From cross-border M&A to procedural efficiency, ADR education to Silk Road, Investment Arbitration to ADR trends: Key Takeaways from IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

The International Arbitration Centre (IAC) held its fourth annual IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026 (EAW26), from 30 June to 3 July 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The conference consisted of not just diverse sessions on a plethora of key arbitration and dispute resolution topics, but also erudite professionals who delivered experienced insights.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the conference:

Opening Ceremony:

• “We are proud, excited, grateful and simply thrilled to have all of you here today for what promises to be a fascinating union of great minds in international arbitration for high-class professional exchange and discussion in a haven of legal peace [i.e., Kazakhstan] in a world that gets more complex and less comfortable by the minute.” — Thomas Krümmel, Chairman, IAC

• “This is a remarkable event which demonstrates the vitality and success of the [International] Arbitration Centre and of Kazakhstan as a growing destination of choice for commercial and international dispute resolution. The work of the [Astana International Financial Centre] Court and of the [International] Arbitration Centre continues to grow year on year and that growth is demonstrated not only through increased numbers of court cases, arbitrations, and mediations, but also through the extraordinary increase in the number of delegates each year attending this conference.”— Rt. Hon. The Lord Burnett of Maldon KG, Chief Justice, AIFC Court

• “It’s not about the number of disputes or decision-making here, it’s actually about setting the standard for the wider Eurasia in this part of the world, the world of independent, impartial decision-making.” — Renat Bekturov, Governor, Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC)

Read their opening address here: A haven of legal peace in a world that gets more complex by the minute’: IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026 opens in Astana with calls for stronger institutions and independent dispute resolution

• “Arbitration is an integral part of Kazakhstan’s modern legal system. It helps to ease the burden on the state courts by offering parties an efficient, confidential, and specialised mechanism for dispute resolution.” — Justice Margarita Odintsova, Judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan

• “The programme of the IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026 covers a wide range of pressing issues — from the impact of cultural diversity on arbitration to the specific features of dispute resolution along the transit routes of the Silk Road and the Middle Corridor. Such diversity reflects the growing role of Eurasia as an important centre of economic integration and underscores the importance of arbitration as a reliable instrument for ensuring legal certainty and the sustainable development of cross-border business relations.” — Justice Aigul Kydyrbayeva, Judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Read their full addresses here: Ushering new era of Kazakhstan’s legal system: Justice Margarita Odintsova and Justice Aigul Kydyrbayeva deliver notable addresses at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Keynote Address by Gary Born, Partner, King & Spalding:

• “Companies from every aspect of the world economy, whether it’s cross-border trade, whether it’s energy, whether it’s mining, whether it’s sports, whether it’s financial services, submit their disputes to arbitration. The world’s largest companies do so, and yet small entrepreneurs and small businesses also do so because they have trust and confidence in the result.”

• “If submitting a matter to arbitration causes a restriction of state jurisdiction, then this is the result of a voluntary agreement by the parties, which by itself is protected by the right to free development of personality.”

• “International arbitration is a public-private partnership, which requires close cooperation of international authorities on one end and international authorities and international businesses on the other end.”

• “The magic of arbitration is that because it is in the hands of the parties, it is infinitely adaptable to whatever the disputes are that may arise.”

Read the full keynote address here: Gary Born on the past, present and future of International Arbitration at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Special Panel: Access to Justice (Arbitration) in Central Asia

• “The New York Convention really was a catalyst for world trade because it gave financiers the confidence to fund international projects through the certainty of recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards.” — Lawrence Teh, Co-Head of the International Arbitration Practice at Dentons Rodyk

Read the full report here: Commercial certainty, rule of law and cultural understanding will shape arbitration’s future’: Lawrence Teh shares Singapore’s journey at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: Investment Opportunities & Risks in the Dispute Resolution Context

• “Even the mere existence of a reputable arbitration center in a jurisdiction in itself would bring investment to any country.” — Elijah Putilin, Arbitrator & Counsel, Putilin Dispute Management

• “When you have the rule of law, a trusted institution, supportive courts, it is the grease on the wheels of economic commerce.” —Kevin Nash, Director, LCIA

Read the full report here: Evolving Investment Arbitration Landscape: Experts discuss BIT reforms, State practice, and emergence of Investment Mediation at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Debate: Procedural Efficiency in Arbitration: Myth, Mantra or Menace?

