Businesses are still struggling to recover post-Covid, with corporate insolvency figures continuing to rise. Recent research shows that the most common company insolvency procedure is creditors’ voluntary liquidation (CVL) and in March 2023, there was the highest monthly total of CVLs since January 2019.
The sectors that appear to have been hit the hardest are construction; wholesale and retail; accommodation and food services.
The Government has finally issued its Policy Paper “High Stakes: gambling reform for the digital age”.
Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Leisure launched the Government’s call for evidence in December 2020. It has taken over two years for the Government’s response to be published.
With the cost-of-living crisis and a possible recession facing the UK economy, it is not surprising that government statistics show insolvencies are rising significantly, with a substantial increase on pre-pandemic levels, and up to 80% higher than the previous 12-month period.
An emerging trend within insolvencies is the recovery of crypto assets, whether the businesses are within the crypto sector, or whether it is any other entity holding value in cryptocurrencies.
Wilko Limited, known as ‘Wilko’, the well-known retailer specialising in home goods and gardening, is reportedly experiencing significant financial difficulties and is now relying on financial support to keep the business afloat.
Wilko has traded since 1930 as an independent family-run store and has expanded to over 400 stores. Despite this, Wilko has revealed it is experiencing financial difficulties when publishing its annual accounts to Companies House in November 2022.
Having experienced first-hand HMRC’s attempts to combat serious tax losses, one of the features of tax litigation over the last 15 years has been the prevalence of so-called ‘Kittel’ cases. These are cases in which HMRC seeks to deny repayments of VAT to companies buying goods in circumstances where HMRC has identified a fraud further up the supply chain, often many companies distant. They can involve significant amounts of VAT and form a substantial pillar of HMRC’s compliance strategy.
On November 11, 2022, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading Ltd. filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 22-11068). The company reports $10 to $50 billion in both assets and liabilities and intends to place an additional, approximately 130 affiliates into bankruptcy.
On November 7, 2022, cloud manufacturing and digital supply chain company Fast Radius, Inc. of Chicago, IL filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 22-11051). The company reports $69.3 million in assets and $55.2 million in liabilities.
The Supreme Court recently considered the existence of the “creditor duty” and when this duty arises in the case of BTI v Sequana. The creditor duty is the duty for company directors to consider the interests of the company’s creditors when the company becomes insolvent or is at real risk of insolvency.
On October 30, 2022, wealth advisory, risk management services and insurance brokerage services provider Vesta Holdings LLC of Mongomeryville, PA filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 22-11019) along with two affiliates. The company reports $100 million to $500 million in both assets and liabilities.
On September 27, 2022, Phoenix Services Topco LLC, a steel mill service provider with approximately 2,600 employees, filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 22-10906). The company reports $500 million to $1 billion in both assets and liabilities.