Insolvency Law in Times of COVID-19

Ibero-American Institute for Law and Finance, Working Paper 2/2020

17 Pages Posted: 30 Mar 2020 Last revised: 1 Sep 2021

See all articles by Aurelio Gurrea-Martínez

Aurelio Gurrea-Martínez

Singapore Management University - Yong Pung How School of Law; European Corporate Governance Institute

Date Written: June 9, 2020

Abstract

The international spread of the coronavirus is not only generating dramatic consequences from a social perspective but it is also heavily affecting the global economy. For this reason, governments, financial regulators and international organizations are responding to the coronavirus with a package of legal, economic and financial measures. Among the legal responses included in these packages, many countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Luxembourg, India, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have proposed or implemented temporary changes to their insolvency frameworks. This paper starts by discussing whether using the insolvency system should be the optimal solution to deal with companies affected by the coronavirus. For that purpose, it will analyze the role and limits of insolvency law. It then discusses the most relevant insolvency reforms taking place around the world as a response to the global pandemic, as well as other insolvency and insolvency-related reforms that could be implemented to minimize the harmful economic effects of COVID-19. The paper will conclude by arguing that, even though these measures can provide companies and corporate directors with a valuable breathing space, these reforms need to be accompanied by a more comprehensive package of legal, financial, tax and economic responses.

Keywords: insolvency law, financial distress, economic distress, directors' duties, reorganization, COVID-19

Suggested Citation

Gurrea-Martínez, Aurelio, Insolvency Law in Times of COVID-19 (June 9, 2020). Ibero-American Institute for Law and Finance, Working Paper 2/2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3562685 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3562685

Aurelio Gurrea-Martínez (Contact Author)

Singapore Management University - Yong Pung How School of Law ( email )

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