Young ICCA Goes Vis Moot: Strategy, Risk, and Reality of Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration

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As part of Vis Moot week in Vienna, Young ICCA invites junior practitioners, arbitrators, and moot participants to join us for an in-person, practice-driven discussion on third-party funding and security for costs — one of the most strategically significant issues in contemporary arbitration.

Hosted at the offices of KNOETZL in central Vienna, the session will explore how third-party funding arrangements are evaluated and deployed in practice; how tribunals and arbitral institutions address disclosure and applications for security for costs in funded proceedings; and the tactical considerations parties and funders must navigate throughout the lifecycle of a case. The discussion will also offer insight into how applications for security for costs are argued and decided in funded arbitrations, while unpacking the strategic considerations counsel must weigh when working alongside funders.

The discussion will be followed by a networking reception with light refreshments.

Programme:

4:30 pm – Registration
5 pm – Welcome Remarks
5:15 pm – Keynote Address
5:30 pm – Panel Discussion – Strategy, Risk and Reality of Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration
6:30 pm onwards – Networking Reception

Open to all, with a special focus on coaches and arbitrators.

Post-Event Report

Report prepared by: Arijit Sanyal 

As part of Vis Moot week in Vienna, Young ICCA hosted an in-person panel discussion titled  Strategy, Risk, and Reality of Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration at the offices of KNOETZL. The event drew over 70 participants attending the panel, and additional guests joining for the reception and networking that followed, reflecting the strong interest in practice-oriented panels on the sidelines of the Vis Moot. The participants were predominantly young arbitration practitioners and students.

The session was opened by Mr. Florian Haugeneder, Partner at KNOETZL, followed by Ms. Raquel Macedo Moreira, co-director of the Young ICCA Mentoring Programme, who welcomed the audience and introduced Young ICCA. The panel was moderated by Mr. Arijit Sanyal (Skywards Law) and Ms. Dragana Nikolić (Queritius), who guided the discussion across a practice-driven exploration of how third-party funding arrangements are evaluated, deployed, and scrutinised in arbitration practice today.

Ms. Alice Fremuth-Wolf opened the discussion with a scene-setting talk on third-party funding in practice and shared personal war stories from her diverse, rich career. The keynote was followed by a panel discussion featuring Ms. Natascha Tunkel (KNOETZL), Ms. Elisabeth Vanas-Metzler (VIAC), Mr. Malte Stübinger (Deminor), and Ms. Jadranka Osrečak (State Attorney’s Office of the Republic of Croatia). The panel brought together perspectives from an arbitrator, counsel, funder, institution, and state, offering the audience a rare 360-degree view of the topic and concerns that are usually encountered by the different stakeholders.

The discussion addressed key themes including the scope of disclosure obligations, funder involvement and its interaction with the attorney-client relationship, funder’s influence on proceedings, allocation of adverse costs, recoverability of funding costs, legislative versus self-regulatory approaches, and funder withdrawal rights. Conducted under the Chatham House Rules, the exchange was candid and practice-oriented, with particular attention to the tensions between legitimate funder oversight and the risk of undue control over proceedings.

The event concluded with a reception at KNOETZL, where participants and panellists continued the conversation in an informal setting.