Singapore Announces Amendments To Its International Arbitration Act

On September 1, 2020, Singapore's Ministry of Law introduced an International Arbitration (Amendment) Bill (the "Bill") that proposes two changes to the International Arbitration Act ("IAA"), which governs the conduct of international arbitrations seated in Singapore. The first change is the addition of default processes and timeframes for appointing arbitrators in multi-party situations where the parties' agreement does not specify an appointment procedure. The second change would explicitly recognize the powers of an arbitral tribunal and Singapore's High Court to enforce confidentiality obligations. Singapore is a world class international commercial arbitration hub, and these changes aim to further enhance its legal framework for international arbitration.