The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has opened an office in New York, reflecting its popularity as a centre for dispute resolution among US parties.

The SIAC, whose existing overseas offices are in China, South Korea and India, joins fellow arbitral institution, the International Chamber of Commerce, in opening in the world’s pre-eminent financial centre. 

The office will be staffed by Adriana Uson, a former Singapore-based associate at Norton Rose Fulbright who joined the SIAC in July to be head of Americas.

She sits on the SIAC’s panel of reserve arbitrators and was formerly counsel to the centre.

The SIAC said US parties were the most frequent users of the centre in 2018, when 500 had arbitrated under the centre’s rules. The office, however, will be focused on pan-America arbitrations, as well as the lucrative US market.

Davinder Singh SC, chairman of the board, said: “SIAC has been very conscious of the importance and weight of the Americas in international arbitration. That New York will be our first representative office outside of Asia is an acknowledgement that the Americas will be shaping much of the future of international arbitration.”

Wilmer Hale partner, Gary Born, president of SIAC’s Court of Arbitration, said the opening of the office was “the beginning of a long-term collaboration and cooperation with our US users, to provide an expert, experienced and efficient means of resolving international disputes for US businesses”.

The announcement came as Singapore’s minister for law, K Shanmugam SC, announced the centre had heard more than 1000 cases by the end of October, the first time the symbolic threshold had been reached.