International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes to Establish Office in Singapore
25 August 2025 Posted in Press releases
1. The Singapore Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) signed a Letter of Intent today to formalise the establishment of the ICSID Singapore Office. The office will be ICSID’s first staffed office outside of its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
2. The Letter of Intent was signed by Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Mr Edwin Tong SC and ICSID Secretary-General Ms Martina Polasek on the sidelines of the Singapore Convention Week 2025.
3. The ICSID Singapore Office will serve as ICSID’s regional hub, from which ICSID can administer ICSID cases, further provide capacity-building and training, and engage more closely with Government officials, law practitioners, and organisations in Singapore and across the region. The Office will allow ICSID to better serve the region’s needs in investment dispute prevention and resolution.
4. The ICSID Singapore Office will be based at the World Bank Group Singapore Office at 10 Marina Boulevard, joining the other four World Bank Group organisations1, which already have offices in Singapore. ICSID will maintain satellite premises at Maxwell Chambers Suites, the world’s first integrated dispute resolution complex that houses hearing facilities, international dispute resolution institutions, law firms, arbitration chambers and ancillary services.
5. Minister Tong said: “ICSID is the world’s leading institution dedicated to international investment dispute settlement. We are honoured that ICSID has chosen Singapore for its first staffed office outside of its headquarters. We warmly welcome ICSID to our growing ecosystem, where it will join other international dispute resolution institutions, adding to Singapore’s service offerings, and increasing access to ICSID’s services in this region.”
6. Ms Polasek said: “We are grateful to the Government of Singapore for working with ICSID on this initiative, the first of its kind. This milestone reflects Singapore and ICSID’s shared commitment to fostering favourable investment climates through innovation and collaboration in international dispute settlement. Establishing an office in Singapore will enable ICSID to more effectively meet the needs of our clients and stakeholders in the region, particularly through enhanced capacity building, outreach, and case administration. I see significant opportunities to support investors and States in the region with dispute resolution, especially by advancing mediation as a valuable tool.”
7. ICSID’s primary purpose is to promote foreign investment by providing a neutral and reliable forum for settling disputes between investors and States. ICSID offers a unique legal framework and specialised expertise for the resolution of investment disputes in a fair, efficient, and conclusive manner. ICSID is one of the World Bank Group’s five organisations, and as of 2025, has 158 Contracting States.
8. Singapore became a Contracting Member State when it ratified the ICSID Convention on 14 October 1968. As an ICSID Member State, Singapore has designated Singapore lawyers, arbitrators and mediators to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and Panel of Conciliators, to be available for selection by parties to ICSID Tribunals, Conciliation Commissions and ad hoc Committees.
MINISTRY OF LAW
25 AUGUST 2025
1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Development Association, International Finance Corporation, and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.↩
Last updated on 25 August 2025