An ABI Committee Newsletter
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| Vol 21, Num 1 | March 2026
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by
Kenneth D. Kraft, Dentons Canada LLP
Jennifer Jenkins, Mourant Ozannes
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We’re pleased to share an update on what the ABI International Committee has been working on since our last newsletter in September 2025. It’s been a busy and productive period, with strong momentum across events, membership and international engagement.
A few highlights from the past six months:
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- International conferences continue to thrive:
- The International European Insolvency Symposium in Berlin in October, delivered in partnership with INSOL, provoked strong engagement from Europe.
- Our New York International Cross-Border Insolvency Symposium in November was a real success. Thank you to everyone who supported and attended, and well done to all of those who worked on the International Case of the Year, FTX. Planning is already underway for this year's New York conference, being held on November 10.
- The Winter Leadership conference in December was well-attended, and our panel pairing with the Commercial and Regulatory Committee addressed delegates on the
global regulation of crypto regulation.
- The International Caribbean Insolvency Symposium in the Cayman Islands in January was a welcome opportunity for combining insolvency-speak with some winter sunshine.
- Membership growth remains a priority. The committee now has more than 420 international members, and momentum continues to build. We are actively exploring ways to broaden our geographic reach, including deeper engagement in Asia and Africa and partnerships with local organizations.
- Meet & greets and communications. Our recent online meet & greet generated great discussion and participation, and we hosted another on March 10.
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As always, thank you for your engagement, ideas and energy. The committee’s strength lies in its truly global perspective, and we’re excited about what’s ahead as we continue to grow our international footprint.
We hope to see many of you at an upcoming conference or event soon.
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by
R. Adam Swick, Akerman LLP (Austin, TX)
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The ABI International North American Insolvency Symposium took place in New York on November 5, 2025, at the New York offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. The committee co-chairs were Adam Swick (Akerman), Evan Zucker (Blank Rome) and Evelyn Meltzer (Troutman Pepper). The event brought together prominent bankruptcy judges, academics and experienced practitioners from the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Europe.
The program ran with four sessions and included the award of the third annual International Matter of the Year Award, the case of FTX Trading Ltd. Honorable mentions in the contest went to the firms/individuals involved in the GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes case. Most of the attendees then stayed for the networking reception that followed the educational
sessions.
The first panel compared restructuring plans in the U.S., U.K., Canada and the Netherlands. Steve Weisz moderated this panel, and the presenters were Ian Benjamin (Stephenson Harwood), Marc Broekema (Kroll Netherlands), Sebastiaan Van Den Berg (RESOR Netherlands), Christopher Ward (Polsinelli) and Sara-Ann Willson (Dentons Canada). The panel discussed various tools available in each jurisdiction, including cross-class cramdown.
Read Full Article Online →
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by
Tal Goldsmith, Stephenson Harwood LLP (London)
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ABI’s International European Insolvency Symposium took place in Berlin from October 26-28, 2025, at The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin. This event was attended by many prominent insolvency and restructuring practitioners and lawyers, attracting attendees from across the globe.
The conference opened with a fascinating keynote by Morgan O’Neill of Sound Point Capital Management L.P., moderated by Ryan Maupin of Deloitte. The session gave the attendees invaluable insights into the world of private credit and operating in the current market, and what that means for distressed investing and the restructuring industry now and into the future.
The following five panel sessions on Day One covered a broad spectrum of issues currently facing those undertaking cross-border restructuring:
Read Full Article Online →
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by
Alan R. Rosenberg, Markowitz Ringel Trusty & Hartog, P.A.
(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Gemma Bellfield, Ogier (Cayman Islands)
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The ABI International Caribbean Insolvency Symposium took place from January 14-16, 2026, on beautiful Seven Mile Beach at The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa in the heart of Grand Cayman. Many of those in attendance were able to escape the winter cold snap that had engulfed most of North America and enjoy several days of interactive education and ample networking opportunities in a warm and serene setting.
The symposium was well-attended, with more than 130 attendees convening from the U.S., Canada, South America, the U.K. and the Caribbean. The program kicked off with an opening reception co-hosted by ABI, IWRIC and RISA Cayman, followed by two days of interactive sessions.
There were nine panels, with discussions ranging from recent cross-border restructuring updates and developments to cross-border ethical issues from the
perspectives of practitioners from around the globe. After the conclusion of the first day’s educational panels, attendees were invited to attend a boat trip sponsored by Squire Patton Boggs. The second day of the symposium included several sessions that touched on fraudulent trading claims, a judges’ roundtable to discuss prominent recent bankruptcy cases, and practical considerations for foreign evidence collection and judgment enforcement.
Check back at abi.org/events later in the year for information on the 2027 symposium as it becomes
available.
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Gemma Bellfield
Ogier
Cayman Islands
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by
Todd Carney, U.S. Bankruptcy Court (N.D. Tex.) (Fort Worth)
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Latin America’s largest corporations have repeatedly chosen the Southern District of New York as the venue for their most consequential restructurings. The COVID-era airline wave, which included Avianca (Colombia), Grupo Aeroméxico (Mexico) and LATAM Airlines (Chile), all filed chapter 11 in 2020, emerging with slimmer fleets, re-cut lease obligations and fresh capital structures. These cases, together with high-profile chapter 15 recognitions involving Brazilian giants like Odebrecht and Oi, offer a practical playbook for how U.S. courts evaluate centers of main interest (COMIs), coordinate with foreign courts under the UNCITRAL Model Law, and treat collateral that straddles borders.
Why U.S. Chapter 11?
U.S. chapter 11 delivers tools that are hard to replicate elsewhere: debtor-in-possession financing with priming or roll-ups; a centralized
forum to renegotiate complex executory contracts (from aircraft leases to loyalty programs); and plan mechanics that can equitize debt at scale. Those features proved decisive for airlines whose liabilities, aircraft financings, credit card receivable facilities and New York–law bonds were already tethered to U.S. law and markets. Aeroméxico, for instance, used chapter 11 to overhaul its fleet and exit in 2022 after saving close to $2 billion in ongoing obligations, an outcome enabled by U.S. DIP and plan architecture. LATAM likewise leveraged U.S. recognition across Chile, Colombia and other jurisdictions through coordinated protocols.
Read Full Article Online →
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