• “Procedural efficiency is a phrase everyone supports until it threatens something they want. Claimants want speed. Respondents want full opportunity to answer. Counsels want every stone to be turned over, especially the stones held by the other side. Tribunals want control but not a satisfied application. Institutions want efficiency but not complaints. Users want arbitration faster than litigation, cheaper than litigation, and more flexible than litigation, and somehow also more perfect than litigation.”— Thomas Krümmel, Chairman, IAC

• “If we allow every document, every witness, every extension, every submission, efficiency becomes a myth. If we merely repeat efficiency without defining what we are protecting, that becomes a mantra. If efficiency becomes an excuse to cut corners, to shut out evidence, to silence parties, or to ignore the public dimension of a dispute, it becomes a menace.”— Thomas Krümmel, Chairman, IAC

• “The flexibility that makes arbitration valuable is being avoided. The inefficiency is self-defeating. Excessive due process undermines the very standard arbitral tribunals set out to safeguard by enabling parties to master delayed tactics behind due process requests.” Artem Doudko, Partner, International Arbitration, Osborne Clarke LLP

• “States have no procedural privilege. Arbitration is a consensual process to which the state has voluntarily submitted. Taking two months to appoint legal advisors after an emergency application, failing to participate in the proceedings or invoking sovereign complexity as an excusable delay are an abusive process contrary to the public interest.”— Artem Doudko, Partner, International Arbitration, Osborne Clarke LLP

• “Arbitration proceedings should not become inefficient, simply to allow a slow-moving group of taxpayers to keep moving at a patient speed under the false pretense of public interest.” —Artem Doudko, Partner, International Arbitration, Osborne Clarke LLP

• “A tribunal fears challenge is not an incapable one, it is a careful one.” — Mahnaz Malik, Arbitrator & Barrister, 20 Essex Street Chambers

• “On paper, every witness is articulate, consistent, and certain. But in the box, without the drafting to hide behind, the tribunal can finally see and hear the witness rather than the witness’s voice” — Mahnaz Malik, Arbitrator & Barrister, 20 Essex Street Chambers

Read the full debate report here: Fear, paper, people and power: Experts debate procedural efficiency in arbitration at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: Enforcing Arbitration Awards: Strategies for Success

• “Arbitration is becoming more expensive, and sometimes it makes people question whether it still makes sense to go to arbitration. I think the way we can make arbitration cheaper is to create more regional centres where dispute resolution will be much less expensive. Regional arbitration centres also have greater knowledge of the language, the culture and the commercial realities of the region. They are better placed to hear these disputes than institutions located in other jurisdictions.” — Davit Tabatadze, Head of Litigation, BLC Law Office; Chairman, Georgian Association of Arbitrators

• “London, Paris and other well-established arbitration institutions will remain at the top for some time because they have earned that position through decades of stability in the arbitral process. At the same time, parties are increasingly asking whether they can receive the same level, or approximately the same level, of legal services in a forum that is more time-efficient and cost-efficient. That is precisely what Armenia is trying to achieve.” — Erik Manukyan, Junior Associate, Sigma Law Group

• “Enforcement is not simply the final stage of arbitration. Parties should think about enforcement much earlier, when they negotiate their contracts and draft their arbitration clauses. They should identify where the assets are located and ensure that the arbitration agreement is valid, that all procedural requirements have been satisfied and that every party has had a full opportunity to present its case.” — Akzhan Sheraliyeva, Associate, GRATA International

• “The seat of arbitration is only as good as the courts that will review the award—either to enforce it or to decide whether it should be set aside. Unless there is complete confidence in the independence and competence of the judiciary, the largest and most politically sensitive disputes will continue to go to London, Paris, Hong Kong or Singapore, where businesses have developed that trust over many years.” — Mikhail Shuganov, Associate, White & Case LLP

• “If I were to put it into a simple framework, there are three essential components. First, you need a modern legislative framework aligned with international best practice. Secondly, you need supportive institutions, including an independent judiciary and strong arbitral institutions. Thirdly, you need to create a genuine culture of ADR by ensuring both a supply of skilled practitioners and demand from businesses and legal professionals who are willing to choose arbitration.” — Cristen Bauer, Director of External Affairs, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Ciarb)

• “No matter how good an arbitral institution is, if at the end of the day you cannot enforce the arbitral award and recover the money, then everything else becomes meaningless. Enforcement is one of the most important components of any arbitration system.”— Usen Tastanbekov, Associate, Kinstellar

Read full report here: “An arbitral award means little if it cannot be enforced”: Experts discuss practical strategies for successful enforcement at IAC Eurasian Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: The Role of Law Schools in the Future of ADR

• “Given the capability of AI tools to basically do the work of a student, it creates a whole range of problems that we have to really address to make sure we’re making sure students are not losing their basic skills, writing, reasoning, and arguing, but at the same time helping them to use AI tools to become better.”

