Singapore is set to adopt the recommendations of the Committee to Strengthen Singapore as an International Centre for Debt Restructuring.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners Summer National Meeting, held on August 24 - 28 in San Diego, produced a number of noteworthy developments related to international, financial, and other regulatory matters. Many of these matters are interconnected on both public policy and technical grounds and involve a mixture of domestic and international political issues.

Le 1^er septembre 2016 la compagnie Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd (“Hanjin”) première compagnie coréenne de transport maritime par conteneur a sollicité la protection de la loi coréenne sur les faillites et une procédure collective, dite de “réhabilitation”, a été ouverte par les tribunaux de Séoul.

This past weekend, Hanjin vessels commenced unloading operations on the U.S. West Coast for the first time since Hanjin filed its bankruptcy petition with the Seoul Central District Court in Korea. Vessels have also been reportedly unloading in Japanese and Canadian ports. There is an obvious overriding public interest in having the many millions of dollars worth of cargo resume moving to its various destinations.

1. Commencement of Rehabilitation Proceedings by Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd. (“Hanjin Shipping”) On August 31, 2016 Hanjin Shipping filed a rehabilitation petition with the Seoul Central District Court. The Case number is Seoul Central District Court 2016 HoeHap 100211. On August 31, 2016, the Bankruptcy Division of the Seoul Central District Court issued a comprehensive prohibition order, as a provisional measure, to all creditors.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) has recently rendered a decision in a dispute between the Portuguese investor Dan Cake and Hungary. The dispute was based on a bilateral investment agreement between Portugal and Hungary concluded in 1992. In its decision, the Tribunal declared Hungary liable for the breach of the investment agreement. The Tribunal will decide on the amount of damages at a later date.

Dan Cake versus Hungary

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System proposed a rule that would require US global systemically important banking institutions to amend their contracts for certain common financial transactions to preclude the immediate termination of such contracts if a firm enters bankruptcy or a resolution process. Relevant contracts – termed “qualified financial contracts” – that would have to be amended include those used for derivatives, securities lending and short time financing such as repurchase agreements.

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