In view of HKIAC’s growing caseload involving digital assets, HKIAC is launching a dedicated Panel of Arbitrators for Digital Assets and Fintech Disputes (the “Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel”).
The Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel will be composed of arbitrators who have substantial experience and expertise in handling disputes involving digital assets, blockchain and/or fintech, including but not limited to cryptocurrency cases. While parties, co-arbitrators and HKIAC may designate or appoint arbitrators from outside the panel, it is expected that the Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel will represent a useful pool of arbitrator candidates for such disputes.
An arbitrator who wishes to be considered for inclusion in the Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel must also satisfy the criteria for admission to HKIAC’s List of Arbitrators, as summarised below, with further details available here.
The applicant should:
1. demonstrate substantial experience in arbitration (whether as arbitrator, counsel, expert witness, instructing solicitor or otherwise), with at least five years of full-time arbitration experience (or equivalent);
2. have drafted* two arbitral awards, with sanitised versions to be submitted to HKIAC upon application or, if unavailable, to be substituted by two other arbitration-related documents drafted by the applicant; and
3. provide two written references.
* Awards “drafted” by the applicant will also include those to which they have contributed as part of a three-member arbitral tribunal.
In addition, the applicant should provide:
4. a list of the disputes that the applicant has handled involving digital assets, blockchain and/or fintech. The description of the disputes should be appropriately anonymised, but should indicate the nature and size of the dispute, including the type of digital assets involved where relevant, the role of the applicant (as presiding/sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator, counsel, expert witness, instructing solicitor or otherwise), and if applicable, whether it involved the drafting of awards; and
5. as an optional item, any other materials which the applicant wishes to submit to demonstrate his or her experience and expertise in digital assets, blockchain and/or fintech, including, for example, any specialist accreditation or certification received, membership in specialised technology committees or working groups within international arbitration.
For those arbitrators who are already on HKIAC’s Panel or List of Arbitrators and are interested in joining the Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel, they are not required to resubmit items 1 to 3 above.
Applications to join any of HKIAC’s Panel or List of Arbitrators, including the Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel, are considered by HKIAC’s Appointments Committee on a quarterly basis. To be considered as part of the initial list of arbitrators on the Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel, applications should be submitted by email to hkiac_arbitrators@hkiac.org, marking clearly that the application is for inclusion on the Digital Assets and Fintech Arbitrators Panel, on or before 31 December 2026.
