A free-standing moratorium for financially distressed but ultimately viable companies was introduced in 2020. It is sometimes called a Part A1 moratorium, after the part of the Insolvency Act 1986 which provides for it.
Routes to Reorganisation
A Comparative Study of the Insolvency Procedures Available in the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United States and England and Wales
First published in the INSOL Restructuring Alert (November 2023)
Introduction
The High Court in Singapore has ordered the winding up of Hodlnaut Pte Ltd, a Singapore based cryptocurrency lending and borrowing platform, as it was cash flow insolvent given that the cryptocurrency funds held by the company from various creditors count as ‘debts’ within the meaning of s125(1)(e) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (IRDA).
On 30 October 2023, the Italian Supreme Court issued its judgment in case No. 29998/2023 detailing certain principles applicable to the claw back of remittances on bank accounts and to the ineffectiveness of financial guarantees granted under Legislative Decree No. 170 of 21 May 2004 (the “Legislative Decree”) in case of bankruptcy. In particular, (a) on the one hand, the Italian Supreme Court confirmed that a bank remittance cannot be clawed back when it does not reduce the outstanding debt of the bankrupt account holder durably (i.e.
On 12 July 2023, the Legislative Council enacted the Bankruptcy and Companies Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2023, a transformative initiative to modernise the filing and notice processes under the Bankruptcy Ordinance (Cap 6) and the Companies (Winding-Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap 32). With the amendments, the Official Receiver’s Office (ORO) introduces the Electronic Submission System (ESS) to bring the ORO and insolvencies into the 21st century.
Changes effective from 29 December 2023
The UAE Gazette of 31 October 2023 includes Federal Decree-Law No. 51 of 2023 on Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy (the “New Law”). Here are some highlights:
- A section of the Courts is designated to monitor and administer bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings. This section is chaired by a Court of Appeal Judge.
- Resolution of claims between debtors and creditors is encouraged; for example, by providing wider scope to debtors seeking Protective Composition.
庭外债务重组，是指对陷入债务困境的债务人在避免完全的司法干预情形下，依靠企业自身与债权人、投资人进行谈判，最大限度地减少成本，改变其资产和债务构成或结构的一种债权债务整体调整活动，这种调整活动着眼于企业整体性系统调整，包括对债务人的业务重组、资产重组、管理重组、债务重组等。其中，业务重组主要围绕主业经营，不断提升巩固核心竞争力，进一步挖掘主业业务资产价值；资产重组主要聚焦企业主营业务，对非主业资产实施瘦身，最大限度实现企业资产重组价值的释放；管理重组主要优化企业治理结构，调整决策和监督职权范围，实现各方对资产处置和经营发展的共同管控，缓释信任风险；债务重组主要在管理重组、资产重组、业务重组的基础上，可以充分运用延期、降息、以物抵债、以股抵债等债务重组工具，实现企业整体债务风险化解。
In our previous article, we discussed the initiatives implemented by the Government to ease the process of discharge of bankrupts. This included the conditions and procedures for discharging bankrupts with small-scale debts, as well as proposed amendments to the Insolvency Act 1967aimed at enhancing the provisions for discharge of bankrupt and the administration of a bankrupt’s estate.
Group Insolvency: Introduction
Group means two or more enterprises, which directly or indirectly are in a position to exercise 26% or more voting rights in other enterprise or appoint more than 50% members of the Board of Directors in the other enterprise or control the management or affairs of the other enterprise.[1]