Arbitration Act

Amendment, Arbitration Act, Caribbean, International arbitration, International Commercial Arbitration

(Attorney General's Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs of Guyana)/ /1 Comment

On May 17, 2024, Guyana passed the Arbitration Act 2024 (Act No. 6 of 2024) (“AA”). The AA repealed the outdated Arbitration Act, Cap 7:03, Laws of Guyana (Act No. 17 of 1916), passed more than a century ago, and makes Guyana the latest Commonwealth Caribbean country, after Trinidad and Tobago, which passed new legislation…

Arbitration Act, Arbitration Act 1996, Confidentiality, Confidentiality and Transparency, English courts, English Law

(Seladore Legal)/ /Leave a comment

The confidentiality of arbitrations seated in England is long-established in English law. In the absence of an express agreement to dispense with confidentiality, English law recognises an implied obligation on parties and arbitrators to maintain the confidentiality of the hearing, the award and other materials produced in the proceedings (Dolling-Baker v Merrett [1990] 1 WLR…

Arbitration Act, Arbitration Reform, Latvia

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Latvia’s status as the arbitration unicorn remains undisputed after nearly ten years since adopting the country’s first Arbitration Law (“Latvian Arbitration Law”). In February 2024, the overly liberal Latvian regime resulted in 57 arbitral institutions. This record-high number, however, is considerably less than the 214 arbitral institutions in Latvia in 2013. Although advertised by the…

Amendment, Arbitration Act, Arbitration Reform, Papua New Guinea, UNCITRAL Model Law

(Nambawan Super) and (Munro Leys)/ /Leave a comment

On 20 February 2024, Papua New Guinea (“PNG”) passed a dual-track legislative regime regulating arbitration (“New Arbitration Regime”), with the Arbitration (International) Act 2024 (“IAA”) governing international arbitration and a separate Arbitration (Domestic) Act 2024 (“DAA”) governing domestic arbitration. The New Arbitration Regime will come into operation upon the publication of a notice in the…

2023 in Review, Arbitration Act, Cryptocurrency, Expropriation, HK Arbitration Week, Hong Kong, Intellectual Property, Interim measures, ISDS, Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, PRC, Renewable energy, Sovereign Immunity, Tajikistan, Technology, Third party funding, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

, and (Williams & Connolly LLP)/ /Leave a comment

Introduction East and Central Asia sees further efforts to promote arbitration through legislative and regulatory developments. Domestic courts clarified issues fundamental to arbitration and the judicial enforcement of arbitral awards. Domestic legislative and judicial bodies and arbitral institutions continue to grapple with recent trends and come up with innovative solutions that reflect the unique experience…

Arbitral seat, Arbitration Act, Arbitration institution, Arbitration Institutions and Rules, Japan, Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, JCAA

(DLA Piper), (City-Yuwa Partners), (Miura & Partners), (Nozomi Sogo Attorneys at Law), (Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners), and (City-Yuwa Partners )/ /Leave a comment

On 17 November 2023, the leading arbitration-related institutions and government entities in Japan co-hosted an international arbitration conference, entitled “Exploring Innovative Solutions in a Changing World”, to showcase Japan’s flourishing ecosystem as a preferred place of arbitration, and to mark the 70th anniversary of the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA). Held in Tokyo, this event…

Arbitration Act, Arbitration Reform, arbitration rules, Caribbean, Trinidad & Tobago

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On 11 July 2023, Trinidad and Tobago (“T&T”) enacted the Arbitration Act 2023 (the “Act”) to significantly modernise the domestic and international arbitration legal framework of the country. The Act repeals the Arbitration Act, Chap. 5:01 (the “Former Arbitration Act”) dating back to 1939, that was based on the 1889 and 1934 British arbitration laws,…

Arbitration Act, Legislation, Legislative amendment, Nigeria

(Broderick Bozimo and Company)/ /Leave a comment

In May 2023, Nigeria’s Arbitration and Mediation Act (AMA) was enacted. It replaced the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1988 with a modernised version that aligns with the 2006 UNCITRAL Model Law. Among its salient features is the Award Review Tribunal (ART) mechanism, outlined in Section 56. This distinctive, innovative procedural offers an alternative to traditional…

