International arbitration and the Consumer Rights Act: transcending territorial boundaries in enforcement

In this session, we will explore one of international arbitration's most valuable characteristics: the relative ease with which an award can be enforced, in the context of UK consumer rights. 

While traditional dispute resolution features national courts with territorial jurisdiction boundaries that run along international borders, international arbitration has the ability to transcend those boundaries. Underpinning the effectiveness of this enforcement regime is an extremely narrow set of grounds for opposing enforcement of an arbitral award. This makes it particularly suitable for businesses that operate across international or invisible (online) borders, including, tech companies providing services to consumers in other countries.

Two recent cases, both in the crypto sector, provide a useful insight into how the courts have sought to give effect to the enforcement regime in the context of consumer rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.