Recent Amendments To Arbitral Laws: India And Singapore

Two important arbitral jurisdictions in Asia have recently amended their arbitration laws. On November 4, 2020, the President of India passed an ordinance amending the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (the Indian Act), which entered into force with immediate effect. On December 1, 2020, amendments to the International Arbitration Act (the Singapore Act) entered into force. This alert summarizes these amendments.

I. Amendments to the Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act

As one of the largest economies in Asia, the number of international arbitrations involving Indian parties and/or contractual performance in India is, unsurprisingly, large. India-related disputes are today a common and recurring feature of the case loads of multiple leading arbitral institutions. Indian parties are, for instance, some of the most frequent users of the SIAC, ICC and LCIA rules.¹ This has been driven, in part, by a concerted effort by the Government of India to promote the use of