Tag Archives: legislation

Comparison of Directors’ Duties Across Europe

This article, that was recently published in INSOL, provides a comparison of directors’ duties between several European jurisdictions –  England and Wales, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. It explores the role of directors and their general duties and obligations in a going concern scenario and examines how those duties might change … Continue Reading

Will UK businesses face supply chain challenges now Trump is in office?

Throughout his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump vowed that if re-elected, he would address unfair trade practices, rebalance trade relationships, and fund other economic proposals through new and expanded tariffs. With his return to the White House, the world is grappling with a complex web of international trade risks and potential opportunities in 2025. President … Continue Reading

Distressed M&A Deals in Poland

The post-pandemic anxiety on the European markets was largely due to the anticipated wave of bankruptcies. High interest rates, surging energy prices and out-of-control inflation took their toll on many European businesses. Although the doomsday scenario did not come to pass, we have been seeing increasingly more restructurings and insolvencies. The Polish market is no … Continue Reading

UKCloud – An Addition to the ‘Avanti’ and ‘Spectrum’ Trilogy on Fixed and Floating Charges

Earlier this year ICC Judge Baister handed down judgment in the case of UKCloud Ltd, building on the decision in Avanti[1] by providing further analysis around the distinction between fixed and floating charges – following a dearth of caselaw on the point since Spectrum.[2] This blog pulls together some of the key messages and practical … Continue Reading

Reflections on The UK Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) Powers that could see Insolvency Practitioners facing £1million fines

There is a tension between UK insolvency and pensions laws. Put simply, this is because insolvency laws look to protect all of the company’s creditors, but pension laws seek to protect the interests of the pension creditors alone. When new offences and criminal sanctions were introduced in 2021 enabling TPR to issue fines of up … Continue Reading

Subchapter V Debt Limit: Don’t Get Caught Assuming Congress Will Act (It Probably Will…But Still) (US)

In my most recent blog post, I provided some tips for creditors who find themselves in the Subchapter V arena. This is somewhat of a follow-up to that one. There is a general consensus that Subchapter V has been successful for debtors in smaller cases. The American Bankruptcy Institute recently commented that Subchapter V bankruptcies … Continue Reading

New York’s Renewed Efforts to Pass Sovereign Debt Legislation (US)

As discussed in our prior blog entitled “New York’s Sovereign Debt Restructuring Proposals,”[1] three bills were introduced in the New York state legislature to overhaul the way sovereign debt restructurings are handled in New York.  Those bills sought to implement a comprehensive mechanism for restructuring sovereign debt, limit recovery on certain sovereign debt claims, and … Continue Reading

Cryptocurrency Brings Disruption to Bankruptcy Courts—What Parties Can Expect and the Open Issues Still To Be Resolved (Part Two)

In this second part of our blog exploring the various issues courts need to address in applying the Bankruptcy Code to cryptocurrency, we expand upon our roadmap.  In part one, we addressed whether cryptocurrency constitutes property of the estate, the impacts of cryptocurrency’s fluctuating valuation, issues of perfection, and the effects of cryptocurrency on debtor-in-possession … Continue Reading

Cryptocurrency Brings Disruption to Bankruptcy Courts—What Parties Can Expect and the Open Issues Still To Be Resolved (Part One)

Many authorities and commentators have considered cryptocurrencies, and the blockchains that undergird them, as a potentially disruptive force in the financial industry.  Now, that disruption has made its way to a different side of finance—bankruptcy, and during the past year, the United States bankruptcy courts have had to confront many unexpected challenges involved in dealing … Continue Reading

Small suppliers no longer sheltered from the UK “ipso facto” regime

Last year, the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 made a number of changes to the UK insolvency landscape. Amongst the changes, was the addition of the “ipso facto” regime, which prevents suppliers terminating supply contracts as a result of insolvency-related events. Up until 30 June 2021, “small suppliers” were exempt from the regime.  However, … Continue Reading

UPDATED Global Insolvency Report: Impact of Covid-19 on Insolvency Laws

Our guide sets out how different jurisdictions are changing their Insolvency Laws to help alleviate additional pressures placed on businesses as a consequence of cash flow pressures caused by COVID-19. We have updated our guide to introduce a traffic light system to show the current status of these measures and to include further changes to … Continue Reading

Questions and Answers for UK Corporates about the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act

Following our webinar discussing the impact of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 for corporates, we have prepared a question and answer sheet addressing questions raised including: Does ipso facto apply to just UK contracts? Can a supplier still exercise set off rights if its customer enters into a moratorium? What should a supplier … Continue Reading

When is a decision to declare an interim dividend a decision?

It is often common practice for small businesses to structure payments to a director (who is also a shareholder) through a combination of dividend payments and salary, in order to minimize PAYE liabilities and reduce tax.  Consequently, rather than be paid a salary, a director is “remunerated” by dividend payments.  This works when the company … Continue Reading

HMRC, Insolvency and Post-Budget Preferential Status

Following the Enterprise Act 2002, the preferential status which HMRC had enjoyed in an insolvency was abolished, rendering HMRC the same as any other unsecured creditor. The effect of this was to swell the pot of assets available to be applied to all unsecured creditor claims. Philip Hammond announced in Monday’s budget that HMRC’s preferential … Continue Reading

Government proposes legislation to enhance UK insolvency regime

On 26 August, the Government announced that it will be making changes to UK insolvency legislation. The changes are intended to support distressed companies and address issues highlighted by major company failures and include: the ability for all companies to apply for a moratorium a new insolvency process – the “restructuring plan”, enabling companies to cram … Continue Reading

Future EU Regulation proposed to address conflicts of law on the assignment of receivables

On 12 March 2018 the European Commission published a proposal for a Regulation to govern the law applicable to the third-party effects of assignments of claims (the “Assignment Regulation”). The proposal of the Assignment Regulation adopted by the European Commission deals with which law applies to determine the effectiveness and perfection of the transfer of … Continue Reading

Insolvency Practice Direction 2016 now in force

The new Insolvency Practice Direction 2016 has finally been given approval by the Lord Chancellor and came into force yesterday (25 April) bringing with it changes to reflect the new Insolvency Rules 2016 and recent changes to the CPR.  The new practice direction replaces that of 2014 with immediate effect.  Key changes include: clarity on … Continue Reading

Tax abuse and insolvency – an HMRC consultation

HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) has issued a consultation entitled “Tax Abuse and Insolvency: A Discussion Document” on how it proposes to confront those who misuse insolvency law as a means of avoiding or evading their tax liabilities. HMRC often describes itself as an “involuntary creditor” because it does not choose to trade with debtors. … Continue Reading

Is the UK insolvency regime equipped for the current political and economic climate?

An effective and well-equipped insolvency and restructuring regime gives confidence to investors and financiers, enabling credit to flow through to businesses and boost economic activity, growth and innovation. In 1999, following the Asian financial crisis, the World Bank carried out a review of the international regimes to establish a set of key principles for effective … Continue Reading
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