BVI Companies and M&A
Economic Substance: Practical Advice 3 Years On …
10 Things Lawyers Should Know About BVI Transactions
Restoration applications are nothing new in the BVI. With hundreds of thousands of active companies and many more struck off due to administrative oversight, BVI legal practitioners frequently find themselves advising clients...more
This guide explores the latest legislative, regulatory and enforcement developments in the British Virgin Islands and provides expert analysis on industry-wide topics including the local legal framework, the main stages of a...more
In a judgment handed down on 15 April 2025, Stevanovich v Matthew Richardson and another (as Joint Liquidators of Barrington Capital Group Ltd (in Liquidation) [2025] UKPC 18, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (the...more
The petition debt must be disputed on substantial grounds. It is an abuse of process to use the winding up court as a debt collection agency. If the Court is to accede to an application to restrain a winding-up petition,...more
Arbitration clauses are commonly found in commercial contracts. However, tricky issues arise when a company subsequently seeks an order for winding up, particularly in circumstances where the facts relied on in support of the...more
On 23 October 2024, Deputy High Court Judge Le Pichon of the Court of First Instance in the High Court of the Hong Kong SAR granted recognition and assistance to Chan Ho Yin (also known as Michael Chan) (“Mr Chan“) of Kroll...more
Our British Virgin Islands office’s most popular publications provided valuable insights on doing business in the jurisdiction, effective asset recovery tools, strategies for addressing modern legal challenges, corporate...more
In Bermuda, our most popular posts and publications provided updates from our Corporate practice, particularly regulatory changes and insurance insights, along with reflections on private client matters and litigation....more
The British Virgin Islands has, as of 18 September 2024, extended the list of ‘Relevant Foreign Countries’ for the purposes of Part XIX of the BVI Insolvency Act, which governs Orders in Aid of Foreign Proceedings. These...more
Where a debt is due under an agreement (and assuming there is no binding non-petition clause in effect), it is possible to take steps to wind up the company without first proceeding to arbitration, in accordance with the...more
Is it possible for a debtor company to issue debt (such as bonds) and contractually agree for that debt to rank lower in priority than debts owed by a company to other unsecured creditors? This article examines the commercial...more
Russell Crumpler & Christopher Farmer (as Joint Liquidators of Three Arrows Capital Ltd (in Liquidation)) v Three Arrows Capital Ltd (in Liquidation) and BVIHC (Com) 2022/0119 (unreported 26 July 2023) The BVI liquidation...more
On 8 February 2024, the Honourable Mr Justice Paul Webster KC dismissed an application to set aside a statutory demand served on Angola Group Holdings Limited (the “Company”) by Bai Jun Tian Cheng Limited (“Bai Jun”). Conyers...more
A Cayman Islands scheme of arrangement is a court approved compromise or arrangement between a company and its creditors or shareholders (or classes thereof). A scheme of arrangement is frequently used to implement a...more
In a recent judgment, which was heavily critical of the claimant bank, the BVI Commercial Court has set aside an order obtained ex parte permitting service on non-BVI resident defendants of a fraud claim out of the...more
As the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands reopens for 2024, we reflect on 2023 and some of the large-scale cross-border insolvency and restructuring proceedings, and complex commercial disputes dealt with in the jurisdiction...more
Authorised Push Payment (“APP”) fraud, where victims are tricked into authorising payments to fraudsters, resulted in losses of £485.2m in 2022 and is reported to have risen by 22% in 2023. With consumer protection laws...more
In its seminal decision in Broad Idea International v Convoy Collateral [2021] UKPC 24 (“Convoy”), a case which had its genesis in the BVI Commercial Court, the Privy Council delivered a ground-breaking exposition of the law...more
On 24-25 October 2023, Justice Wallbank of the BVI Commercial Court presided over a valuation trial in the matter of Soemarli Lie v Ng Min Hong & Success Overseas Finance Limited BVIHC(Com) 2020/147 (the “Valuation Trial”). ...more
BVI companies that were struck off prior to 1 January 2023 were automatically dissolved and ceased to exist after 30 June 2023. Any assets held by such companies have now automatically been vested in the Crown. In order to...more
The Cayman Islands Grand Court recently delivered its judgment in Re Shinsun Holdings (Group) Co., Ltd. FSD 192 of 2022 (DDJ) (21 April 2023) (unreported) (the “Shinsun Judgment”) in which the court determined the ultimate...more
Welcome to the latest edition of our Private Client and Trust bulletin. It is a pleasure to update you on various topics that we hope you will find of interest. As in previous editions we bring you updates from Bermuda...more
Like a reliable and familiar friend, BVI litigators have been accustomed to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Rules (“the CPR”) for a considerable period. They first came into force on 31 December 2000. The CPR, as their...more
In the recent decision of Greig William Alexander Mitchell & Ors v Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber & Ors [2023] EWHC 364 (Ch), the English High Court was required to consider the question of what duties (if any) a director...more
Inflationary pressures and increasing interest rates are expected to continue to have a negative impact on the global economy during 2023. In this article we consider restructuring options under BVI law available to companies...more