The event opened with speeches by Professor Simon Chesterman (Dean, NUS Law) and Professor Mindy Chen-Wishart (Dean, Faculty of Law, Oxford). This was followed by a summary of the substance and structure of the book, and an introduction to the contributors of the various chapters by the co-editors, Professor Louise Gullifer QC and Associate Professor Dora Neo.

Dr Kristin van Zwieten, Director of CLC, provided a brief commentary on the book. She spoke about the real-world importance of secured transactions law and was of the view that in order to understand the complex relationship between secured transactions law and its impact on the supply, demand, and enforcement of credit in any particular context, it was necessary to have a “granular understanding” of not just the jurisdiction’s substantive law, but also its institutional frameworks, and the features of businesses and lenders. Dr van Zwieten praised the book for offering exactly this level of granular insight into secured transactions law in the various key Asian jurisdictions featured, and also for providing big-picture insights relating to the principles of secured transactions law.

The keynote address was delivered by the Secretary-General of UNIDROIT, Professor Ignacio Tirado. Professor Tirado was full of praise for the book’s insightful and overarching treatment of the subject matter, and its diverse inclusion of civil and common law jurisdictions across Asia. He suggested that there was further potential to examine other Asian jurisdictions like the former Soviet states of Central Asia, which remained untapped. Professor Tirado then reflected on the “modern principles” of secured transactions law, referencing the chapter by Professor Charles Mooney, and providing his own analysis of how these principles presently apply or might eventually come into practice across various civil and common law jurisdictions. Noting the on-going work of legal reform in the field of secured transactions, Professor Tirado strongly commended the book as a rich resource and reference point for legal researchers and law reformers.

The event featured six substantive presentations by contributors to the book, who spoke about their  respective chapters. The first two presentations, by Professor Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell, and Professor Louise Gullifer QC were general commentaries on culture and reform in civil law and common law jurisdictions respectively, while the next four, by Associate Professor Dora Neo, Professor Youngjoon Kwon, Mr Junayed Chowdhury, and Ms Griselda (Gay) Santos, were jurisdictional presentations which focused on secured transactions law in Singapore, Korea, Bangladesh, and the Philippines respectively.

The launch concluded with a video containing short messages from twelve of the contributors to the book, sharing their views on the state of secured transactions law in Asia, and wishing the book well.

The Zoom format enabled the event to be attended virtually by an international audience from Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, as well as participants from Singapore.

Left to right (First row): Prof Louise Gullifer QC (Hon) FBA (University of Cambridge), Assoc Prof Dora Neo (CBFL, NUS Law), Prof Ignacio Tirado (UNIDROIT), Prof Mindy Chen-Wishart (University of Oxford)

Second row: Prof Simon Chesterman (NUS Law), Dr Kristin van Zwieten (University of Oxford), Ms Griselda (Gay) Santos (Southeast Asia, Water.org), Prof Youngjoon Kwon (Seoul National University School of Law)

Third row: Prof Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid), Mr Junayed Ahmed Chowdhury (Vertex Chambers & Vertex International Consulting), Prof Hans Tjio (NUS Law)