The latest edition of the Queen Mary University of London and White & Case International Arbitration Survey 2025 continued to validate Singapore’s position as a leading seat for international arbitration, sharing the title of the most popular seat with London.
A key plank of Singapore’s success is its nimbleness and efforts to keep pace with change and adopt global best practices and innovations. In this vein, Singapore’s Ministry of Law (“MinLaw“) commissioned the Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (“SIDRA“) to conduct a study on Singapore’s international arbitration regime and the International Arbitration Act 1994 (“IAA“), leading to its report on key findings (“SIDRA Report“). Rajah & Tann was proud to have been involved in this process, with Kelvin Poon (Deputy Managing Partner, Head of International Arbitration) involved in the industry focus group and Louis Lau (Associate, International Arbitration) as a co-author.
On 21 March 2025, MinLaw launched a public consultation titled “Public Consultation on the International Arbitration Act 1994 of Singapore” (“Consultation“) which builds on the key findings and proposals of the SIDRA Report. The Consultation seeks feedback on proposed amendments to the IAA on issues including (i) general matters such as a possible right of appeal on questions of law; (ii) matters relating to setting aside applications, such as costs and a possible requirement for leave to appeal; and (iii) matters relating to the tribunal, such as summary disposal powers.
Singapore’s prospective finetuning of the IAA comes at a time when other jurisdictions are likewise amending or preparing to amend their own arbitration regimes. On 18 February 2025, the Arbitration Act 2025 (“2025 Act“) received royal assent in the UK. Meanwhile, India held a public consultation on the draft Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (“Draft Bill“), which concluded on 3 November 2024.
In this article, we review the core aspects of the consultation and SIDRA Report, and briefly touch on the amendments introduced by the 2025 Act in the UK and those contemplated by the Draft Bill in India.
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