Introduction

On 3 June 2016, the Hong Kong Government gazetted the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Ordinance 2016 (“Amendment Ordinance”). The date of commencement of the Amendment Ordinance will be appointed by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury by notice published in the Gazette.

Background

Key points

• Automatic stays on proceedings are imposed by Article 20 of the UNCITRAL Model Law (and mirrored in s.130(2) IA 1986)
• The case reinforces the principle that automatic stays are designed to avoid the unnecessary expenditure of assets otherwise available for distribution amongst creditors

The facts

The world’s second-largest economy (China) stumbled; Japan receded; the U.K. showed signs of life; the war-torn Middle East reeled; oil revenue-dependent Russia, Brazil, and Venezuela took body blows; and the European Union exhaled after narrowly avoiding Grexit (and possibly Brexit), only to confront a refugee crisis of alarming (and expensive) proportions, as well as a demonstrated terrorist threat from the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

A Good Year for the U.S.

Global—On August 29, 2014, the International Capital MarketAssociation (“ICMA”), a group of banks and investors,announced a proposal designed to reduce the ability of holdoutbondholders to undermine sovereign debt restructurings. The plan was created after meetings convened by the U.S. Treasury Department in the aftermath of Greece’s debt restructuring and came on the heels of Argentina’s second default on its sovereign debt in 13 years.

In September 2014, in response to the Argentinian and Greek debt crises, both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations General Assembly (UN) published their proposals for making the restructuring of sovereign debt a more orderly process. The IMF’s focus is on firming up the contractual framework of sovereign bond documentation, while the UN’s focus is on establishing a legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring.

For the benefit of our clients and friends investing in European distressed opportunities, our European Network is sharing some current developments.

Recent Developments

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP Comparison of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), October 2015 1 Established pursuant to Abu Dhabi Law No. 4 of 2013, the ADGM is currently in the process of establishing itself as an alternative financial centre to the DIFC. It is intended that over time the ADGM will become a recognised international financial centre alongside the DIFC and other regional financial centres in Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Stefan Ingves has spoken on the Basel Committee’s priorities for the next year. He focused on:

Consider this situation: a dispute has arisen between two parties in relation to an agreement which is subject to an arbitration clause. Separately, a winding up application has been made against one of the parties to the arbitration in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated. An arbitral award is obtained against the potentially insolvent company. That company has assets in Hong Kong, against which the creditor is now seeking to enforce their rights.