Arbitration Act 2025 Freezing Orders: Third-party Asset Protection In London Arbitration

Key takeaway

The Arbitration Act 2025 significantly strengthens the English courts’ powers to support arbitration by confirming that interim relief under section 44 of the Arbitration Act 1996 may be granted against third parties. For London-seated arbitrations, this creates a more effective route to worldwide freezing orders, asset protection and interim injunctions where assets are held by connected entities, trustees, nominees or controlling individuals.

Why do third-party freezing orders matter in international arbitration?

International disputes rarely involve a single opponent sitting on a pile of accessible assets. More often, the respondent you are pursuing in arbitration is surrounded by a web of connected entities, offshore holding companies, family trusts, group subsidiaries, nominees, all carefully positioned to make enforcement as difficult as possible. Until recently, English law left a significant gap in the armoury of those seeking to protect assets pending an