Brevia at RIAC 2026: a week in a nutshell

On Monday, Brevia supported an evening reception by THE LAW, “Russia and the Middle East: Stirred, Not Shaken.” Early in the week, the gathering was convened as part of the initiative to build bridges between markets. Practitioners from the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the CIS celebrated cooperation and partnership in the museum setting.

On Tuesday, Olga Tsvetkova, the firm’s Managing Partner, moderated a panel at the RIAC Main Conference entitled “Who Has the Final Word? Jurisdiction and the Reach of Kompetenz-Kompetenz”. The session offered a comparative overview of who ultimately has the final say in determining jurisdiction – courts or arbitral tribunals – and how concurrent jurisdiction operates in practice.

On Thursday, the Bubbles Breakfast at Noôdome brought together practitioners from the UAE, Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia for a discussion on the Trends and Tensions Beyond the Familiar in the evolving landscape of cross-border disputes. Following the merger of Brevia and Chilikov Arbitration, the conversation, co-hosted with M&Co Legal and Rajah & Tann, touched on the Singapore courts’ approach to transnational issue estoppel; the enforcement of an LCIA award in Hong Kong in the context of sanctions and public policy; and the continuing evolution of the DIAC framework.

On Friday, Polina Kalugina, a Junior Associate at Brevia, moderated a panel hosted by RAA25 and Habib Al Mulla & Partners, “The Growing Role of the UAE in International Dispute Resolution Involving Russian Parties.” The speakers discussed upcoming changes to the UAE arbitration legislation; the state courts’ approaches to the asset tracing and the provisional attachment of property; and the abusive use of criminal prosecution as a “guerrilla tactic” in arbitration.