How did we get here?

The crypto markets were rocked again last week by the collapse and bankruptcy of FTX and Alameda Research. Within a few short days, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and his companies went from a stabilizing force for markets and acting as an industry leader to causing one of the greatest disruptions in digital asset market history.

Entre las sentencias hechas públicas este mes de octubre reseñamos las incluidas en este resumen siendo especialmente destacable entre ellas la de la Audiencia Provincial de Asturias de 20 julio de 2022. En ella se rechaza el pacto por el cual un inmueble hipotecado adquirido en el concurso con subrogación en la deuda se pretende transmitir a otra sociedad del grupo con carga pero sin deuda.

The 11 October 50-page judgment of Hildyard J in The joint administrators of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) v FR Acquisitions Corporation (Europe) and JFB Firth Rixson will interest not only those who deal with ISDA Master Agreements (who may want to read the entire judgment), but also many lawyers and financial and commercial institutions. This is because the events of default which it had to consider, and especially the meaning of the word “continuing” in this context, are relevant to bonds, loans and various commercial contracts.

Major restructuring destinations each provide distinct mechanisms for rehabilitating companies in distress. Our table sets out the similarities and differences in the processes available in Australia, England & Wales, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the USA.

Object of schemes of arrangement

This table provides a high level overview of the restructuring and insolvency processes available in Australia, comparing their purposes, effects, advantages and disadvantages.

Australia has a moratorium on the reliance upon ipso facto on insolvency (insolvency termination clauses in contracts which allow counter parties to terminate due to the fact of insolvency). It is complex and there are numerous carve-outs as outlined in the chapter.

"Ipso facto" clauses

Objective

In the context of an insolvent or near insolvent company, a receiver will be appointed, in the ordinary course, by a secured creditor seeking to have the assets which are the subject of its security realised to enable the payment of its claim. The appointment, most often, will be made under the agreement by which the security is granted or might be made under one of the property law statutes which authorise the appointment of a receiver by the court for the purpose of enforcing a security.

Object

Liquidation involves the collection of the company's assets, the realisation of those assets and the distribution of the proceeds of their sale to the company's creditors.

Process of appointing liquidator

Introduction

Informal workout agreements can renegotiate, delay, reduce or waive pre-existing debts owed by a company. For the debtor company, the main purpose of entering into an informal workout is to obtain agreements from its creditors to relinquish rights and refrain from enforcing certain debt covenants. The following are some commonly used informal workout mechanisms: