By Joao Guilherme Thiesi da Silva (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP)
Bankruptcy regimes across the globe have been constantly changing in response to new market demands and the evolution of insolvency law principles and objectives. Part of the academic community argues that such changes may lead to a convergence of domestic bankruptcy laws, as a result of globalization and market integration. Scholars have reviewed the phenomena of changes and convergence of bankruptcy laws in Europe, East Asia and Africa. However, little attention has been given to Latin American countries, such as Brazil. This paper aims at contributing to the discussion on changes and convergence of bankruptcy law, by focusing on four recent experiences within the Brazilian legal system, namely (i) the recent adoption of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, (ii) the ability of creditors to propose a competing plan of reorganization, (iii) the adoption of pre-insolvency procedures, and (iv) the recognition of bondholders’ right to vote on a plan of reorganization. This paper concludes that there are indicia of a continuous convergence of Brazilian bankruptcy law with foreign and international norms, as changes in Brazilian bankruptcy law have increasingly mirrored the law and practice of certain metropolitan nations, as well as global norms and soft laws developed by international organizations and standard setting bodies. This paper further discusses the diverse array of processes through which convergence has taken place in Brazilian bankruptcy law, as well as the main driving forces underlying this convergence, such as the increasing influence of cross-border investments and international market players.
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