LCIA 2025 in numbers: faster, cheaper, and ever more global

Global by every measure

The LCIA’s 2025 Annual Casework Report, published in October 2026, highlights the LCIA’s sustained strong performance in the international dispute resolution arena. For 2025, the LCIA reported:

• Steady referrals: The LCIA received a total of 365 referrals (up from 362 in 2024), of which 88% were for arbitrations under the LCIA Arbitration Rules, 7% for fundholding arbitrations, 3% for UNCITRAL and other ad hoc arbitrations, and 2% for LCIA mediations and other alternative dispute resolution methods.
• An international playing field: London may be the preferred seat, but the parties are global: 103 jurisdictions were represented, 96% of cases involved a non-UK party, and 77% involved no UK party at all. The most frequently represented jurisdictions were the United Kingdom (15.1%), the United States (7.3%), the United Arab Emirates (7%), Switzerland (5.6%), Kenya (4.1%), and Italy (2.7%). By region, the largest regional share was held by Western European parties (37.3%), followed by the Middle East and North Africa (14.9%), Sub-Saharan Africa (13.1%), Asia Pacific (8.2%), Latin America and the Caribbean (8%), North America (7.8%), and Central and Eastern Europe (6.5%). It is no surprise that the LCIA Arbitration Rules and Schedule of Costs were made available in 11 languages.
• Tribunal diversity reaches record highs: The LCIA is drawing on a wider pool of arbitrators than ever, and the figures show it. Arbitrators appointed in 2025 represented 45 nationalities. A record 75% of the LCIA Court’s selections were non-British, and non-British arbitrators made up a majority (52%) of all appointments for the first time. The LCIA’s selections of women continued to rise (49% in 2025) and women accounted for 38% of overall appointments. In addition, of all first-time appointees, 37% were women. The LCIA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Guidelines and its commitment to the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge support its aim of putting forward “the best tribunal for each case”.
• London and English law still lead: The LCIA administered arbitrations in 21 seats across 16 jurisdictions and disputes governed by 28 substantive laws across 24 jurisdictions. London remained the most frequently chosen seat, accounting for 87% of arbitrations commenced in 2025 (and 56% of fundholding arbitrations and 82% of UNCITRAL arbitrations), followed by the Dubai International Financial Centre, Nairobi, Paris, and Port Louis. The law of England and Wales applied in 79% of arbitrations, followed by Kenyan, Ukrainian, New York, Nigerian, and Saudi Arabian law. 
• Three sectors dominate and one is on the rise: Three sectors generated more than half of all LCIA arbitrations: (i) transport and commodities (25%); (ii) banking and finance (17%); and (iii) energy and resources (14%). The largest rise was in professional services, which more than doubled to 11%. Moreover, disputes arising in the insurance sector dominated fundholding arbitrations (63%), while the UNCITRAL and ad hoc arbitrations were more evenly distributed across six sectors (transport and commodities, energy and resources, property and real estate, professional services, construction and infrastructure, and insurance).

Faster and cheaper: the time and costs data

The LCIA’s administration processes are constantly streamlined and speed starts from day one, with the LCIA acknowledging requests for arbitration in a median of one business day; 87% of requests were acknowledged on the same or next business day. The LCIA reported that it sent the first substantive letter in a median of one business day and in 96% of cases within three business days of receiving the request. Selecting an arbitrator, fixing the hourly rate, and sending the Statement of Independence, Impartiality and Availability took a median of 13 business days (average of 20 business days). The notice of appointment then followed in a median of one business day (average of three business days).

Subsequently, the LCIA remains closely involved throughout the lifecycle of the arbitration to ensure that each case gets the attention it needs. The LCIA encourages the parties’ and tribunals’ use of online filings, electronic communications, virtual hearings, and electronically signed awards.

The above efficiencies are part of the LCIA’s objective to maintain good administration while keeping the arbitration proceedings moving at a reasonable cost. The LCIA’s Costs and Duration Analysis (awards from 2017 to May 2024) records a median duration of 20 months from the request to the issuance of the final award. Unlike most major institutions, the LCIA charges for work done, not the size of the claim. The result is a median arbitration cost of $117,653 and independently verified savings when compared to the estimated costs of other institutions across almost all claims values, savings that grow as the stakes rise.

A new edition of the LCIA Arbitration Rules is in the works, with the LCIA constantly striving to improve the operation of the rules in practice while keeping them clear and user-friendly.

