The Technology and Construction Court recently delivered helpful judicial guidance on when an insured’s cause of action under an the NHBC ‘Buildmark Choice’ policy, providing cover for contractor insolvency before practical completion arises.

Recently, the High Court of Delhi, reinforced the application of Section 32A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (“IBC“). Section 32A of the IBC states that the liability of a corporate debtor (“CD“) for an offence committed prior to commencement of the corporate insolvency resolution process (“CIRP”) shall cease and the CD shall not be prosecuted for such an offence from the date the resolution plan (“Plan“) has been approved by the adjudicating authority (“AA”).

Industry insolvencies are expected to increase in the construction industry in 2022. I will discuss in this article how Project Trusts will impact affected parties.

The legislation giving effect to Trusts, the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017(BIFA), was initially based on the establishment of ‘Project Bank Accounts’ (PBAs).

Liquidity issues within the construction industry have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with the high-profile collapse of major contractors in the region, the UAE has taken strides to improve upon its existing Bankruptcy Law (Law 9 of 2016) to ensure that it remains capable of facing the very modern challenges presented by the current climate. This includes the introduction of provisions which give debtors limited reprieve in circumstances of “Emergency Financial Crisis” under Law 9 of 2019 amending the Bankruptcy Law.