One year ago, we wrote that 2022 would be remembered in the corporate bankruptcy world for the "crypto winter" that descended in November 2022 with the spectacular collapse of FTX Trading Ltd., Alameda Research, and approximately 130 other affiliated companies that ignited the meltdown of many other platforms, exchanges, lenders, and mining operations because they did business with FTX.

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the previous decision of the High Court to sanction a restructuring plan ("Plan") that had been proposed by the Adler Group ("Adler") should be set aside. The decision marks the first appeal in relation to a restructuring plan under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 ("Companies Act") and the decision offers clarity on the approach to restructuring plans, particularly when considering issues of "fairness".

On January 2, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed an amicus curiae brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to reverse a district court’s decision finding that a debt collector lacked the requisite knowledge and intent to violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) when it sent a debt-collection communication prior to any knowledge of the debtor’s bankruptcy filing.

In 2023, the economies of some nations stagnated, but developing economies particularly struggled. As a new year commences, some of these countries will continue their efforts at restructuring their debts—a process that has been going on for years.

Following are our summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of January 15, 2024.

Celsius creditors feeling the heat over preference claims

摘要

市场经济交易中，企业以自有财产对外抵押，提供担保的情形屡见不鲜。上述企业进入破产程序后，易引发破产法与担保法交叉问题。破产企业以自有财产为第三人的债务提供抵押，主债权债务发生于债权人（抵押权人）与第三人之间，抵押权人若在抵押人的破产程序中主张权利，管理人审查认定过程中，易与破产企业为自己的债务提供抵押混淆，单纯的抵押权人可能被认定为“抵押债权人”。本文立足于物权和债权的二分性原则，探讨了在破产程序中，对破产企业仅享有抵押权的权利人的权利认定与行权规则。

关键词

抵押权人 别除权 别除权人 权利行使

The festive period is a time for celebrating with loved ones, enjoying food and drink, and exchanging gifts. But it can also bring financial challenges. With rising living costs, interest rates at levels not seen for over a decade, and inflation still high, the cost of Christmas can present a further struggle, leaving many overstretched and facing unmanageable debts and insolvency come January.

Insights

Insolvency litigation witnessed intriguing developments across multiple aspects in Hong Kong in 2023, ranging from the court’s updated Practice Direction on Bankruptcy and Winding-Up Proceedings to on-going debate surrounding the interplay between insolvency proceedings and arbitration clauses. In this Legal Update, we examine major developments that unfolded. The key takeaways are: 1.