Singapore to host expanded Permanent Court of Arbitration base

The expanded office, in Maxwell Chambers, will administer PCA proceedings and provide support for the court’s activities and dispute resolution work for states and businesses across Asia. The PCA in Singapore has previously administered more than 100 cases, including high-profile investor-state disputes such as Philip Morris Asia v. Australia and Australia v Timor-Leste.

PCA secretary-general H.E. Marcin Czepelak said: “This expansion is particularly significant at present, with over a quarter of the States appearing as parties in PCA-administered cases belonging to the Asia-Pacific Group – more than from any other UN Regional Group.”

“Adding capacity to our Singapore office will further strengthen the PCA’s ability to provide efficient and high-quality dispute resolution services to users of PCA services, including states, international organisations, state-controlled entities, and private parties, and underscore the enduring importance of Singapore as a hub for international dispute resolution.”

The PCA’s Singapore office was its first outside the Hague, and its first in Asia. It was established under a revised ‘host country agreement’ with Singapore, signed in 2017, which provides for the permanent deployment of a PCA legal officer in the city state. This officer is responsible for administering PCA cases seated or heard in Singapore; assisting with the exercise of the PCA’s secretary-general’s responsibilities under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules; and promoting the PCA services and Singapore as a venue for arbitration throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The PCA has also announced the appointment of Ashwita Ambast, PCA legal counsel for close to 10 years, as the PCA representative in Singapore, succeeding Dr. Túlio Di Giacomo Toledo.

Sylvia Tonova, investment arbitration expert at Pinsent Masons, said: “The PCA’s decision to double its office space in Singapore, alongside the recent opening of ICSID’s regional office, reflects the city state’s growing role as a hub for international dispute resolution. With the Asia-Pacific region accounting for the highest proportion of state parties in PCA-administered cases in 2024, these developments signal a strategic alignment with regional demand and a deepening commitment to serving the needs of sovereigns and investors in cross-border disputes”.

International arbitration expert Johanne Brocas of Pinsent Masons said: “Singapore’s joint ranking with London as the most preferred seat for international arbitration in the latest Queen Mary University international arbitration survey reflects its global stature in the field. The recent expansion of the PCA’s office and the opening of ICSID’s regional office in Singapore are not coincidental – they are strategic responses to the city state’s growing appeal as a neutral, efficient and well-supported venue for resolving complex international disputes. These developments reinforce Singapore’s role as a cornerstone of arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond”.