There are two principal routes to voluntarily dissolving a Cayman Islands company after the conclusion of its operations. Dissolution can be achieved either through (i) voluntary liquidation, or (ii) a strike-off. The dissolution will mean that the company is removed from the Register maintained by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands and cease to exist ultimately.

A statutory demand is a formal demand for payment of a debt made by a creditor to a debtor. It may be used as the basis for an application for a petition to wind up a Cayman company.

Service and content of Statutory Demand

The Companies Winding up Rules 2008 (as amended) provide guidance as to the form and content of a statutory demand as well as the mode of service within the Cayman Islands.

A statutory demand should be in the format of CWR Form 1 and must be signed by:

Voluntary liquidations generally

As the conclusion of 2019 approaches, clients should give some thought to whether or not they have Cayman entities which they are no longer using and wish to liquidate prior to the end of 2019 in order to, among other things, avoid annual government registration fees due in January 2020. A voluntary liquidator of a Cayman company or exempted limited partnership (ELP) is required to hold the final general meeting for that company or file the final dissolution notice for that ELP on or before 31 January 2020.

Voluntary liquidations generally

As the conclusion of 2018 approaches, clients should give some thought to whether or not they have Cayman entities which they wish to liquidate prior to the end of 2018 for, among other things, the purpose of avoiding annual government registration fees due in January 2019. A voluntary liquidator of a Cayman company or exempted limited partnership (ELP) is required to hold the final general meeting for that company or file the final dissolution notice for that ELP on or before 31 January 2019.

In certain circumstances the official liquidator of a Cayman company may be able to take action to recover assets which have been transferred in the run up to the company's insolvency. It is important for those concerned with the affairs of a Cayman company in the twilight of insolvency to be aware of the statutory powers available to the official liquidator and the Grand Court in the Cayman Islands.

Voidable preferences

Voluntary liquidation or Strike-off? - Alternatives to voluntarily achieving the conclusion of operations and dissolution of Cayman companies

A Cayman Islands company can be dissolved by the appointment of a liquidator or it can be dissolved without such appointment if the company is struck off the register as a result of an application to the Registrar of Companies for the purpose.

Voluntary liquidation

In circumstances where the company has been active and has substantial assets and liabilities, it is normal and recommended for the company to be liquidated.

Why segregated portfolio companies are thriving in Cayman? Loeb Smith’s corporate Partner Gary Smith talks to HFM Week about SPCs.

HFMWeek (HFM):How versatile are SPCs? What makes them this way?

Introduction

The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands has recently offered additional, useful guidance in the growing jurisprudence on the insolvency of Segregated Portfolio Companies (“SPCs”). We have previously discussed the applicable test of insolvency that applies to the appointment of a receiver in respect of a segregated portfolio (“SP”) of an SPC here.

Introduction