Long-awaited amendments to Guernsey's corporate insolvency legislation will come into force on 1 January 2023.
Introduced by the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (Insolvency) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, the provisions are aimed at further improving and updating Guernsey's corporate insolvency regime. The amendments stem from a wide-ranging consultation finalised in 2017 and represent the most significant development of Guernsey's insolvency law since 2008.
The amendments introduce a number of key changes to the law:
Liquidation
Ken Baird, Mark Liscio, Michael Broeders, Marvin Knapp, Samantha Braunstein, Katharina Crinson, Laurent Mabilat, Ana Lóppez and Silvia Anggós, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
This is an extract from the 2023 edition of GRR's the Americas Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
In summary
John Wasty, John Riihiluoma, Lalita Vaswani and James Batten, Appleby
This is an extract from the 2023 edition of GRR's the Americas Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
In summary
The market for crypto assets has recently experienced significant tumult as evidenced by the bankruptcy filings of several significant crypto players, including Three Arrows Capital, Voyager Digital, Celsius Networks, FTX and, most recently, BlockFi. These bankruptcy cases give rise to numerous issues for investors holding crypto assets, which can be mitigated with proper diligence and planning. In addition, there are several estate planning and trust-specific considerations that should be addressed when holding crypto assets (or determining whether to invest in crypto assets).
FTX sounded like the perfect American success story. A twentysomething philanthropic MIT graduate had managed in four years to create one of the largest and most trusted crypto exchange platforms.
Renato G R Maggio, Renata Oliveira, Camilo T Gerosa Gomes and Karina Ferraz Deorio, Machado Meyyer Advoggados
This is an extract from the 2023 edition of GRR's the Americas Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
In summary
In Re Unity Group Holdings International Ltd [2022] HKCFI 3419, the Hong Kong court has for the first time sanctioned a scheme of arrangement that releases debts of third-party obligors that were guaranteed by the scheme company without requiring a deed of contribution. The Honourable Mr. Justice Harris deviated from the English law approach and ruled that a deed of contribution will no longer be necessary for the release of a principal obligor's liability that has been guaranteed by the scheme company.
A going concern
The Government has announced the extension until 31 December 2023 of two significant temporary measures brought in by the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020 (the "Covid Act").
Commercial insolvency can affect stakeholders located in multiple jurisdictions and possessing diverse legal rights. A recent notable trend in Canadian insolvency law is the centralization in insolvency proceedings, where courts have recognized that an effective restructuring of an insolvent business may depend on the centralization of stakeholder claims in a single proceeding. This applies even when such an approach would be inconsistent with the parties’ contractual rights, statutory laws or Canada’s federal structure outside of the insolvency context.
Introduction
The questions of who has priority over a bankrupt's assets and precisely when the priority arises are important ones in bankruptcy. For judgment creditors who have already taken steps towards enforcement, the answer affects whether they will have prior rights to the bankrupt's property, ahead of the bankrupt's other creditors.