By trainee Humzah Irfan at Sullivan in London

Sam Fowler-Holmes restarted Sullivan's Breakfast Seminar, this time at lunchtime! On the day England moved into a second national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sam provided an overview of the impact of COVID-19 on the trade finance sector. The presentation discussed issues from the progress in digitalisation in the trade finance market to Brexit and LIBOR.

This article is the second in a series looking at how to address some of the issues affecting trade finance documentation and transactions in the current climate.

The first article in this series analysed some of the issues that parties to a trade finance transaction should be aware of when considering amendments and waivers to their written contracts. This article continues to explore the issues that arise in connection with amendments and waivers, focusing first on the common question of how best to document an agreed amendment or waiver to an English law contract, and then considering how amendments or waivers to one contract can potentially (and possibly detrimentally) impact a party’s rights under a connected contract, and finally how to take steps to avoid or mitigate such impact.

How should I document an amendment or waiver in a trade finance transaction?

The starting point is always to consider any requirements set out in the relevant contract. Even if a contract is silent as to how it should be amended or waived, it is advisable to make any amendment or waiver in writing as, if well drafted, doing so helps to mitigate any later dispute about the intended scope or effect of the amendment or waiver.

Written by: Geoffrey Wynne, Alexandra Shipulina and Szonja Kolbenheyer (trainee solicitor)

The Act

This alert is the first in a series addressing the issues affecting trade finance documentation and transactions in the current climate.

Written by: Geoffrey Wynne and Ryan Johnson (trainee solicitor)

The emergence of COVID-19 (the Coronavirus) at the end of 2019 has had an unprecedented impact on the global economic system. This alert focuses on the effect the Coronavirus pandemic is likely to have on small and medium sized businesses (SMEs), their lenders in the UK and the options available to continue trading and avoid insolvency. It will also consider recent measures that have been proposed by the UK Government to enable businesses to avoid insolvency during this pandemic, specifically the temporary changes to the insolvency rules and the financial support being offered by the UK Government.

By Geoffrey Wynne and trainee Szonja Kolbenheyer at Sullivan in London

On 7 April 2020, the International Chamber of Commerce ("ICC") published a paper titled "Guidance paper on the impact of COVID-19 on trade finance transactions issued subject to ICC rules."

This paper addressed the question as to whether banks and guarantors could seek to apply force majeure as a result of Covid-19, as a defence to non-performance. The key consideration is whether Covid-19 amounts to an interruption of their respective businesses or to an event beyond their control. This paper also considered the issues currently faced around the delivery of documents in trade finance transactions. The ICC looked at various scenarios relating to the delivery of documents under rules including UCP 600 and ISP 98 for letters of credit (‘LCs’) and URDG 758 for guarantees.

By Fiona Luong and Rajan Dhami

In these uncertain times, trade finance and other transaction parties may face particular logistical challenges when signing documents in person. One option available to the transaction parties is to sign documents "virtually" (in other words, signing a hard copy of a document and sending a scan of the signature page to the other side). This method of signing will be familiar to most people who have entered into transactional documents with an international counterparty. Certain formalities must be observed for virtual signings in light of the Mercury case (discussed further below).

Parties are also increasingly turning to the possibility of utilising electronic platforms for signing documents, called "e-signing" or "electronic signing".

But can electronic signing be a valid form of signing an agreement? We look in detail at the options available to those signing agreements under English law.