• “If you can combine the knowledge of AI tools, preserve the basic legal capabilities of analysis and writing, and add the knowledge of behavioral sciences, we can do a lot better in teaching law for those who can actually do ADR on a competitive basis.”

  — Dr. Mukhit Yeleuov, Partner, ADL Disputes

Read full report here: Transforming ADR Education: Academics discuss experiential learning, AI, and clinical legal education for next generation of lawyers at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: Resolving Complex Disputes in the Middle Corridor & Silk Road: An Integrated Approach

• “The Middle Corridor would create definitely the complex disputes. And we should be ready, should discuss, and react to these complex disputes.” —Dr. Saltanat Imanova, Associate Professor at the American University of Central Asia and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ICA CCI KR

Read full report here: Resolving complex disputes along the Middle Corridor: Experts call for integrated legal frameworks to support emerging trade corridor at the IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: Regional Update: ADR Trends in Central Asia & South Caucasus

• “We all know just how critically important enforcement is. It’s all really about enforcement for us here. It always has been difficult and it always will be. But at the same time, it’s how important the role of the lawyer and others involved in the process really is—to navigate the peculiarities of the various systems all around the world, to ensure that justice is done and that ultimately execution orders, arbitration awards, are complied with and that people get what they have been awarded.” — Christopher Campbell-Holt OBE, Registrar & Chief Executive, AIFC Court & IAC

• “The procedure of enforcing arbitral awards in the AIFC is very straightforward. It’s very streamlined, very convenient… Generally, I would say Kazakhstan is an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction. Certain drawbacks exist, but nobody is perfect. With a certain amount of effort and early discussions with legislators, with the Supreme Court and with the political authorities, we may find a way out of these difficulties.” — Sergei Vataev, Partner, Legit Advocates’ Bureau

• “It is best to consult with your local lawyers if you expect the award to be enforced. Avoid complex formulas when it comes to granting a penalty or interest because neither Kazakh courts nor enforcement officers will recalculate the interest or penalty. Have fixed sums, definitive sums, to have them enforced in Kazakhstan.” — Askar Konysbayev, Partner, GRATA International

• “Selection of a neutral seat is important. Parties structuring agreements involving Russian entities should carefully consider institutional arbitration and neutral jurisdictions. The other possible strategy is pre-emptive security. Securing emergency arbitration orders or freezing injunctions during the dispute process is critical, as the debtor has an opportunity to shift assets or initiate retaliatory actions in Russian courts.” — Dr. Ilia Rachkov Partner, Nektorov, Saveliev & Partners

• “The U.S. courts are very, very pro-arbitration. It’s a federal policy that courts must enforce arbitral awards unless the exceptions under the New York Convention apply, and U.S. courts interpret those exceptions very, very narrowly and put a pretty high burden on the parties seeking to invoke those defences.” — Caitlin Walczyk, Associate, White & Case LLP

Read full report here: From arbitration users to arbitration destinations: Central Asia and South Caucasus build stronger ADR ecosystems at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: International Arbitration in Eurasia: Navigating Diverse Traditions, Frameworks & Cultural Expectations

• “Arbitration centres only prosper if their supervising courts are independent when applying the governing law and if awards can be enforced both domestically and internationally in accordance with the governing conventions.” — Rt. Hon. The Lord Burnett of Maldon KG, Chief Justice, AIFC Court

• “AIFC Court and IAC is our shortcut to the rule of law.” —Aigoul Kenjebayeva, Partner, Dentons

• “Arbitration has become the victim of its success.” —Prof. Loukas Mistelis, Clive M. Schmitthoff Professor of Transnational Commercial Law and Arbitration, Queen Mary University of London and International Arbitration Partner, Steptoe LLP

Read the full report: “AIFC Court and IAC is our shortcut to the rule of law”: Panel on arbitration, legal traditions and institutional development at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: AI in Arbitration: Appropriate Use, Limits & Ethics

• “AI is not going to take us back to the way we did things. The only way is going forward, it’s just how we go forward.”