Albania, Arbitration Act, UNCITRAL Model Law

, (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer)/ /Leave a comment

For years, Albania did not have a self-standing arbitration law or even any legislative provisions specifically on arbitration. Until 2013, the Albanian Civil Procedure Code did contain some provisions on arbitration, but these were repealed in 2013. On 6 July 2023, after several years of discussions and drafts, the Albanian Parliament adopted an arbitration law…

ADR, Arbitration Act, Brazil, Brazilian Arbitration Act, Emergency Arbitrator, ICC, Latin America

(JBLEE Advogados)/ /Leave a comment

In 2023, the ICC International Court of Arbitration (“ICC Court”) celebrated 100 years as the world’s leading arbitral institution. To celebrate this milestone, on 25 May 2023, the ICC Court and the National Committee of Brazil (“ICC Brazil”) organized the First ICC Arbitration Conference in the South of Brazil (“ICC South Conference”). The ICC South…

Arbitration Act, arbitration rules, Corporate disputes, Intra-corporate disputes, Philippines

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Late last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines (“SEC“) issued its Memorandum Circular No. 8 (s. 2022) (“MC 8″). MC 8 gives effect to Section 181 of the Revised Corporation Code (“RCC“) and, among other things, specifies the role of the SEC in arbitrations involving intra-corporate disputes. Section 181 of the RCC…

Arbitration Act, Saudi Arabia, SCCA

(Public Law Department at King Faisal University)/ /6 Comments

The development of arbitration and its associated regulatory practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) began with the enactment of the 2012 KSA Arbitration Law (“2012 Law”) in March 2012. Ten years later, this post discusses the progress of arbitration in the KSA and the significant strides made by the KSA which positions it…

ADR, Arbitration, Arbitration Act, Brazil, Brazilian Arbitration Act, Disclosure, Duty to Disclose, Impartiality, Latin America

(University of Cambridge)/ /Leave a comment

Despite being a relatively young market at just over 20 years old, Brazilian arbitration has experienced rapid growth. As of 2020, Brazil ranked second in the number of arbitrations filed with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), surpassing all European, African, and Asian jurisdictions. Brazil is also among the top five nationalities represented among arbitrators,…

2022 in Review, Arbitration Act, HK Arbitration Week, Hong Kong, Interim measures, ISDS, Japan, Korea, Legislative amendment, Macau, New York Convention, PRC, Taiwan, Treaty, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

, , and (Williams & Connolly LLP)/ /Leave a comment

East and Central Asia made further strides to promote arbitration, including through legislative reforms and enhancement of judicial assistance, as well as the accession, ratification, and creation of treaties.  Some domestic courts clarified views on fundamental issues in arbitration.  On the user side, East and Central Asian parties continued to be active as both claimants…

Arbitration Act, Arbitrator Challenges, Arbitrator Selection, Brazil, Brazilian Arbitration Act, Conflicts of interest, Debate, Disclosure, double hatting, Independence and Impartiality, judicial reform, regulation

(FCDG - Ferro, Castro Neves, Daltro & Gomide Advogados) and (University of Cambridge)/ /1 Comment

The 1996 Brazilian Arbitration Act (the “BAA”), which subjects domestic and international arbitrations to the same set of rules, has been modified only once through the 2015 amendment (the “2015 Amendment”). On July 6, 2022, Brazilian party leaders signed a Motion of Urgency to bypass the standard legislative process – which usually comprises public consultations…

Arbitration Act, Arbitration Agreements, Arbitration institution, Belt Road Initiative, China, judicial review

(Tsinghua University Faculty of Law, Institute for International Dispute Settlement)/ /Leave a comment

A key characteristic of an international commercial arbitration award is its binding nature, although parties may still consent to non-binding arbitration. A consent to non-binding arbitration is problematic when the applicable law explicitly prescribes arbitration to be binding. Mainland China is such a jurisdiction. Thus, the issue of the validity of a non-binding arbitration agreement…

