Enforcing E-Awards In GCC And MENA

2025 was a transformational year in the Gulf Cooperation Council ("GCC") and Middle East and North Africa ("MENA") regions for digitalisation on the dispute resolution front. The past year saw the courts in Kuwait and Oman going fully digital for commercial cases, including arbitration-related, resulting in significant ease of enforcing arbitral awards; Jordan saw the introduction of an electronic filing system in their courts (though still in pilot); Iraq launched electronic signatures; and a new arbitration law is underway in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ("KSA"), expressly allowing electronic signatures of arbitral awards, amongst other major changes. Countries in the region are recognising the growing need for reliable arbitration services in line with modern technology and have put noticeable effort and resources into developing these areas. Central to this development is the region's growing legal and practical acceptance of electronically signed arbitral awards