2024 Annual Caseload Report at a glance:
(Egypt-Kuwait, UAE-Jersey)
The total number of cases filed before CRCICA until 31 December 2024 reached 1747 cases. In 2024, 76 new cases were filed, compared to 53 in 2023.
Of the 76 cases filed this year, 11 related to ad hoc proceedings, representing 14% of cases, and 20 cases included multiple parties, representing 26% of cases. Further, 3 mediations were referred to the Centre in 2024 compared to 3 in 2023. The Centre also registered 1 dispute board case in 2024, compared to 2 dispute board cases in 2023.
The Centre’s caseload during 2023 involved disputes relating to a variety of sectors, including: Retail, Real Estate Development, Construction, Tourism & Hospitality, International Sale of Goods, Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Media & Entertainment, Corporate Structuring, and Public Works.
For the first time since 2019, construction disputes were not the most prevalent before the Centre during 2024. In fact, disputes arising from the Retail sector ranked in first place with 22% of cases, followed by Real Estate Development disputes with 12% of the total number of cases. Construction disputes came in third with 10.5% of cases, followed by Tourism and Hospitality disputes with 6.5% of cases. Disputes arising from International Sale of Goods, the Healthcare sector, and the Oil & Gas sector tied for fifth place, representing 5% of cases each.
The parties to disputes included 28 Non-Egyptian parties. Parties from Libya came in at the top of Non-Egyptian parties referring their disputes to the Centre, with 11 parties, followed by parties from the United Arab Emirates, with 5 parties. In third place, 2 parties from Saudi Arabia referred their disputes to the Centre.
There were also parties from China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, India, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Russia, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom.
It is worth noting that these conservative figures do not include Egyptian companies owned or ultimately controlled by non-Egyptian shareholders.
The year 2024 witnessed the appointment of 151 arbitrators, including 15 Non-Egyptian arbitrators, representing 10% of appointments, with the number of arbitrators with a British nationality coming at the top, followed by arbitrators coming from Lebanon and then from Tunisia. There were also appointments of arbitrators from Bahrain, Egypt, and Qatar.
In 2017, the CRCICA signed the Pledge for Equal Representation in Arbitration, according to which the CRCICA, having due regard to the circumstances of the relevant case, implemented a gender diversity policy when acting as an appointing authority in addition to its implementation of a regional and age diversity policy where appropriate.
During 2024, 5 female arbitrators were appointed, representing 3% of appointments, compared to 7 female arbitrators appointed in 2023, representing 5% of appointments that year. Moreover, 17 arbitrators under 40 were appointed in 2024, representing 11% of appointments, compared to 12 arbitrators under 40 appointed in 2023, representing 9% of appointments that year.
These numbers and percentages, though both still modest, show a tendency to increase under 40 appointments by the CRCICA as well as by parties and co-arbitrators.
Of the 151 arbitrators appointed in 2024, only 30 were appointed by the Centre, representing 20% of all appointments. In exercising its power as appointing authority, the Centre took the opportunity to appoint 5 non-Egyptian arbitrators (16%), as well as 4 female arbitrators (13%) and 9 arbitrators under 40 (30%).
In 2024, 66 arbitration cases were conducted in Arabic, (i.e. 87%), whereas 10 cases, (i.e. 13%) were conducted in English. 3 cases were bilingual proceedings, Arabic-French as well as Arabic-English.
During 2024, cases where the sum in dispute does not exceed USD 1million constituted over half of the Centre’s caseload. These were followed by cases where the sum in dispute ranges between USD 1 million and USD 3 million and then cases where the sum in dispute ranges between USD 5 million and USD 10 million.
The average value of sums in dispute in cases registered in 2024 amounted to USD 3,143,454, representing a decrease from the average in 2023, USD 4,643,018, but slightly higher than the average in 2022, which amounted to USD 3,136,929.
The total sum in dispute during 2024 reached USD 238,902,561, about the same as the total sum in dispute during 2023, i.e. USD 246,079,985.
HEARINGS IN 2024
Throughout this year, 108 hearings took place using CRCICA’s hearing facilities. 69 of the hearings related to cases brought under the CRCICA Arbitration Rules, 17 hearings related to ad hoc cases administered by CRCICA, 21 hearings related to non-CRCICA proceedings, including ICC, ICSID and non-CRCICA administered ad hoc proceedings, and 1 hearing related to a dispute board case.
Of the 108 hearings that took place using CRCICA’s hearing facilities, 3 were held remotely, representing 3% of hearings, 8 hearings were held in a hybrid format, representing 7% of hearings, and 97 hearings were held physically, representing 90% of the hearings.
