Last year, the Minister of Financial Services Trade and Industry and Immigration along with officials from the Ministry, held consultations with various industry stakeholders to discuss the Government’s plan to establish The Bahamas as an International Arbitration Hub.

In that regard please find below a copy of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which was tabled in the House of Assembly last November.  The Bill renames the 2009 Arbitration Act “The Bahamas Domestic Arbitration Act” and is intended to govern domestic arbitration.

• Arbitration (Amendment) Bill, 2018

Also below is a copy of the International Commercial Arbitration Bill 2018 which was also tabled in the House of Assembly.  The Bill incorporates key provisions of the Model Law of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

• International Commercial Arbitration Bill 2018

The Model Law covers all stages of the arbitral process from the arbitration agreement to the recognition and enforcement of the arbitral award and reflects a worldwide consensus on key aspects of international arbitration practice accepted by states the world over no matter their legal or economic systems.  The corresponding provisions of the UNCITRAL Model Law have been included in the Schedule of the International Commercial Arbitration Bill 2018 to indicate which provisions of the Bill align with corresponding provisions of the UNCITRAL Model Law.

In order to advance the Bills, the Ministry would appreciate receiving feedback from your organization on the Bills by 28th February 2019. Comments and concerns can be emailed to  arbitration@bahamas.gov.bs  or arbitrationmofs@gmail.com.

Individuals can also take part in The Bahamas - A Jurisdiction for International Commercial Arbitration Survey by clicking here.