A Dutch Court of Appeal recently upheld a lower court’s decision that a liquidator has the right to access data concerning the administration of a bankrupt company, the data of which are kept by a third party. It also held that this right, however, does not imply that the third party must provide the data in an orderly manner without being adequately compensated for it.
Christchurch based company Cryptopia Limited (in liquidation) (Cryptopia) operated a cryptocurrency exchange. Account holders were able to deposit cryptocurrencies into the exchange, and carry out trades with each other.
In January 2019 the exchange was hacked and cryptocurrencies valued at approximately NZD30m were stolen. Cryptopia closed after the hack, re-opened for a short period, and was then placed into insolvent liquidation in May 2019. David Ruscoe and Russell Moore of Grant Thornton New Zealand were appointed liquidators.
A recent insolvency law case in the Dutch Supreme Court could have serious consequences for software licensees faced with a bankrupt supplier or licensor. The effect of the judgment may be to render traditional software escrow agreements insufficient and to require additional protective measures.
Summary
On May 24, 2019, New Zealand-based online asset exchange, Cryptopia Limited, filed a petition under Chapter 15 of the United States Bankruptcy Code seeking recognition of its New Zealand liquidation proceeding in the United States. On the same day, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York granted provisional relief to Cryptopia, including extending the benefits of the automatic stay to prevent creditors or other parties in interest from taking actions to interfere with Cryptopia’s assets.
The general view in Switzerland is that cryptocurrencies are intangible assets sui generis and as such can be subject to regular debt enforcement and insolvency proceedings in Switzerland (provided that these cryptocurrencies have a financial value).
This article highlights the particularities to be considered when cryptocurrencies are the target of an attachment procedure (ie, a freezing order) in Switzerland.
Attachment
The following must be established to obtain an attachment in Switzerland:
After publishing a very comprehensive report on distributed ledger technology (DLT) and blockchain in last December, the Federal Council initiated during its meeting on 22 March 2019 the next step by a public consultation on the adaptation of specific federal law provisions to developments in DLT and blockchain. This further underlines the emphasis of the Federal Council on creating the best possible framework to allow Switzerland to establish itself as a leading, innovative and sustainable location for fintech and DLT companies.
After publishing a very comprehensive report on distributed ledger technology (DLT) and blockchain in last December, the Federal Council initiated during its meeting on 22 March 2019 the next step by a public consultation on the adaptation of specific federal law provisions to developments in DLT and blockchain. This further underlines the emphasis of the Federal Council on creating the best possible framework to allow Switzerland to establish itself as a leading, innovative and sustainable location for fintech and DLT companies.
Der Bundesrat ist bestrebt, die Schweiz auf die digitale Zukunft vorzubereiten, wozu insbesondere Anpassungen der Rechtsordnung an die aufstrebende Blockchain und Distributed Ledger Technologie (DLT) gehören. Auf die Veröffentlichung eines umfassenden Berichts zu dieser Thematik im Dezember 2018 folgte am 22. März 2019 eine Vernehmlassungsvorlage mit dem Titel „Anpassung des Bundesrechts an Entwicklungen der Technik verteilter elektronischer Register“. Darin schlägt der Bundesrat die Anpassung verschiedener Gesetze vor, u.a.
Die Digitalisierung ist eine die wichtigsten Treiber von Innovation und von entscheidender Bedeutung für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Schweizer Volkswirtschaft. Zu den vielversprechendsten Entwicklungen gehört die Distributed Ledger Technologie (DLT).
Der Bundesrat hat im März 2019 die Vernehmlassung zur Anpassung des Bundesrechts an die Entwicklungen der DLT eingeleitet und einen vorläufigen legislativen Vorschlag für ein neues Bundesgesetz zur Änderung von Bundesgesetzen im Lichte der Entwicklungen zur DLT ("Vernehmlassungsentwurf") sowie einen erläuternden Bericht vorgelegt.