ICCA International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration

Covering arbitral law and practice in over 85 countries, the International Handbook on Commercial Arbitration is an essential tool for anyone practising in international arbitration across multiple jurisdictions. Published under the leadership of General Editor Lise Bosman, and with the assistance of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Handbook contains authoritative country reports prepared by leading arbitrators, academics and practitioners on national arbitral practice, as well as the relevant national legislation (in English).

“Looking for an overview of the seat of your arbitration? Wondering where best to enforce an arbitral award? The ICCA Handbook should be your first port of call.”

Kluwer Arbitration's Compare Tool is available to subscribers. The tool, which is based on our prestigious Handbook on Commercial Arbitration, allows you to select jurisdictions and topics of interest and then compare the results quickly and easily.

Meet the ICCA Handbook Authors

"In Pakistan, ad hoc arbitrations are common due to the prohibitive costs of international arbitration. With cases lasting 25 to 40 years, there's an urgent need for institutions like ICADRP to institutionalize and streamline arbitration processes, providing support to parties, arbitrators, and courts in the country."

"In recent weeks, there have been constitutional claims against the new Regulation to the Law on Arbitration and Mediation (“Regulation”). Such constitutional claims against the Regulation will be heard by the Constitutional Court of Ecuador. Claimants argue that such Regulation breaches Constitutional provisions."

"Indonesia as a whole does not have a litigious culture, and alternative dispute resolution – such as mediation and growingly, arbitration – has always been prevalent for commercial disputes. This is exemplified by the introduction of new arbitral institutions in Indonesia, such as the LAPS-SJK, which focuses on the financial services sector.”

"The Swiss law of international arbitration is one of the world’s shortest instruments of its kind where only few fundamental principles are codified, even after the reform which entered into force on 1 January 2021. The chapter on “Switzerland” discusses these principles in the light of the significant body of case law developed by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court."

Dr. Paolo Michele Patocchi, LL.M., Partner at Patocchi & Marzolini and Dr. Daniel Durante, Partner at Patocchi & Marzolini

"We have recently seen a number of positive developments. Bulgarian courts no longer require an explicit power of attorney for the conclusion of an arbitration agreement incorporated in a contract, and are likely to adopt the view that an assignment of receivables makes the assignee party to the arbitration agreement."

"There are ongoing arbitration-related legislative and judicial developments and updates in Egypt, which are important to the MENA region at large, given the regional influence of Egyptian law and practice. On the legislative level, 22 March 2022 marks an important date where the Deputy Minister of Justice for Arbitration and International Disputes issued Decree No. 8 of 2022 establishing a committee of named jurists and practitioners to discuss limited amendments to the Egyptian Arbitration Law No. 27 of 1994 (the 'EAL'), which has been the source code for several arbitration laws in the MENA region."

Prof. Dr. Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab, Prof. Dr. Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab Professor, Cairo University; Founding Partner & Head of International Arbitration, Construction and Energy Groups at Zulficar & Partners and Noha Khaled, Counsel at Zulficar & Partners

"From 2018 to 2022, there have been a number of major developments impacting the practice of US arbitration law, including key decisions by the US Supreme Court limiting class arbitration and the availability of US-style discovery. Our update to the National Report for USA discusses these and other important changes, including the transition from NAFTA to USMCA."

Catherine Amirfar, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton Ina C. Popova, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton Natalie Reid, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton

"Turkey’s arbitral institutions have willingly adopted and embraced hybrid dispute resolution procedures, most notably mediation-arbitration (med-arb) provisions/procedures, to facilitate the amicable resolution of disputes as much as possible. For instance, the arbitration rules of the Istanbul Arbitration Centre and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Court of International Arbitration both provide for such rules and procedures. The Turkish Ministry of Justice is highly supportive of such initiatives, which assist in reducing the courts’ already heavy workload."

Prof. Dr. Ali Yeşilırmak, Vice President, Ibn Haldun University; Utku Coşar, Independent Arbitrator, Arbitration Chambers, & Dr. Doğan Gültutan, Solicitor Advocate, Baker McKenzie London

"Finland has had modern arbitration legislation since 1992, largely based on or compatible with the UNCITRAL Model Law of 1985. Awards have very rarely been set aside by the courts under the current law. And recognition or enforcement of an arbitral award made in Finland has hardly ever been refused."