Efficiency tools gain more traction

Alongside broad tribunal powers, the LCIA Arbitration Rules include a variety of tools aimed at making proceedings as efficient as possible. In appropriate circumstances, participants can apply for early determination, expedited formation, emergency arbitration, interim relief, and joinder and consolidation procedures. The participants’ use of these tools rose or remained steady in 2025:

• Expedited formation of the tribunal (article 9A): This was used 15 times in 2025, with five applications granted.
• Appointment of temporary emergency arbitrator (article 9B): Seven applications were made in 2025, of which three were successful.
• Composite requests (article 1.2): 76 arbitrations were commenced through composite requests, accounting for 24% of all LCIA arbitrations; 78% of composite requests resulted in consolidation.
• Applications for consolidation (article 22A): 44 applications were made with an 82% success rate, the majority being granted before the appointment of the tribunal in order to allow related disputes to proceed efficiently in a single arbitration from an early stage.
• Early determination (article 22.1(viii)): This is the standout trend. Applications more than doubled to a record 38 and grants rose from one in 2024 to 10 in 2025. This is despite a high bar: the procedure only permits a tribunal to determine that a claim, defence, counter-claim, or cross-claim is (a) manifestly outside its jurisdiction, (b) inadmissible, or (c) manifestly without merit. The new summary disposal power introduced by the Arbitration Act 2025 is likely a key driver behind the increase in early determination applications.
• Interim or conservatory relief (article 25): 66 applications were made in 2025, with a success rate of 38%. Security for costs was the most frequently requested form of interim relief, with a success rate of 50%, while measures for the preservation of assets or evidence had a lower success rate. 

Conclusion

Parties wishing to review their standard arbitration clauses should consider the LCIA’s latest data: it makes a strong case on cost, speed, and early disposal of weak claims. Parties considering the LCIA for the administration of their dispute (either before or, in appropriate cases, after the dispute has arisen) should weigh these factors:

• The LCIA administers diverse cases across commercial, investment, and inter-state disputes (and 11% of its caseload involved states and state-owned entities).
• The LCIA has broad experience in a variety of sectors, and transport and commodities, banking and finance, and energy and resources lead its caseload, with professional services on the rise.
• The LCIA’s fast administration supports a median duration of arbitration proceedings of 20 months.
• A key differentiator of the LCIA is that its costs are time-based and not tied to the amounts in dispute. The median arbitration cost was $117,653 and the LCIA arbitration costs analysed across almost all amounts in dispute were lower than the estimated costs of other arbitral institutions. Cost savings were greatest in higher-value cases.
• Parties can make use of tools available under the LCIA Arbitration Rules for the potential expedition of the proceedings, including seeking early determination and interim relief, and consolidating complex and linked disputes. The early determination procedure introduced in the 2020 LCIA Arbitration Rules (and supported by the reforms in the Arbitration Act 2025) is now a realistic option: 10 applications succeeded in 2025, compared with just one the year before.

About Reed Smith’s International Arbitration practice

Reed Smith is strongly positioned to provide the highest level of service in dispute resolution to our clients. With offices in the world’s leading arbitration centers, including London, Paris, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Miami, and Houston, we have one of the largest and most diverse international arbitration practices in the world, with the ability to represent clients in every significant arbitral center and seat around the globe.

We are a recognized leader in international arbitration. For the eighth consecutive year, leading international arbitration publication Global Arbitration Review has included Reed Smith in its elite list of the world’s top 30 international arbitration law firms, the GAR 30.
 
We have substantial experience representing both claimants and respondents, and a strong track record of obtaining successful results. Our deep knowledge of industry sectors including energy, natural resources, life sciences, transportation, telecoms, insurance, and banking enables us to understand the industry-specific factors and environments affecting our clients’ disputes. This combination of deep arbitration experience, advocacy skills, and industry knowledge gives us a competitive advantage when representing our clients.

Reed Smith International Arbitration Report

Reed Smith’s International Arbitration Report 2025 presents a comprehensive, data‑driven analysis of how courts in leading arbitral seats determine applications to set aside awards. For more details, please visit Reed Smith.com.

Updates on the go

Listen to our international arbitration updates on the go and at your convenience through our podcast channel, Arbitral Insights. Presented by our international arbitration lawyers from across the Reed Smith global platform, the series explores trends, developments, challenges, and topics of interest in the field. Access all our episodes on ReedSmith.com.

Client Alert 2026-211