After last year’s significant reforms to Australia’s insolvency framework, the Government has demonstrated a further commitment to simplifying and streamlining insolvency law to allow viable businesses that encounter economic challenges to restructure and continue trading.
This commitment is demonstrated by the Government continuing to examine ways to improve Australia's insolvency laws, including consulting on options to:
The Budget reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to implementing reforms to support consumers and businesses affected by COVID-19.
The Government confirmed the implementation of a number of measures designed to reduce the regulatory burden to ensure a timely flow of credit and resolution for distressed business. These include:
Elearning company Skillsoft provided two expedited alternatives to bankruptcy in its first-day filings in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
While the full extent of COVID-19’s impact on the economy remains to be seen, it will likely create significant restructuring activity for companies already experiencing financial distress and otherwise healthy companies distressed by the pandemic. We have already seen an increase in chapter 11 filings, and more will follow.
Prepackaged bankruptcies, prearranged bankruptcies, and expedited sales are available options for businesses in need of accelerated restructurings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
While the full extent of COVID-19’s impact on the economy remains to be seen, it will likely create significant restructuring activity for companies already experiencing financial distress and otherwise healthy companies that experience distress caused by the pandemic. We have already seen an increase in Chapter 11 filings, and more will follow.
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, US bankruptcy courts have granted extraordinary equitable relief in some cases. As government orders enforcing stay-at-home measures have forced many businesses to shutter indefinitely, bankruptcy courts have implemented procedures to allow the ongoing—albeit virtual—administration of bankruptcy cases.
A Roll of the Dice: Mothballing Bankruptcy Cases Under 11 USC § 305(a)