"There has been a rise in the interest in arbitration in Bangladesh following the adoption of the Arbitration Act of 2001. Recourse to arbitration has increased and a notable body of case law on the 2001 Act is emerging. While court decisions are mostly supportive of arbitration, it cannot be said without hesitation that all of them are. Yet, there is a positive outlook because of the increased use of arbitration."

Dr.Kamal Hossain, Head of Chambers Dr. Kamal Hossain and Associates; Dr. Sharif Bhuiyan, Partner, Deputy Head of Chambers, Dr. Kamal Hossain and Associates & Tanim Hussain Shawon, Partner, Dr. Kamal Hossain and Associates

"What sets Singapore apart as a premier arbitral seat is its ecosystem that is all-round supportive of arbitration: its laws incorporating the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration, its robust and efficient legal system including a savvy pro-arbitration judiciary, a vibrant arbitration community, geographical convenience and political neutrality, reliable transportation, communications and hospitality infrastructure, all of which is crowned by the world’s first integrated dispute resolution complex at Maxwell Chambers."

Dr. Michael Hwang, Senior Counsel and Chartered Arbitrator, Former Vice President of ICCA; Lawrence Boo, Arbitration Chambers; & Eugene Thong, Arbitration Chambers

"Arbitration is becoming more attractive for the resolution of commercial disputes, especially due to the lengthy and tedious litigation process in Nigeria. Recently, the Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA) launched the Micro, Small and Medium Claims Scheme to provide simple, cost effective and timely resolution of disputes in less than 90 days from the appointment of a tribunal. With capped arbitrators fees and administrative costs, this initiative has been embraced by Micro, Small and Medium Businesses”

Funke Adekoya SAN, Head of the Disputes Resolution Practice Group, AELEX and President of ILFA & Oluwaseun Philip-Idiok, Senior Associate, AELEX and Co-Chair of the Lagos Court of Arbitration-Young Arbitrators Network

"The UAE is unique in offering three distinct arbitration regimes operating onshore and in offshore ‘free zones’ in which parties can choose to seat their arbitrations. All three regimes benefit from modern arbitration legislation. Recent developments have focussed on award enforcement both onshore and offshore; further strengthening the UAE’s position as an arbitration hub in the Middle East."

Sami Tannous, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Samantha Lord Hill, Senior Associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer & Sarah-Jane Fick, Senior Associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

"There is huge potential for growth in arbitration practice in Ghana. More and more, arbitration is seen as an alternative to court litigation which is often perceived as slow and less suited for settlement of commercial disputes. The need for enhanced knowledge among lawyers and other practitioners of arbitration as well as the judiciary has never been greater."

“In recent years, Vietnam has witnessed improvements not only in the quality and quantity of dispute resolution by arbitration but also in a number of initiatives to cure existing problems in the legal framework. With the substantial progress Vietnam has achieved so far, its arbitration market undoubtedly has excellent potential for future development and expansion.”

Hew R. Dundas, Chartered Arbitrator, Accredited Mediator and International Arbitrator; Nguyen Manh Dzung, Dzungsrt & Associates LLC, Vietnam Chambers LLC; and Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Dzungsrt & Associates LLC

"The Czech Republic offers a modern, highly developed ADR environment. The majority of provisions of its Arbitration Act were taken from the UNCITRAL Model Law. There are plenty of highly experienced arbitrators and arbitration counsels in the Czech Republic as they deal with hundreds of arbitration cases yearly, both in institutional arbitrations and ad hoc arbitrations."

"As a major European centre for legal services and host to the ECJ, Luxembourg has a pragmatic and open approach to arbitration, bringing together experts from different legal and cultural backgrounds. To enhance its attractiveness as the place for international arbitral proceedings, Luxembourg is modernising its law on arbitration, while the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce released its new Arbitration Rules.”

"The centennial history of international arbitration in Serbia as a successor of former Yugoslavia, as well as the rich legacy of landmark cases like Losinger and SEEE, has encouraged the establishment of the Belgrade Arbitration Centre. Chaired by a woman, the Centre is a new arbitration institution chaired that competes with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and global institutions for arbitration and mediation work throughout the South-Eastern Europe region."