At the recent Chambers Economic Forum, the Cayman government announced its intention to bring in a much-anticipated new regime governing corporate restructuring by the end of 2020. Until then, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing many groups into the zone of insolvency, the following considerations remain relevant to structures involving a Cayman entity:
Until the Cayman Islands introduces any changes to its corporate insolvency regime, with the COVID pandemic pushing many groups into the zone of insolvency, the following considerations remain relevant to structures involving a Cayman Islands entity:
In an application by Joint Official Liquidators for sanction of an agreement to sell the assets of a Company over the objections of creditors, the Court has confirmed the importance of establishing a clear and transparent sale process, which enjoys the confidence of the interested parties, in order to establish that the sale agreement is in the best interests of creditors.
Background
In a comprehensive judgment published on 23 April 2020, the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal, comprising Moses JA, Martin JA and Rix JA, has provided welcome clarification of the interplay between a contractual agreement to arbitrate disputes arising between shareholders and the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court to determine whether a company should be wound up on the just and equitable ground.
The draft Lex Covid, which amends insolvency and enforcement laws and draft law on certain measures related to repayment of loans in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been approved by the Czech Parliament and must now be counter-signed by the President.
The insolvency law-related measures include:
Debtor's delay in payments
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. |
The long-discussed amendments to the Czech Insolvency Act entered into force on 1 July 2017.
These aim primarily to strengthen the transparency of insolvency proceedings; reduce paperwork in the insolvency courts; and change the system of allocation of insolvency cases in the area of debt relief.
The following highlights the most fundamental changes introduced last month.
Allocating insolvency cases