Intensive debate is currently under way in EU bodies on the proposal for a directive that could have a substantial impact on insolvency proceedings and the restructuring process in individual EU Member States. The proposal No. 2016/0359/COD[1] (“Proposal”) submitted by the European Commission envisages, among other things, the establishment of a legal framework governing informal restructuring of corporations’ financial engagement (“Informal Restructuring”).
Welcome to the inaugural edition of 'Going concerns', in which we strive to bring you the latest updates on restructuring and insolvency law. For this issue, we focus on Singapore and provide:
The definition of insolvency is a key element of the insolvency law. It opens the gate for tools that enable creditors to safeguard their rights vis-à-vis their debtors. This week, the Czech Supreme Court published a ground-breaking decision which addresses a crucial aspect of balance-sheet insolvency. Many other issues, however, still remain unresolved.
Definition of insolvency
As in other jurisdictions, the Czech Insolvency Act anticipates two forms of insolvency -- cash-flow insolvency (illiquidity test) and balance-sheet insolvency (over-indebtedness).
Introduction
Regarding M&A deal activity in emerging Europe, 2019 seems to have been a year of mixed sentiments. While both the overall value and volume of M&A deals in the region were down year-on-year, many M&A professionals claim anecdotally that it was a more buoyant year than the previous one. There are also predictions that investment activity in emerging Europe will increase even further in the next 12 months.
The recent Amendment on the Czech Insolvency Act (the “Amendment”) enters into force on 1 July 2017.
The Amendment states that a creditor is entitled to be satisfied from its security even when its contingent or future claim (such as bank guarantee) becomes actual after the start of the security provider’s insolvency.
An extensive amendment to Act No. 182/2006 Coll., on Insolvency (the "Insolvency Act") will come into effect on 1 July 2017 (the "Amendment").
The Amendment takes into account the practical recommendations of insolvency judges and administrators as well as other legal professionals. It fundamentally changes many aspects of insolvency proceedings, from preliminary assessment of the insolvency petition, to supervision of the insolvency administrator by the Ministry of Justice and debt relief procedures.
The Amendment primarily aims to
Dne 19. dubna 2016 byl vldou Poslaneck snmovn, jako snmovn tisk c. 785, pedlozen pomrn rozshl nvrh novely insolvencnho zkona. Nvrh krom poslen dohledu nad vkonem funkce insolvencnho sprvce ci regulace subjekt poskytujcch sluzby souvisejc s institutem oddluzen zejmna posiluje ochranu ped sikanznmi insolvencnmi nvrhy.
Short stories
Amendments to the Czech Insolvency Act 2016
Under Czech law, insolvency petitions (regardless of whether they are filed by a creditor or debtor) and all other insolvency documents must be published in the Insolvency Register by the insolvency court within two hours of receipt. The register is publicly accessible online. Since the launch of the register in 2008, it has served as an effective, modern and transparent tool within the insolvency regulation framework. However, this transparency has also had negative side effects.
On September 9, 2016, Citibank’s London Branch filed a claim as collateral agent for the bondholders of New World Resources (NWR) with the High Court in Ostrava in the insolvency proceedings of OKD. OKD owns seven coal mines in the Czech Republic, employing over 13000 people. The low cost of coal and the refusal of the Czech Government to bail it out led to OKD filing for a Czech restructuring process in May 2016.