On 12 September 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the PRC has passed the amendment draft of the Arbitration Law (the “2025 Amendment”), and the newly amended Arbitration Law shall take effect on 1 March 2026. The 2025 Amendment marks the first substantive amendment of the Arbitration Law since its promulgation in 1995 and concludes the years’ discussion and debate on the amendments. On the one hand, we see some highlights…
On the first day of the 2025 Hong Kong Arbitration Week, Baker McKenzie and Control Risks jointly hosted a…
Introduction In his recent keynote address at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) Symposium, Minister for Law and…
Introduction Article 8(1) of the UNCITRAL Model Law, adopted in Hong Kong under section 20(1) of the Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609), provides that where a plaintiff brings a court action which is the subject of an arbitration agreement, the court must refer the parties to arbitration, if a party so requests, unless the court finds that the agreement is null and void, inoperative or incapable of being performed. An applicant seeking a stay under section…
Giving due and fair notice of arbitral proceedings is critical when commencing an arbitration, as a failure to…
Effective from 1 March 2025, the Pilot Scheme on Facilitation for Persons Participating in Arbitral Proceedings in Hong…
The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC”) has announced the release of the 7th Edition of the Arbitration Rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (“SIAC Rules 2025”) which has come into force on 1 January 2025. The SIAC Rules 2025 will apply to arbitrations commenced from 1 January 2025 onwards, where the arbitration agreement provides that the arbitration will be conducted pursuant to the rules of the SIAC for the time being in force, even…
Introduction Hong Kong’s Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609) (“AO”) has adopted Articles 17-17H of the UNCITRAL Model Law on…
A. LEGISLATION AND RULES A.1 Legislation Enacted in 2004, Republic Act No. (RA) 9285, or the Alternative Dispute…
A. LEGISLATION AND RULES A.1 Legislation International arbitration in Hong Kong continues to be governed by the Arbitration Ordinance (Cap 609), to which there have been no legislative amendments. A.2 Institutions, rules and infrastructure A.2.1 The 2024 HKIAC administered arbitration rules On 1 June 2024, HKIAC introduced a new version of its Administered Arbitration Rules. The 2024 Rules continue HKIAC’s “light touch” approach, respecting party autonomy, a key feature of HKIAC administered arbitrations. The changes…