The Australian government has announced a major overhaul of its naval defence surface fleet, doubling the number of warships to create Australia’s “biggest navy since the second world war”. The move comes in the wake of an...more
The Hong Kong High Court has given a rare order for modifications to a scheme of arrangement after it had been implemented incorrectly by the scheme administrators. Drawing on instances in which the English courts have...more
A Hong Kong court has set aside a tribunal’s finding on jurisdiction, holding that the arbitration clause in a loan agreement did not provide the tribunal with the jurisdiction to determine disputes arising out of a related...more
The Australian securities regulator ASIC is proposing an increase in the threshold limits for so-called “sophisticated investors”. The limits have not been raised since they were introduced in 2001 and now ASIC has suggested...more
A Hong Kong court has rejected a bid to force liquidators to provide information and documents regarding their plans and strategies on related litigation as well as information on legal costs and funding arrangements....more
The Indonesia Supreme Court has stated that the absence of a Bahasa Indonesia language version of a contract should not of itself mean that the contract should be voided, except where it can be proven that the absence of such...more
Hong Kong’s audit regulator, the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (AFRC) says it has reached a landmark agreement to help it obtain audit working papers of Public Interest Entity (PIE) auditors located on the PRC...more
The Market Misconduct Tribunal (MMT) has recommended that the accountants’ regulator, the Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (AFRC) take disciplinary action against a listed company secretary for neglecting his...more
The Australian government is reportedly discussing with Germany a German proposal to inject AU$660 million (€400 million) into a funding scheme to promote green hydrogen in Australia....more
New statutory provisions have come into effect that will modernise the way documents are filed with the Official Receiver in Hong Kong. The changes, which took place on the last working day of 2023, pave the way for the...more
Investors have welcomed the news that the Australian government is expanding its Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), a scheme designed to encourage the shift away from reliance on coal and stimulate investment in renewable...more
The Singapore Court of Appeal has overturned the High Court decision in the case of Founder Group (Hong Kong) Limited (in liquidation) v Singapore JHC Co Pte Ltd [2023] SGCH 159, in the latest development concerning the...more
The Accounting and Financial Reporting Council (AFRC) has published its 2023 Oversight Report on HKICPA's Performance of Specified Functions (the report). This is the first full year the AFRC has reported on the exercise of...more
According to a recent report, nearly 6,000 construction companies in the UK are in danger of going out of business. In Hong Kong, a major contractor has lost its licence and was removed from the government's registered list...more
The past twelve months have been a time of continuing significant developments in courtled corporate rescues in Hong Kong, all within the flexible confines of the common law and in the continued absence of a statutory...more
The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal has held that the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) can serve overseas defendants as of right, without needing the court’s permission, making it easier for the SFC to go after persons...more
On 25 October 2023, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance granted leave to appeal the decision in Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Ltd [2023] HKCFI 2065 to dismiss a winding up petition in favour of arbitration. This opens...more
A wide-ranging mechanism allowing for easier reciprocal enforcement of judgments in mainland China and Hong Kong will come into force on 29 January 2024. The new enforcement regime should reduce the need to re-litigate...more
The Technology and Construction Court in London has given a wide-ranging review of the law that frequently arise in construction projects, particularly on issues of limitation and when a cause of action over a supposedly...more
The Biden Administration has issued its long-awaited outbound investment screening executive order, which imposes on United States (U.S.) persons notification requirements for certain transactions and outright prohibits U.S....more
An Indiana-based contract research organization for pharmaceutical testing is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The...more
The Singapore Court of Appeal has dismissed an application to set aside an arbitral award, emphasising the policy of minimal intervention in arbitration proceedings. The Court of Appeal found that although the court of the...more
The Hong Kong court has granted an order forcing an uncooperative former director of a Hong Kong listed company to ratify the appointment of a Hong Kong liquidator as the sole director of the companies' four BVI subsidiaries....more
It is anticipated that as of 1 January 2024, Hong Kong will follow the PRC in making a significant change to its concept of “sovereign” or “state” immunity which further enhances Hong Kong’s reputation as a dispute resolution...more
The Singapore High Court has again confirmed that a winding-up application concerning a disputed debt that is subject to an arbitration agreement will be dismissed if the arbitration agreement is prima facie valid and covers...more