What is a scheme of arrangement?

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A scheme of arrangement is a formal process in which a company proposes a plan to restructure its affairs by reaching a compromise or arrangement with its creditors or with its members, and that plan must be approved by the relevant classes and then sanctioned by the court. The court’s involvement ensures fairness and protects minority interests, weighing whether the proposed plan is fair and not prejudicial. Once sanctioned, the arrangement binds all those affected and can implement changes such as debt reductions, debt-for-equity swaps, or other terms to enable the company to continue or to be reorganized.

It is not a liquidation, which ends the company; nor is it an informal agreement among shareholders, which would lack binding effect and court oversight; and it is not a government-approved plan. The scheme sits as a court-supervised route to restructures that might avoid bankruptcy.