• “If you use AI, remember Benjamin Franklin. Test, but verify. Because AI … really wants to make you happy. So, it will give you an answer, even if it isn’t fully accurate.”

  — Dr. Kabir Duggal, Lecturer at Columbia Law School and Partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Read the full report here: “Trust, but verify”: Experts discusses AI governance, ethics and accountability at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: Cross-Border M&A Disputes: Why They Arise & How to Resolve

• “Usually all M&A transactions proceed smoothly, and the parties act in good faith, and probably it is connected with our cultural peculiarity, meaning that the parties prefer to settle rather than to litigate.” — Ardak Idayatova, Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution Practice, Kinstellar

• “M&A disputes arise usually, if we remove fraud and dishonesty because of differences in culture, differences in law, regulations, and policies.” —Bakhyt Tukulov, Partner, TKS Disputes

• “Cross-border M&A disputes are not resolved by choosing one perfect forum. They are resolved by designing a dispute architecture.” —Anastasiia Dulska, Associate, Bär & Karrer

• “The choice between arbitration and state courts is not a dichotomy. It’s a choice of function.” —Anastasiia Dulska, Associate, Bär & Karrer

Read the full report here: Cross-border M&A disputes require dispute architecture, not just arbitration: Experts discuss at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Keynote Address by Prof. Loukas Mistelis, Clive M. Schmitthoff Professor of Transnational Commercial Law and Arbitration, Queen Mary University of London and International Arbitration Partner, Steptoe LLP

• “Arbitration remains the preferred method for cross-border disputes.”

• “Arbitration is a luxury market. It’s the private health service.”

Read the full address here: ‘Asia is becoming a superpower of disputes’: Prof. Loukas Mistelis highlights global arbitration trends at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: Arbitration from the Inside: What In-house Counsel Really Want

• “In-house counsels operate at the intersection of law, finance, business, and reputation.” — Samir Abdullayev, Legal Director, Western & Central Asia, ALSTOM

• “Predictability helps to maintain arbitration as a business tool rather than a source of uncontrolled disruption.” — Samir Abdullayev, Legal Director, Western & Central Asia, ALSTOM

• “The clients really need confidence, decision-making. That’s all about business.” — Ravil Kassilgov, Managing Partner, KP Disputes

• “It is not a question of the speed and cost. It is a question of the strategy.” — Artem Timoshenko, Managing Partner, Unicase

• “A contract is as good as the ability to enforce that contract efficiently, effectively, equitably and transparently.” — Zmarak Khan, Deputy Chief Counsel, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP)

• “Please reach out to dispute resolution lawyers and take that advice early on because that may help you to either avoid disputes or actually have it managed in a normal way.” — Elyar Aliyev, Vice President Legal (Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye), bp

Read full report here: Predictability, commercial strategy and enforceability drive arbitration decisions: Key takeaways from in-house counsel at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: International Law & Practice of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

• “Nowadays, in case there is no much substantial regulation, it’s actually us as lawyers, as future practitioners, as experts and judges and arbitrators who are creating the relevant principles.” —Daniil Litosh, Associate, Unicase

• “The proliferation of soft law has led, in large part, to more procedural problems in arbitration than it has solved.” —David Hunt, Partner, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP

Read full report here: Soft law, UNCITRAL Model Law and arbitration-friendly courts take centre stage at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Panel Discussion: From Law School to Global Practice: Career Pathways for Young Lawyers

• “The right environment for practising law is the key.” —Akzhan Sargaskayeva, Partner, GRATA International

• “Connections build relations, relations build careers.” —Faridun Isomatov, International Legal Advisor, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP);

• “Academia and professional legal practice don’t compete. They are linked to each other.” —Solikha Abdurakhimova, Lecturer, University of World Economy and Diplomacy

Read the full report here: “Connections build relations, relations build careers”: Experts discuss career pathways for young lawyers at IAC Eurasia Arbitration Week 2026

Read the full conference coverage here: Eurasia Arbitration Week Archives | SCC Times