Sanctions have become a recurring feature of international arbitration rather than an occasional complication. This is particularly visible in trade and shipping disputes, where counterparties, vessels, cargo, and payment chains can span several sanctions regimes at once. More broadly, sanctions can affect who is allowed to sit on a tribunal or act as counsel, how an institution administers a case and collects fees, whether a claim is even arbitrable, how evidence and witnesses can be handled, whether a favorable award can actually be enforced, and how commercial contracts should be drafted in the first place. Each touchpoint requires its own analysis, and treating sanctions as a single generic risk can produce weak positions on several of them at once.

Efficiency, flexibility and digitalisation define the ICC Arbitration Rules 2026, which entered into force on 1 June 2026. The abolition of mandatory Terms of Reference, the introduction of a Highly Expedited Procedure, broader access to the Expedited Procedure and digital communications by default are among the most significant changes introduced by the new Rules.

This blog examines the principal amendments, explores their practical implications for parties and counsel, and concludes with a practical checklist to help you navigate your next ICC arbitration.

Abstract
 

Business disruptions and severe impediments to contractual performance have become a recurring phenomenon in global commerce. Highly intrusive governmental measures during the COVID 19 pandemic, economic sanctions related to the Russia–Ukraine war, restrictions on U.S. exports, and ongoing tariff disputes directly affect international supply chains with respect to the availability, delivery, and pricing of goods and services. Against a backdrop of persistent geopolitical uncertainty, international business actors increasingly seek to mitigate legal and economic risks by including force majeure and hardship clauses in their contracts. The careful and precise drafting of such clauses has therefore become critical.
 

This contribution examines how Swiss law addresses force majeure and hardship and outlines the key legal considerations that practitioners should bear in mind in this context.

Bratschi AG im Chambers Europe Guide 2026 erneut ausgezeichnet – erstmaliges Ranking in zwei neuen Fachbereichen 

Der Lexology Index: Arbitration 2026 basiert auf monatelanger Recherche von Lexology Index und GAR. Der Bericht identifiziert 2'030 führende Schiedsrechtsexperten, die für ihre Kompetenz in komplexen internationalen Streitigkeiten empfohlen werden. Zudem werden 568 herausragende Sachverständige sowie 969 Top-Future-Leaders unter 45 Jahren hervorgehoben. Die gelisteten Schiedsrichter, Schiedsgerichtsmitglieder, Vorsitzenden, Counsel und Experten wurden durch Nominierungen von Kollegen und Mandanten als führende Persönlichkeiten ihres Fachgebiets anerkannt.

Es freut uns, Ihnen mitzuteilen, dass die Bratschi AG in der angesehenen Chambers Europe Ausgabe 2025 ausgezeichnet wurde.