Ruslan Sadrtdinov Meets President of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris
In September 2026, Ruslan Sadrtdinov, Director of the Legal Services Department at Fortune Partners, attended a meeting in Paris with Claudia Salomon, President of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
The meeting was organised by Dr Patricia Nacimiento (Partner, Head of Disputes Germany, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP) and Dr Adilbek Tussupov (Senior Associate, International Arbitration, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP).
Here are some of the topics discussed at the meeting:
- The updated 2026 ICC Arbitration Rules entered into force on 1 June 2026. The key changes concern the expedited procedure: a new super-expedited procedure has been introduced, under which an award is rendered within 3 months.
- In-house lawyers were actively involved in drafting the new Rules. This confirms that arbitration is a highly sought-after tool for business, and that ICC is focused on business needs.
- The main concern for business in international arbitration is the speed of proceedings. Notably, Kazakhstan arbitration institutions are quite efficient in this respect: the rules of the Arbitration Centre of NCE "Atameken" and the KIA provide for time limits of 60 and 30 days respectively (subject to certain conditions).
- Many questions concerned the enforcement of international arbitral awards in China. It was noted that the situation is improving: Chinese courts are increasingly taking a pro-enforcement approach. In addition, China has a special reporting mechanism: if a lower court intends to refuse recognition or enforcement of a foreign arbitral award, the matter is reviewed by higher courts, up to the Supreme People's Court.
One of the first bills to be considered by the Kurultai, Kazakhstan's new legislative body, is a package of amendments to the Law "On Arbitration".
The main changes aim to strengthen the regulation of arbitrators and expand the powers of the Arbitration Chamber:
- maintenance by the Arbitration Chamber of a Unified Register of Arbitrators and a Register of Permanent Arbitration Institutions;
- development of model rules for arbitration institutions in Kazakhstan;
- introduction of an arbitrator training programme with a certificate confirming qualification;
- development and approval of a Code of Ethics for Arbitrators and standards for disclosing conflicts of interest;
- the right of the Arbitration Chamber to issue opinions on the removal of arbitrators from the Unified Register based on monitoring of their activities.
Dana Tokmurzina, CEO of Fortune Partners and Executive Director of the Arbitration Centre of NCE "Atameken", is also taking part in the discussion of the bill.
Fortune Partners has deep expertise and experience in arbitration disputes. If you have any questions, we will be happy to help.
