The approval of the creation of an administrative convenience class (Administrative Convenience Class) comprising low value creditors to reduce the administrative burden on restructuring entities by the General Division of the Singapore High Court (High Court) in Re Zipmex Pte Ltd and other matters [2023] SGHC 88 (Re Zipmex) is a positive step in promoting Singapore as a preferred restructuring destination, particularly for crypto restructurings.

Background

European leveraged finance transactions (i.e., acquisition financing by fund sponsors of European targets) are often structured through Luxembourg or the Netherlands because those are creditor-friendly jurisdictions for the creation, perfection and enforcement of (certain) security interests. Structuring through Luxembourg or the Netherlands provides a high degree of transaction flexibility compared to other jurisdictions.

Following are our summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of May 22, 2023.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) Chair Martin Gruenberg gave remarks to the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund 2023 Bank On National Conference yesterday in which he said that the FDIC “shares the Bank On movement’s commitment to advancing Americans’ economic inclusion in the banking system.”

The High Court has held that certain assets sold by a company around the time of its administration were subject to a fixed charge rather than a floating charge and as such, the sale proceeds were not to be distributed to preferential creditors or unsecured creditors: Avanti Communications Ltd, Re [2023] EWHC 940 (Ch).

In an environment of interest rate pressure, a cooling economy and global economic uncertainty, corporate insolvencies are a stark reality. The failure of construction companies has become regular news and ASIC recently released insolvency data that shows a marked uptick in Australian insolvencies in general.

On May 8, cryptocurrency platform Bittrex filed for chapter 11 in Delaware. Bittrex’s first day filings emphasize that, unlike many other crypto filings over the past year, this case is not a “free fall” bankruptcy. In fact, a plan has already been filed, and the first day declaration said the debtors “took extensive action pre-petition to ensure full customer recovery, and plan to swiftly bring these chapter 11 cases to a responsible conclusion.”

The hits keep coming for student loans in bankruptcy.

This time the hit is this:

• student loans for attending medical school do not qualify as “commercial or business” loans for Subchapter V eligibility.

The central finding, for a medical student who worked as an employee for ten years before becoming an entrepreneur, is this:

• “the gap between incurring the debt and actually engaging in . . . commercial or business activity as an owner is simply too great.”

Background

戦略的提携・拠点開設のお知らせ クアラルンプール 1 アジアでのさらなる体制強化のため、2023 年 1 月より WM Leong & Co と当事務所のシンガポール拠点である Nishimura & Asahi (Singapore) LLP が、マレーシア業務に関して戦略的提携を行っております。 WM Leong & Co は、マレーシア法において豊富な知識・経験を有するワンメイ・リョン マレーシア弁護士が代表を 務めるマレーシアの独立した法律事務所です。WM Leong & Co との戦略的提携の下で、マレーシアが関わるクロ スボーダー案件について豊富な経験を有する眞榮城大介弁護士および当事務所シンガポール事務所所属の弁 護士が中心となり WM Leong & Co と緊密に連携しながらクライアントのマレーシア事業の拡大および現地ビジネ スのサポートを行ってまいります。2 札幌 2023 年 4 月に札幌事務所を開設しております。道内企業での執務経験を有し、コーポレート・M&A・エネルギーの 分野ならびに海外案件支援に強みを持つ坪野未来弁護士が所属しており、身近なところでご相談をいただきなが ら、きめの細かいアドバイスを提供いたします。

Indonesia Authors: Miriam Andreta and Hans Adiputra Kurniawan 1. Bankruptcy and Liquidation: Updates Brought by PPSK Law With respect to bankruptcy and liquidation of certain parties (public listed companies, banks, non-bank financial institutions), there are certain updates and clarifications set out in Law on Development and Improvement of Financial Sector (also known by its local abbreviation “PPSK Law”) - which came into effect on 12 January 2023 (except for certain provisions that are explicitly intended to take effect otherwise).