On February 12, 2026, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) released its annual statistics for 2025, reporting a record 582 new cases — including 388 arbitrations, 9 mediations, and 185 domain name disputes. The 388 arbitration filings represent a 10% increase over 2024’s 352 filings, which was itself a record year.
By the Numbers
| Metric | 2025 | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total new cases | 582 | 388 arbitrations + 9 mediations + 185 domain name disputes |
| Arbitration filings | 388 | +10% YoY (352 in 2024) |
| Total dispute value (all arbitrations) | HK$126.2 billion (~US$16.2B) | +19% from HK$106B in 2024 |
| Total dispute value (administered) | HK$117.7 billion (~US$15.1B) | Average: HK$375M per administered case |
| Parties’ jurisdictions represented | 61 | Up from 45 in prior reporting |
| Contracts underlying arbitrations | 578 | Multiple contracts per case increasingly common |
| Arbitrator appointments by HKIAC | 199 | Plus 220 confirmed designations |
| Consolidation requests | 14 | 12 granted, 2 rejected |
| Joinder requests | 13 | 9 granted, 3 rejected, 1 pending |
International Composition
HKIAC’s international profile remained strong:
- 84.3% of all arbitrations were international (at least one non-Hong Kong party)
- 92.9% of administered arbitrations were international
- 45.4% of arbitrations involved no Hong Kong parties at all
- 58.2% involved no Mainland Chinese parties
- 13.7% involved no Asian parties
- 96.6% of all arbitrations were seated in Hong Kong
Top party origins included Hong Kong, Mainland China, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Singapore, the United States, UAE, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Interim Measures in Mainland China
Under the Hong Kong–Mainland China Arrangement on Interim Measures (保全安排), HKIAC processed 34 applications to 13 different Mainland Chinese courts in 2025. These applications sought to preserve assets and evidence worth a total of RMB 10.9 billion (~US$1.6 billion).
Mainland courts issued 17 orders in 2025, preserving assets worth approximately RMB 5 billion (~US$719.8 million).
Since the Arrangement took effect on October 1, 2019, HKIAC has handled 178 applications total. Mainland courts have issued 133 decisions, preserving approximately US$4.6 billion in assets.
What This Means for Foreign Businesses
If you are choosing between arbitration venues for Asia-Pacific disputes, HKIAC continues to produce the data that supports its position as the region’s leading international seat.
Here is what the 2025 numbers tell us:
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The caseload growth is genuine and sustained. Three consecutive record years (2023, 2024, 2025) is not a spike — it reflects structural demand. The 10% increase in arbitration filings year-over-year, while total dispute value jumped 19%, indicates HKIAC is attracting higher-value cases, not just more of them.
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The Mainland interim measures arrangement works. 34 applications in a single year, resulting in 17 orders preserving ~US$720 million, confirms that the cross-border preservation mechanism is functional and actively used. Since 2019, US$4.6 billion in assets have been preserved through this channel. For businesses with assets in Mainland China, this is the strongest argument for choosing Hong Kong-seated arbitration.
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HKIAC is not a Hong Kong-only institution. With 58.2% of cases involving no Mainland Chinese parties and 13.7% involving no Asian parties at all, HKIAC serves a genuinely global user base. The top jurisdictions — including BVI, Cayman Islands, UAE, and Brazil — reflect its role in offshore corporate, energy, and infrastructure disputes.
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Multi-contract and multi-party disputes are the norm. 185 of 388 arbitrations involved multiple parties or contracts. HKIAC’s consolidation and joinder mechanisms were used 27 times, with a combined grant rate of roughly 78%. This matters for complex cross-border transactions where related disputes need to be heard together.
Bottom line: HKIAC’s 2025 statistics reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a venue where international arbitration is not just available but actively growing. The interim measures data, in particular, addresses the perennial question of whether a Hong Kong award can protect assets in Mainland China. The answer, supported by US$4.6 billion in preserved assets since 2019, is increasingly clear.