Singapore law is the second-most adopted governing law in cross-border transactions in Asia after English Law, a survey commissioned by the Singapore Academy of Law’s (SAL) Promotion of Singapore Law Committee has found.

The survey, which involved more than 600 legal practitioners and in-house counsel in Asia, found that 29 percent of respondents preferred Singapore law as the governing law for disputes, up from 25 percent, when SAL conducted the first such survey. English law still ruled the roost at 43 percent, but it was down five percentage points since the 2015 survey.  

The survey also found Singapore’s status as a dispute resolution hub strengthening, with 63 percent of respondents picking the island nation as their preferred venue for dispute resolution. This is an increase of more than 10 percent since 2015.

The poll also showed that familiarity with Singapore’s arbitration services — namely the Singapore International Arbitration Centre — remains high, while recognition of the Singapore International Commercial Court has grown significantly since 2015.

The 2015 survey aimed to understand the adoption of Singapore law and attitudes towards choosing the country as a jurisdiction for dispute resolution in cross-border transactions. Meanwhile, the 2019 study aimed to understand the changes in perception towards governing law and jurisdictional choices in cross-border transactions, as well as to cover a broader scope and wider reach.

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