Library

A reference shelf of official texts, data and practitioner commentary on sovereign debt, restructuring, litigation and sanctions. Links go to the original publishers; Sovereign Creditor Review does not host third-party documents. Inclusion is not endorsement, and law-firm and chambers pieces may reflect the views of counsel acting in the matters discussed.

SCR explainers

• Suing a state in London: winning the claim, then finding the assets — Sovereign Creditor Review, October 2026. Stage-by-stage guide to immunity, service, defences, judgments, award registration and enforcement in England.
• Suing a state in New York (coming soon) — Sovereign Creditor Review, Forthcoming. FSIA jurisdiction, New York-law bond claims, attachment and execution against state assets.

Restructuring process (official)

• Sovereign Debt Restructuring: A Playbook for Country Authorities — Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable co-chairs (IMF, World Bank, G20 Presidency), 23 April 2025. Non-binding summary of the steps and typical timelines in recent IMF-supported and Common Framework restructurings. (PDF)
• GSDR co-chairs progress note — World Bank / GSDR co-chairs, October 2026. Latest GSDR status note on restructuring cases and technical common understandings. (PDF)
• Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable — World Bank, Ongoing. GSDR overview page with links to co-chairs' statements, progress reports and the technical compendium.
• Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the DSSI — G20 / Paris Club, 13 November 2020. Founding text: eligibility, official creditor coordination, the MoU and comparability of treatment. (PDF)
• What are the main principles underlying Paris Club work? — Paris Club, Ongoing. The six principles, including consensus, conditionality and comparability of treatment.
• Guidance Note on the Financing Assurances and Sovereign Arrears Policies and the Fund's Role in Debt Restructurings — IMF, 18 November 2024. Operational guidance on financing assurances, lending into arrears (LIA/LIOA) and financing assurances reviews.
• Policy Reform Proposals to Promote the Fund's Capacity to Support Countries Undertaking Debt Restructuring — IMF, April 2024. Board-endorsed reforms to official-arrears safeguards and financing assurances reviews. (PDF)
• Staff Guidance Note on the Sovereign Risk and Debt Sustainability Framework for Market Access Countries — IMF, 8 August 2022. Methodology for the MAC SRDSF used in IMF debt sustainability assessments for market-access countries.
• Guidance Note on the Bank-Fund Debt Sustainability Framework for Low Income Countries — IMF / World Bank, 14 February 2018. Methodology for the LIC DSF, including risk-of-distress ratings.
• Debt Sustainability Framework (LIC DSF) — World Bank, Ongoing. World Bank toolkit page for the LIC DSF, with templates and guidance.
• Standard CACs, Pari Passu and Creditor Engagement Provisions (English and New York law) — ICMA, May 2015. Model aggregated collective action, pari passu and creditor engagement clauses for sovereign notes. (PDF)
• Sovereign Debt Information — ICMA, Ongoing. ICMA index of its model sovereign bond clauses and related papers.
• The Principles for Stable Capital Flows and Fair Debt Restructuring, April 2022 Update — Institute of International Finance, 28 April 2022. Voluntary code of conduct between sovereign issuers and private creditors, as updated in 2022.

Law and litigation

• State Immunity Act 1978 — legislation.gov.uk (UK National Archives), 1978, as amended. UK statute on immunity from jurisdiction and enforcement, with current amendments.
• Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1602–1611 — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, Current. US statute governing jurisdiction over foreign states and attachment of their property.
• Find Case Law: search for state immunity judgments — The National Archives (UK), Ongoing. Official free database of England and Wales judgments, pre-filtered for state immunity.
• Kingdom of Bahrain v Shehabi [2026] UKSC 25 — UK Supreme Court (via The National Archives), July 2026. Supreme Court judgment on the personal-injury exception to state immunity.
• Law Debenture Trust Corporation plc v Ukraine [2023] UKSC 11 — UK Supreme Court (via The National Archives), 15 March 2023. Supreme Court judgment on defences to a claim on English-law notes held by Russia.
• Jurisdictional Appeal Dismissed in 'Tuna Bonds' Litigation — Essex Court Chambers, 22 October 2026. Chambers note on the Court of Appeal's jurisdiction ruling in the Mozambique litigation.
• Supreme Court rejects state immunity for alleged spyware use — Twenty Essex, 28 July 2026. Chambers summary of Bahrain v Shehabi.
• Commercial Court Judgment on Charging Orders and State-Controlled Assets — Essex Court Chambers, 28 July 2026. Chambers note on enforcement against state-controlled assets (Soprim v Djibouti).
• Commercial Court judgment on state immunity, issue estoppel, and seat court judgments in arbitration — 3VB, 23 September 2026. Chambers note on the Yukos award-enforcement judgment; 3VB members acted for Russia.
• Second Circuit Vacates $16.1 Billion Judgment Against Argentina: Practical Takeaways for U.S. Sovereign Litigation and Enforcement Strategy — WilmerHale, 1 April 2026. Client alert on the Petersen/YPF appeal and its implications for US sovereign litigation.
• Sovereigns in the Spotlight: Crystallex Uncertainty & Supreme Court Showdowns Ahead — Steptoe, 13 January 2026. Review of the Citgo sale process and pending US Supreme Court sovereign cases.

Sanctions

• Venezuela-Related Sanctions — US Treasury, OFAC, Ongoing. Executive orders, general licenses, FAQs and guidance for the Venezuela program.
• Cuba Sanctions — US Treasury, OFAC, Ongoing. Cuban Assets Control Regulations, guidance and FAQs.
• UK sanctions regimes under the Sanctions Act — UK Government, Ongoing. Index of UK sanctions regimes and their regulations.
• Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation — HM Treasury, OFSI, Ongoing. UK financial sanctions guidance, licensing and the consolidated list.
• EU Sanctions Map — European Union, Ongoing. Searchable map of EU restrictive measures by country and regime.
• Venezuela Sanctions General License Practical Guide (as of 1 October 2026) — Bracewell, 1 October 2026. Law-firm reference table of OFAC Venezuela general licenses. (PDF)

Data

• List of LIC DSAs for PRGT-eligible countries — IMF, Updated periodically. Latest risk-of-debt-distress ratings under the LIC DSF. (PDF)
• International Debt Statistics (IDS) — World Bank, Annual. External debt stocks and flows by country and creditor type.
• Venezuela: country page — IMF, Ongoing. IMF documents, data and press releases for Venezuela.
• Senegal: country page — IMF, Ongoing. IMF program documents, data and press releases for Senegal.
• Ethiopia: country page — IMF, Ongoing. IMF program documents, data and press releases for Ethiopia.
• Sri Lanka: country page — IMF, Ongoing. IMF program documents, data and press releases for Sri Lanka.
• Ghana: country page — IMF, Ongoing. IMF program documents, data and press releases for Ghana.
• Zambia: country page — IMF, Ongoing. IMF program documents, data and press releases for Zambia.