There have been increasing concerns in recent weeks that UK insolvency law does not accommodate the short-term impact of COVID-19 on many businesses. In response, the Business Secretary announced on 28 March that the UK's insolvency rules would be amended as part of the Government's wider business support package. Whilst the measures that the Government intends to implement have not yet been fully detailed, this note summarises what has been announced so far and what we might expect, based on the Business Secretary's comments.
On 14 March 2020, the Croatian Ministry of Justice issued recommendations to prevent the transmission of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and control the pandemic ("Measures"). The Measures are applicable until 1 April 2020. The Measures advise temporary adjustments to legal requirements in civil, insolvency and criminal procedure law to avoid hardship that would otherwise arise as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
With the aim of further mitigating the negative effects of the crisis on companies and private individuals, the Measures advise the following:
Alternative assets have enjoyed an unprecedented level of growth over the last decade, which looks set to continue with global AUM growing from $8.8tn in 2017 to a projected $14tn in 20231.
Shareholders of Austrian limited liability companies usually want to have influence over whom they are associated with. That's why shareholders often agree on a pre-emptive right (Aufgriffsrecht) to purchase existing shares in certain cases, e.g. in case of insolvency proceedings against a shareholder. However, according to the recent case law of the Regional Court of Linz on limited liability companies, pre-emptive rights to purchase the shares of an insolvent shareholder are invalid and unenforceable.
Know your co-shareholders
The Austrian Supreme Court has recently found that insolvency related avoidance claims can be sold. This may open a whole new business segment and will most certainly have a material impact on defendants in avoidance proceedings.
Assignability of insolvency related avoidance claims
A financial crisis and situations where insolvency is imminent are not only challenging for a company and its management, but also entail significant liability risks for management in the case of subsequent insolvency proceedings. Payments made after a company has become materially insolvent (i.e. illiquid or overindebted under Austrian insolvency law), but before the 60-day deadline for filing for insolvency has expired, are risky. Which payments are allowed according to the Austrian Supreme Court?
Scope of liability
The list of successful restructurings outside insolvency proceedings is as long as it is confidential. Every year, companies of all sizes are stabilised and sustainably restructured without the stigma of insolvency proceedings. However, until now there has been no European legal framework for pre-insolvency restructurings and only a few national laws explicitly provide for the possibility of such preventive restructurings. This will change now.
Asset-backed or net asset value (NAV) facilities as a feature of the fund finance landscape are not new, but their prevalence and uses have increased over the last five years in particular.
Using a traffic light approach, we consider the sorts of amendments which might impact on "day one" security.
WHEN MIGHT AMENDMENTS PRESENT A PROBLEM?
As Parliament debates the draft Withdrawal Agreement prior to the vote on 11 December, this week's Q&A looks beyond the headlines at the potential impact of the proposed Brexit deal on a number of specific topics, including what the Political Declaration tells us about the shape of the future EU/UK trade agreement:
Alternative Investment Funds