Recent economic challenges have triggered significant developments for household name companies in 2023.

After depositors rushed to withdraw funds from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), on Friday, March 10, 2023, the US bank was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was named receiver of the closed bank.

The latest insolvency statistics in the UK make for grim reading. Per the government’s official assessment, 1,964 corporate insolvencies took place in December 2022, 32% higher than in the same month in the previous year and 76% higher than the number registered three years previously pre-pandemic. With inflation and energy costs remaining high and government support rolling back, companies will be taking whatever steps they can to remain in business.

FTX was the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange at one point, but came crashing down to earth in 2022 and filed for bankruptcy in the US on 11 November. The platform’s downfall has reignited the debate around the regulation of cryptocurrencies globally and in specific jurisdictions. Marc Jones considers the arguments here.

The Supreme Court decision in BTI v Sequana provided the first opportunity for the UK Supreme Court to address the duty of company directors to consider the interests of a company’s creditors when the company becomes insolvent or when it approaches or is at real risk of insolvency. Natalie Osafo and Francesca Bugg examine the decision and its implications for company directors.

Since 1988, the ‘rule in West Mercia’ – so named after the West Mercia Safetywear v Dodd Court of Appeal case – has been the leading authority for when directors of financially stressed companies are subject to the so-called ‘creditor duty’, namely the duty to consider the interests of the company’s creditors.

In May 2022, HM Treasury published a consultation to take views on how best to regulate the failure of stablecoin companies using pre-existing insolvency legislation. Stablecoin companies are classed by the UK Government as systemic “digital settlement asset” (DSA) firms. A large failure could have a significant disruptive effect on the economy, so the area requires robust statutory processes in place to manage any wind-down.

How has HMRC managed its metamorphosis from benevolent supporter of businesses during the pandemic to hard-nosed tax collector?

The collapse of fashion retailer Missguided has prompted official complaints to the Insolvency Service from suppliers who have alleged that the online brand continued trading and ordering new supply despite the prospect of insolvency. Alex Jay spoke to the Guardian and Yahoo! Finance about what the retailer going into administration could mean for suppliers, and the potential for legal action.

Alex Jay, Tim Symes, Charlie Mercer and Aleks Valkov consider a recent decision relating to alleged transactions defrauding creditors under section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (“s423”). Stewarts act for the fifth, sixth and eighth defendants.