2021 in Review, Arbitration Act, Arbitration Agreement, Arbitration institution, Cryptocurrency, HK Arbitration Week, Interim measures, ISDS, kompetenz-kompetenz, Legislative amendment, Multi-tiered clauses, PRC, Treaty

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In 2021, East and Central Asia witnessed some noteworthy developments in domestic legislation, jurisprudence, and efforts to enhance the standing of arbitral institutions and seats in the region. There have also been developments in trade/investment agreements and investor-State claims in the region. In this post, our East and Central Asian editorial team reviews this progress…

Arbitration Act, Case Management, China, HK Arbitration Week, HKIAC, Interim measures, Interviews with Our Editors, Third party funding, Tribunal Secretary

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Sarah has been HKIAC Secretary-General since September 2016. During her time at the helm, the HKIAC has, among other actions, released its 2018 Administered Arbitration Rules, overseen the changes arising from the 2019 arrangement between Mainland China and Hong Kong regarding interim measures for arbitration (“Interim Measures Arrangement”), became the first foreign arbitral institution to…

Ad hoc arbitration, Arbitration Act, Arbitration institution, China

(Tahota Law Firm)/ /Leave a comment

The proposed Article 91 in the Draft Amendment to PRC Arbitration Law (the “Draft Amendment”), which was issued by the PRC Ministry of Justice in July 2021, introduces ad hoc arbitration: “The parties to a commercial dispute involving foreign elements may agree on an institutional arbitration or directly agree that it shall be arbitrated by…

Arbitration Act, Arbitration Agreements, Arbitration institution, China, judicial review, kompetenz-kompetenz, Validity

(Hui Zhong Law Firm)/ /Leave a comment

On 30 July 2021, the PRC Ministry of Justice issued the Amendment to the Arbitration Law (Consultation Draft) (the “Draft Amendment”), which is the first substantial amendment of the existing PRC Arbitration Law (the “Arbitration Law”) in more than two decades. (See previous posts on the PRC Arbitration Law here and here.) Of the changes…

Ad hoc arbitration, Arbitral seat, Arbitration Act, Arbitration institution, China

, (Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP) and (Arnold & Porter)/ /2 Comments

Efforts are underway in China to reform the Arbitration Law of the PRC (“PRC Arbitration Law”), a statute that was promulgated in 1994 (effective in 1995) and that remains substantially unchanged to this day.1)The authors wish to thank Arnold & Porter Shanghai office interns Lyuzhi Wang and Steven Peng for their assistance in the preparation…

Arbitration Act, Ecuador, International Commercial Arbitration, Latin America, regulation

(Tobar ZVS)/ /Leave a comment

Ecuador´s Arbitration and Mediation Law (“AML”) was enacted in 1997 and amended in 2015. However, the AML did not count with regulations until August 2021. Given that some provisions contained in the AML are vague, arbitrators, counsel and judges interpreted them in different ways, many of them in contradiction with the very nature of the…

Africa, Arbitration Act, Arbitration Proceedings, Stay of Proceedings, Tanzania

, , (Bowmans Tanzania)/ /1 Comment

This post is in response to the post titled “The First Year of Tanzania’s 2020 Arbitration Act” published on the Kluwer Arbitration Blog on 21 April 2021. In the above-mentioned post, Katarina Jurisic and Michael Wietzorek analysed the provisions of Tanzania’s Arbitration Act 2020 (‘the Act’) and the effect that the Act would have on…

Arbitral seat, Arbitration Act, Arbitration institution, Institutional Rules, Japan, Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, JCAA

(Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu Singapore LLP) and (Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu)/ /Leave a comment

On 31 May 2021, the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (“JCAA”), Japan International Dispute Resolution Center (“JIDRC”), and the Japanese Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) co-hosted a webinar on developments in arbitration in Japan and Japan’s potential as an international arbitration hub. Some of the key takeaways from the event include: positive experiences with the physical and…