On April 25, 2016, H.R.H. Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman announced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “Vision 2030”, a plan to radically transform the Kingdom’s economy in, what many commentators saw as, a response to budgetary pressures arising from the slump in crude oil prices.
Vision 2030 sets out a comprehensive road map to promote more efficient government services and to diversify the Kingdom’s economy by boosting private sector job creation and developing the non-oil economy.
Legal Developments
Potential hourly wage system
The Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MOL) is discussing a potential new employment system for Saudi employees named “Flexible Work” (Flexible Work). Flexible Work will be a system whereby an employee may be paid an hourly wage on a weekly basis in arrears, and various entitlements currently required under the Labor Law for conventional employees would not be required, such as:
Legal developments
Saudi Arabia finally adopted a modern bankruptcy law on Wednesday 14/02/2018G by virtue of a Royal Decree No. M/50 dated 28/05/1439H (corresponding to 14/02/2018G) (the “BL”). The BL is based on bankruptcy protection laws around the globe, and it replaces the existing outdated framework on bankruptcy which was embedded within the Commercial Court Law and the Bankruptcy Protective Settlement Law.
These days it seems as if all roads in Saudi Arabia lead to Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme (NTP), the government’s strategy to modernise and diversify the Saudi economy.
Amongst other things, the government has signalled that it wants to see a far greater level of private sector participation in many areas of the economy than has previously been the case. This has led to a number of reforms designed to facilitate and pave the way for that investment and especially foreign investment.
These days it seems as if all roads in Saudi Arabia lead to Saudi Vision 2030, the government’s strategy to modernise and diversify the Saudi economy. Amongst other things, the government has signalled that it wants to see a far greater level of private sector participation. This has led to a number of reforms designed to facilitate and pave the way for that investment, especially foreign investment.
What is the Cape Town Convention?
The Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (“Convention”) and the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment (“Aircraft Protocol”) were signed in Cape Town, South Africa, on 16 November 2001.
The Amendments to the Enforcement Act (“Official Gazette of RS”, No. 54/2019) came into force on 3 August 2019 (“Amendments“) but will, all but one, become applicable only on 1 January 2020. The following are the main novelties:
Dormant enforcement proceedings pending against blocked bank accounts
As a result of major market changes, business entities more often suspend their operations and become insolvent, during which arises the question of the collectability of the claims of their creditors and associates, as well as persons who are in other relationships with such insolvent business entities.
The legislative framework governing bankruptcy provides partial answers. However, certain questions still remain unanswered in the shining shadow of legal gaps.
Draft new insolvency law for the UAE - is a big clean-up of delinquent debtors on the way?
It has been widely reported that the new insolvency law in the UAE is substantially progressed, with the UAE Federal Cabinet expected to review it in the early part of this year.