨境重组中精简结构或者其他商业上的考虑,一些PE基金的主体也需要清盘和注销。无论是由于期限到期清盘,还是由于重组而清盘,大多数开曼PE基金会采用自愿清盘(voluntary liquidation)的方式退出,因此我们在本文中会重点介绍开曼法下豁免有限合伙的自愿清盘,也会对开曼法下的剔除(strike-off)程序在豁免有限合伙场景下的应用进行简单介绍。

The English tax authority, HMRC, has successfully challenged the restructuring plans put forward by The Great Annual Savings Company Limited (GAS) and Nasmyth Group Limited (Nasmyth).

This is the first time that HMRC has actively challenged restructuring plans at the sanction hearing. The key takeaways from the judgments:

Nasmyth

The insolvency statistics released for March 2023 demonstrate the impact of turbulent trading climates on UK businesses, in particular soaring costs and decreased consumer spending.

The March 2023 insolvency statistics show that UK corporate insolvencies have risen 16% year-on-year and 38% since February 2023.

The High Court has clarified the grounds for challenging a CVA for guarantee creditors.

Background