The Code

On 21 October 2019 the Bankruptcy Code of Ukraine shall come into legal force ("Code"). The rules on operation of the electronic trade system within bankruptcy proceedings shall become effective earlier, on 21 July 2019.

The Code amends the bankruptcy procedure of legal entities and introduces the bankruptcy procedure for individuals (which was not previously applicable in Ukraine).

New Provisions

The most significant changes are the following:

Провадження у справі про банкрутство наразі є справжнім марафоном для учасників, адже, за даними Doing Business 2019, середня тривалість процедури банкрутства в Україні становить приблизно 3 роки. Непоодинокими є випадки, коли справи про банкрутство тривають десятиліттями (наприклад, банкрутства великих державних підприємств).

Цього року набув чинності Кодекс України з процедур банкрутства, який вже у жовтні повинен змінити правила, за якими розглядаються справи про банкрутство. Чи не найбільш обговорюваною новелою Кодексу є запровадження процедури банкрутства фізособи. До цього законодавство України не знало такої процедури, як банкрутство звичайного громадянина.

Нова процедура банкрутства фізичної особи може бути корисною як кредиторам (в основному це банки та інші фінансові установи, які раніше активно кредитували фізичних осіб), так і боржникам, які мають непогашені кредити.

On 21 October 2019, the Code on Bankruptcy Procedures adopted by Ukraine’s parliament on 18 October 2018 (“the Code”) came into effect. The Code replaces the Act of Ukraine on Renewal of Debtor’s Solvency or Declaring It Bankrupt dated 14 May 1992 that applied previously. The Code has sparked controversy in Ukraine and until the last moment there were discussions whether its entering into effect should be postponed until a later date.

Launch of insolvency proceedings

On 25 September 2019, the Ukrainian Parliament brought into force law No. 112-IX (the “Law“). The purpose of the Law is to correct deficiencies in existing legislation and further promote out-of-court financial restructurings in the jurisdiction. The adoption of the Law comes in light of the high volume of non-performing loans which still exist in Ukraine.

The Law’s key provisions are as follows:

Success stories point to the potential effectiveness of new legislation but significant timeframe concerns remain

The idea behind Ukraine’s new financial restructuring legislation was to implement the best global regulatory and taxation practices used to revive the banking business. A growing number of the restructuring success stories based on the new law are helping to demonstrate the viability of the relevant procedures.

On 14 July 2016, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Financial Restructuring” No. 1414-VIII (the “Law”) which, based on its transitional provisions, entered into force on 19 October 2016 and will remain valid for 3 years as of the day of its entrance into force. The Law introduces the procedure of voluntary financial restructuring of legal entities (including municipal and state enterprises) having outstanding debt(s) towards at least one financial institution which is not a related party to the entity.

In 2016, the Ukrainian parliament passed the Law on Financial Restructuring (the "Financial Restructuring Law") with the aim of creating a workable procedure for voluntarily restructuring debt obligations of Ukrainian borrowers. Technically, the Financial Restructuring Law became effective on 19 October 2016 but did not become operational because the required bodies envisaged in the Financial Restructuring Law were not in place.

In 2016, the Ukrainian parliament passed the Law on Financial Restructuring (the Financial Restructuring Law) with the aim of creating a workable procedure for voluntarily restructuring debt obligations of Ukrainian borrowers. Technically, the Financial Restructuring Law became effective on 19 October 2016 but did not become operational because the required bodies envisaged in the Financial Restructuring Law were not in place.

Conducting Business in Ukraine 2017 All of the information included in this document is for informational purposes only, and may not reflect the most current legal developments, judgments, or settlements. This information is not offered as legal or any other advice on any particular matter.