A standing investment court is a permanent tribunal currently being conceived by States to decide investor-State disputes. Its members would be appointed in advance, and cases would be assigned to them from a fixed bench. The concern is that this could concentrate decision-making power in a small group of State-appointed judges while reducing the parties’ […]
Saudi Arbitration: What the 2026 SCCA Country Report Shows
Saudi Arabia’s arbitration framework is entering a new phase. The Country Report of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (“SCCA”), published in July 2026 (“Report”), analyses 967 Court of Appeal decisions issued between January 2023 and June 2025 and compares the Saudi Arbitration Law with the UNCITRAL Model Law and the proposed Draft Saudi Arbitration […]
Buried Hill: Arbitrator Disqualified Over Bias Concerns
On 11 February 2026, in Buried Hill v. Turkmenistan, the two remaining arbitrators, Mr Siqueiros and Mr Goldberg (the “Unchallenged Arbitrators”), accepted Buried Hill Serdar Limited’s (the “Claimant”) proposal to disqualify Professor Philippe Sands, KC, from the tribunal. Their decision was based on Articles 14(1), 57 and 58 of the Convention on the Settlement of […]
Behind the Curtain: ICSID Arbitration Explained from Notice of Dispute to Enforcement
For an investor, a State, or an in-house legal team facing its first investment dispute, ICSID arbitration can appear unusually technical. It is not simply commercial arbitration administered by a familiar institution. What makes ICSID arbitration different is its treaty foundation, its particular jurisdictional requirements, its relative independence from national courts, and its self-contained system […]
Saudi Construction Arbitration in Practice: Claims and Remedies under the Civil Transactions Law and the Enforcement of Awards
Construction and engineering disputes play a major role in Saudi arbitration. In 2025, these cases made up 47% of those registered with the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (“SCCA”), making it the top sector.[1] This is because large projects often involve many parties, interrelated contracts, detailed technical records, and strict schedules. Arbitration works well for […]