The 2026 Rules are in force.

And Dutch arbitration is on the rise.

The 2026 ICC Arbitration Rules entered into force on 1 June. New 2025 statistics from the ICC Court add context, including a notable jump for the Netherlands as a seat of arbitration.

The 2026 ICC Arbitration Rules officially entered into force on 1 June 2026. From that date, every new case submitted to the ICC International Court of Arbitration is administered under the updated Rules. The reform streamlines procedural steps, sharpens tools for early case management, reflects the growing role of technology in international dispute resolution, and continues the Court's long-standing focus on efficiency, transparency and the enforceability of awards.

The timing is significant. The ICC has just released its 2025 statistics, and they show a system being called on more than ever, with meaningful year-on-year growth across almost every metric.

The 2025 numbers, in brief

• 881 new cases filed under the ICC Arbitration Rules, up from 831 in 2024. Combined with cases under the Appointing Authority Rules, 894 new cases in total.

• 1,869 cases pending at year end: a new record, up from 1,789 in 2024.

• 607 awards approved (444 final, 118 partial, 45 by consent): the second-highest annual total on record, up from 577 in 2024.

• 2,531 parties involved from 147 countries, up from 2,392 parties across 136 countries in 2024.

• Arbitral tribunals sat in 123 cities across 70 jurisdictions in 2025, compared to 107 cities across 62 countries in 2024. The system is reaching more of the world.

• In December 2025, the ICC Court registered its 30,000th case since the Rules were first adopted in 1923, one year after passing the 29,000th case mark in 2024.

The top five seats in 2025 remained France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

What the numbers say about the Netherlands

Beneath the headline figures is a story that matters for Dutch business. The Netherlands is emerging as a rising seat of arbitration.

• The Netherlands was chosen as the place of arbitration in 13 cases in 2025, up from just 4 in 2024. Every one of the 13 was chosen by the parties themselves, not fixed by the Court. That is more than a threefold increase in a single year.

• 38 Dutch parties were involved in ICC arbitration in 2025 (16 as claimants, 22 as respondents), placing the Netherlands 16th globally by party nationality, compared to 54 parties and 13th place in 2024. This reflects a broader redistribution of parties across a wider set of jurisdictions rather than a decline in Dutch activity.

• Dutch law was the applicable law in 7 cases, up from 6 in 2024.

• 11 Dutch arbitrators were confirmed or appointed: 3 as sole arbitrator, 4 as co-arbitrator, and 4 as president.

Taken together, the picture is one of a Dutch arbitration ecosystem becoming an increasingly preferred venue for cross-border commercial dispute resolution. This is a story we explored in more depth with Bas van Zelst of Enhance Arbitration, who set out what makes the Netherlands an attractive seat of arbitration.

Diversity, quietly moving

29.6% of arbitrator confirmations and appointments in 2025 were women, up from 28.6% in 2024. Individual women arbitrators came from a growing range of jurisdictions. Progress remains gradual but consistent, and one of the areas where the Court's own leadership on appointments has been most visible.

Read the 2026 Rules → https://iccwbo.org/dispute-resolution/dispute-resolution-services/arbitration/rules-procedure/2026-arbitration-rules/

Read the 2025 Statistics → https://iccwbo.org/news-publications/news/icc-releases-preliminary-2025-dispute-resolution-statistics/

What next

ICC Netherlands will host different dispute resolution events later this year: the Dispute Resolution Forum and the YAAF event, both with ICC Court President Claudia Salomon, and the Joint Arbitration Day with our European colleagues. Save the dates.

ICC NL Young Practitioners in Paris: visit to the ICC International Court of Arbitration. 

9 September 2026, together with our colleagues from ICC UK, Belgium and Sweden. Capacity is limited. Details and registration →

ICC YAAF fireside chat with Claudia Salomon and young practitioners' canal cruise. Amsterdam, 11 November 2026, hosted by Houthoff. An evening designed for younger arbitration and ADR practitioners to meet and connect ahead of the Forum.

Details and registration:

Young Arbitration and ADR Forum (YAAF) | ICC WBO Netherlands

ICC Netherlands Dispute Resolution Forum, with ICC Court President Claudia Salomon. Amsterdam, 12 November 2026.

Dispute Resolution Forum | ICC WBO Netherlands

Joint Arbitration Day, second edition. 3 December 2026 in Amsterdam, hosted at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. A full afternoon of cross-border discussion on the issues shaping international commercial arbitration in Europe today, from the EU's evolving relationship with arbitration, to the new 2026 ICC Rules in practice, to the disclosure questions raised by AI. Jointly organised with ICC Belgium, ICC France and ICC Germany. Free for ICC members. Details and registration →