This briefing first appeared in the June 2020 edition of South Square Digest.

Executive Summary

In February 2020 the British Virgin Islands Commercial Court (the "BVI Court") sanctioned a creditor scheme of arrangement, which was part of a much larger cross boarder restructuring. This scheme of arrangement, which as a creditor scheme was itself rare for the BVI, was preceded by the BVI's first ever "soft touch" provisional liquidation (in linked proceedings), which commenced in December 2018.

Saudi Arabia recently published a new Bankruptcy Law. This is the latest development of a string of reforms under Vision 2030 to further encourage the participation of foreign and domestic investors by structuring the business legal framework. This article provides a general analysis of the new bankruptcy law and its implications for businesses operating in the Kingdom.