The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (the Act) introduced significant changes to insolvency law, including permitting companies to propose a “restructuring plan”. The restructuring plan offers a flexible option for companies that sponsor defined benefit pension schemes to compromise their obligations to creditors and, potentially, to the pension scheme itself.
簡介
在最近 Re Lerthai Group Ltd [2021] HKCFI 207 一案中，原訟法庭澄清了法院在行使酌情權押 後清盤呈請以便公司能夠進行債務重組時會考慮的因素。法院裁定，公司不但須證明在重組後 能夠向要求立即還款的債權人償還債務，而且須證明它將會繼續經營盈利的業務，或至少在中 期內能夠支付其到期債務。
背景
2017 年 9 月 29 日，中國工商銀行（亞洲）有限公司（「工銀亞洲」）與勒泰商業有限公司 （「勒泰」）訂立了一份融資協議，融資金額為 1.5 億港元。根據協議規定，香港聯合交易所 有限公司主板上市的勒泰集團有限公司（「該公司」）須就此承擔共同及各別責任。由於勒泰 及該公司拖欠還款，工銀亞洲入稟追討泰勒超過 1.7 億港元的債務（「該債務」），並於 2020 年 5 月 19 日獲判勝訴。
2020 年 7 月 2 日，工銀亞洲就該債務對該公司發出法定要求償債書。其後，該公司被提出清 盤呈請（「該呈請」）。該公司申請押後該呈請以便進行債務重組，而由於該公司的債務總額 接近 40 億港元，工銀亞洲請求法院立即頒下清盤令，因為其認為押後該呈請是徒勞無功的。 其他獲發通知就該呈請出庭的債權人並沒有出席聆訊。
Introduction
In Re China Huiyuan Group Ltd [2020] HKCFI 2940, the Court of First Instance declined to wind up a Hong Kong-listed Cayman company as the Court held that the petitioner failed to demonstrate that there was a real possibility of a tangible benefit to creditors upon the making of a winding up order.
Facts
SDF III Holdings Limited (the “Petitioner”) issued a petition to wind-up China Huiyuan Juice Group Limited (the “Company”) on the grounds of insolvency. The debt is not disputed.
Introduction
For most businesses, the Chancellor’s budget statement yesterday brings some welcome news with the extension of certain critical Covid-19 support measures. However, this is coupled with the removal of certain government-backed loan schemes and a future increase in the corporation tax rate from 19 per cent to 25 per cent from 2023 onwards.
Following a quick procedure, the Netherlands has seen its first ever court-approved private restructuring plan permitted under the WHOA (Wet homologatie onderhands akkoord), introduced on 1 January 2021.
Over the last 12 months, global markets have been amazingly resilient, indeed even buoyant, aided in large part by governments around Europe and the world providing seemingly unlimited funding and extensive financial stabilisation measures, such as quantitative easing.
This, coupled with protective legislation for companies to prevent insolvency filings and to ensure continued trading – for example, moratoriums, relaxations on insolvency filing obligations and restrictions on creditor actions – has given businesses significant breathing space and prevented widespread failures.
Corporate Insolvency Cases 1. Winding up Listcos in Hong Kong - recent decision illustrates the difficulties creditors may face Re China Huiyuan Group Ltd [2020] HKCFI 2940 2. Hong Kong Court’s approach to validation application for MPF contributions made after the commencement of winding up Re Hsin Chong Construction Co Ltd [2020] HKCFI 3160 3. One petition against one debtor at one time Re China Greenfresh Group Co Ltd [2021] HKCFI 36 4. Failure to plead the basis of a petition clearly may render the petition defective Pointer & Dent Co Ltd [2020] HKCFI 2823 5.
The Pension Schemes Act 2021 (‘the Act’) has received Royal Assent, with the UK government indicating that key provisions will come into force by autumn 2021.
The Act includes a number of provisions that will significantly impact restructuring activity involving financially distressed groups with a UK defined-benefit (DB) pension scheme.
What will change under the Act?
Below are some of the most significant changes being introduced by the Act.
In any economic downturn, there is usually an increase in the number of demands made throughout supply chains and in particular by owners / employers on project securities (e.g. for performance issues, upon termination or following insolvency) and the recent global economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic is no different.