Reform of our Australian bankruptcy landscape has been the focus of policymakers for some time. The new changes lead by the Attorney-General’s Department, will see the implementation of reforms to the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) (Bankruptcy Law Reforms) and further consultation on a Minimal Asset Procedure (as foreshadowed during our recent Personal Insolvency Forum) (Minimal Asset Procedure). A further development regarding the treatment of capital gains tax (CGT) is included in this update.
In the recent case of Mitchell v Al Jaber [2024] EWCA Civ 423, the Court of Appeal confirmed that a shareholder and director may still be subject to a fiduciary duty when purporting to transfer company property, even after the company enters liquidation. The decision was made in relation to British Virgin Island (BVI) law, but on the basis of English case authorities.
Background
Banned! Fraudsters!– Terms used by the Insolvency Service for directors who abused the government backed loan scheme which was put in place to help businesses struggling during the pandemic.
1. Is a letter of support from your immediate holding company sufficient to satisfy the solvency test?
Matthew Czyzyk, Natalie Blanc, Natalie Raine and Emily Ma, Ropes & Gray
This is an extract from the 2024 edition of GRR's Europe, Middle East and Africa Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
Mark Fine, Usman Khan and Sunay Radia, McDermott Will & Emery
This is an extract from the 2024 edition of GRR's Europe, Middle East and Africa Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
Amar Meher, Addleshaw Goddard LLP
This is an extract from the 2024 edition of GRR's Europe, Middle East and Africa Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
This is an Insight article, written by a selected partner as part of GRR's co-published content. Read more on Insight
Alexandros Kontogeorgiou and Georgia Papathanasiou, Kontogeorgiou Bakopanou & Associates Law Firm
This is an extract from the 2024 edition of GRR's Europe, Middle East and Africa Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
Alexander Vogel and Marc Baumberger, MLL Legal
This is an extract from the 2024 edition of GRR's Europe, Middle East and Africa Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
The latest government insolvency statistics highlight that the downturn in the UK economy is still taking a significant toll and the number of UK corporate insolvencies in February 2024 remains high (and 17% higher compared to February 2023).
Latest insolvency statistics
February 2024 saw 2,102 company insolvencies, the highest February figures for at least four years.