Answer ... Prior to 1 March 2023, a law called the Reciprocal Enforcement of Commonwealth Judgments Act allowed for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments from certain courts in the Commonwealth. This act has since been repealed and the reciprocating countries once recognised under it have been transferred over to, and consolidated under, the Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act. This has resulted in a single regime under the Reciprocal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act and has streamlined Singapore’s legal framework for the statutory recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. As a result, parties will no longer have to contend with two separate statutory regimes with similar effect (see the Ministry of Law press release at www.mlaw.gov.sg/news/press-releases/enhancing-the-regime and the parliamentary speeches and responses on the matter at www.mlaw.gov.sg/news/parliamentary-speeches/second-reading-speech-by-senior-minister-of-state-for-law-mr-edwin-tong-on-refj-amendment-bill.)

Additionally, as economies around the world recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate an increase in enforcement of foreign judgments in Singapore.