The Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Bill was passed in the Parliament on 1 October 2018 and assented to by the President on 31 October 2018. Today, i.e. 30 July 2020, the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (IRDA) will finally come into effect. In this article, which is the first of five in a series of articles covering various aspects of IRDA, we will provide an overview of its main features.

History of Singapore’s insolvency regime

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant disruptions in the US and global economy, it is likely that US companies experiencing financial difficulties will seek to restructure their debts and other obligations. In anticipation of such restructurings, this article provides a brief overview of voluntary restructurings in the US for non-US parties with investments in or commercial relationships with US companies.

On July 20, 2020, the Quebec Court of Appeal (Court of Appeal) released its decision in Séquestre de Media5 Corporation, overturning the lower court’s decision and authorizing the appointment of a receiver pursuant to section 243(1) of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA).

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in obtaining third-party funding to commence legal proceedings. The insolvency sector in particular has seen an increase in applications to court for approval of third-party funding agreements. In this article, we discuss how an insolvent entity may seek approval from the court for third-party funding to pursue legitimate claims.

Third-party funding an important resource for insolvent companies

Even before the advent of Covid-19, insolvency-related D&O claims already made up a large part of the management risk landscape.

Corporate insolvencies are on the rise. 2019 saw the highest level of underlying insolvencies since 2013, with the retail, hospitality and construction industries particularly affected. As the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic further increases the risk that companies will run into financial difficulties, insolvency can only continue to make up a large source of directors’ and officers’ (D&O) claims.

The national lockdown in South Africa has left many companies financially distressed and unable to meet their contractual obligations. Looming on the landlord’s horizon may well be its approach to tenants who are placed under business rescue.

Days ago a lawyer's answer to these questions would have been the all too often heard "well, it depends". There would have been a serious risk of any such adjudication being stopped by the court granting a mandatory injunction to halt it. Ask the same questions again now and the response would be a resounding "yes and yes!"

It is imperative that companies in financial distress prioritise their continued existence and consider business rescue as an alternative to liquidation. One of the major advantages of the business rescue process is the moratorium (stay) on legal proceedings which aims to give financially distressed companies sufficient breathing space to trade out of its insolvency. A temporary moratorium automatically comes into operation upon the filing of a resolution placing the company into business rescue or the issuing of an application for an order to this effect.

It is imperative that companies in financial distress prioritise their continued existence and consider business rescue as an alternative to liquidation. Business rescue is a robust procedure that allows South African companies in financial distress or trading in insolvent circumstances to file for business rescue and with the assistance of a business rescue practitioner, reorganise and restructure the business with the aim of returning it to a more stable and profitable entity.

The UK Government has finally set out details of the proposed measures to temporarily restrict the use of statutory demands and winding up petitions during the worst of the COIVD-19 pandemic