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High Court provides guidance on voluntary administration and creditors’ meetings under COVID-19 Alert Level 4

A recent decision of the High Court provides helpful guidance for insolvency practitioners on how aspects of the voluntary administration regime should operate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Christchurch based company Cryptopia Limited (in liquidation) (Cryptopia) operated a cryptocurrency exchange. Account holders were able to deposit cryptocurrencies into the exchange, and carry out trades with each other.

In January 2019 the exchange was hacked and cryptocurrencies valued at approximately NZD30m were stolen. Cryptopia closed after the hack, re-opened for a short period, and was then placed into insolvent liquidation in May 2019. David Ruscoe and Russell Moore of Grant Thornton New Zealand were appointed liquidators.

Under the Insolvency Suspension Act COVID-19 (COVInsAG), the obligation to file for insolvency is suspended under certain conditions due to the coronavirus. The regulations apply retroactively to 01.03.2020.

The coronavirus is spreading fast. Measures to slow its spread are already hitting companies hard and will cause many companies considerable financial difficulties in the foreseeable future.

Obligation to file for insolvency

Finance Minister Grant Robertson yesterday afternoon announced a number of proposed temporary changes to the Companies Act, with the stated purpose to help businesses facing insolvency due to COVID-19 remain viable.

The temporary changes include:

The Covid-19 crisis is impacting on all businesses across Germany including the dynamic German start-up scene. In this article we outline some of the more important measures taken by the German government to support start-ups through the crisis. These measures include providing immediate financial support, loan finance, subsidies for short-time work schemes, relaxation of management obligations to file for insolvency, tax relief schemes and the suspension of social security payment obligations.

A recent decision of the High Court of New Zealand provides helpful guidance for insolvency practitioners on how aspects of the voluntary administration regime should operate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 30 March 2020, the board of directors of EncoreFX (NZ) Limited resolved to appoint administrators to the company. By then, New Zealand was already at Level 4 on the four-level alert system for COVID-19.

The German government has moved quickly and decisively to protect businesses from the short-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. A new law was passed by parliament using remote voting procedures and comes into today, 27 March 2020. The Covid-19 Suspension of Insolvency Law (COVInsAG) provides a protective shield for businesses against the economic fallout caused by the extraordinary measures taken to limit the spread of the SARS- CoV 2 virus which causes the illness we now know as Covid-19.

The law addresses three main areas:

Cash pooling during the COVID-19 pandemic provides particular challenges for management. What the most important issues on which to focus?

Many businesses, particularly those operating internationally, have set up group cash pooling systems to optimise payment processes and maximise liquidity. A well-structured cash pooling system offers a treasury department transparency over the group's liquidity and by centralising financing requirements can reduce costs.

The UK Court of Appeal has held that legal privilege outlasts the dissolution of a company in Addlesee v Dentons Europe LLP [2019] EWCA Civ 1600.

Legal advice privilege applies to communications between a client and its lawyers. The general rule is that those communications cannot be disclosed to third parties unless and until the client waives the privilege.