Introduction

Debt relief is a critical topic, especially for individuals and companies facing financial hardships that may affect their stability. Recently, the UAE has implemented clear legislative frameworks, as have some international laws, to help facilitate debt relief or restructuring. This article covers the legal procedures available, focusing on UAE legislation and international regulations, along with real-world cases and examples.

First: Debt Discharge Under UAE Law

مقدمة

إسقاط الديون هو موضوع ذو أهمية كبيرة، خاصة للأفراد والشركات الذين يواجهون صعوبات مالية قد تؤثر على استقرارهم. وقد أتاحت قوانين دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة الحديثة، وكذلك بعض القوانين الدولية، إطارًا قانونيًا واضحًا لإسقاط الديون أو تخفيفها. تتناول هذه المقالة الإجراءات القانونية المتاحة، مع التركيز على التشريعات الإماراتية والتشريعات الدولية، إضافة إلى عرض بعض الحالات القانونية والأمثلة العملية.

أولاً: إسقاط الديون وفقًا لقانون الإمارات العربية المتحدة

قانون الإفلاس في الإمارات (القانون الاتحادي رقم 9 لسنة 2016)

Chris Pearce, Blackwall Legal LLP

This is an extract from the 2025 edition of GRR's The Asia-Pacific Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.

This is an Insight article, written by a selected partner as part of GRR's co-published content. Read more on Insight

In summary

Established in 2015 as a trusted neutral forum to meet increasing demand for effective transnational dispute resolution, the Singapore International Commercial Court (the "SICC") is a division of the General Division of the High Court and part of the Supreme Court of Singapore. On January 18, 2024, the SICC handed down its first insolvency-related ruling.

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Globalisation has led to a significant increase in the number of enterprises which comprise of several closely connected entities that may operate as a single economic unit. As a consequence, difficulties may arise when 1 or more entities in that single economic unit become insolvent as the inability of 1 entity to pay its debts may impact stakeholders in another entity within the group.

With the increase in global trade and business, often involving complex corporate structures in multiple jurisdictions, we expect to see a significant increase in cross-border insolvency and restructuring matters in coming years. This is especially the case with rapid advancements in technology and digital change driving “borderless” transactions and investments in every industry.

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Implementation of UNCITRAL model law on Enterprise Group Insolvency

Following the Government's response to the UNCITRAL consultation (see our briefing here) - which suggests that, for a while at least, the rule in Gibbs is here to stay - we expect to see an increase in parallel proceedings being used when multijurisdictional corporate groups seek to restructure their debt.

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We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Going concerns and we look forward to your continued support in the coming editions of the same. As usual, please feel free to contact us should you like to learn more on any topic.

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