Key Tech Trends in APAC Arbitration
Introduction
The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has long been established as an appealing destination for arbitration. The 2025 Queen Mary University of London and White & Case International Arbitration Survey (the 2025 QMUL Survey) ranked Singapore and Hong Kong the second and third most popular arbitral seats in the world, respectively. The region is internationally renowned, in large part due to its willingness to proactively innovate and adapt to changing the needs and expectations of practitioners.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that the tendency towards innovation has gone hand in hand with increasing international representation in APAC courts of arbitration. 91% of the new cases filed with SIAC (the Singapore International Arbitration Centre) in 2024 were international in nature, compared to 88% in 2022, reflecting SIAC’s growth as one of the world’s top arbitral institutions.
Demonstrating its commitment to continued advancement, SIAC introduced a new set of rules in January 2025. Key updates include measures to support streamlined and coordinated proceedings, emergency arbitration, and third-party funding. These reforms were designed with a clear focus: to enhance procedural efficiency and reduce costs for parties.
Similarly, HKIAC (the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre) introduced new measures in June 2024, aimed at preventing delay tactics, reducing the cost and environmental impact of the arbitration process, and improving information security as well as the diversity of arbitrators.
Arbitration is evolving rapidly in the region, and central to this evolution is technological advancement in hearings. While hearings represent just one aspect of arbitration, they can be one of the most resource-intensive and complex stages of the process. The efficiency and format of hearings is pivotal, directly impacting overall case costs and strategy, therefore making them a key focus for arbitration practitioners and institutions.
Arbitration Innovation
The adoption of hearings technology has increased across the board internationally, but uptake in APAC is perhaps particularly noticeable, with leading arbitration jurisdictions like Hong Kong and Singapore taking significant steps to integrate legal tech. The most recent rules implemented in the regions, in 2024 and 2025 respectively, have placed a strong emphasis on streamlining processes and leveraging technology to deliver results. Digital tools are being increasingly integrated across the region, with technology innovation in arbitration and judicial proceedings, but integration differs across the region, with approaches varying based on prior established institutional frameworks, case complexity, and other practical needs.
To gain deeper insight into the ways technology is reshaping hearings across APAC, Opus 2 conducted a survey of arbitration professionals in the region. The findings, available in the report provide a practitioner-led perspective as to digital transformation in the region, and how this is influencing arbitration proceedings in key hubs such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Findings from an Opus 2 survey conducted between December 2024 and January 2025 among 52 legal professionals provide valuable insights into current trends and the path forward for digital transformation in arbitration.
Technology Trends in APAC
The first trend arising from the survey was that hybrid hearings have now become frequent and commonplace. The majority of respondents had participated in hearings with a virtual element in the past six months, marking a sustained shift toward flexible hearing formats. Practitioners in arbitration in the region are clearly increasingly proficient with new technologies. While some of the acceptance of hybrid hearings was accelerated by the pandemic, there has been no sign of slowing down; hybrid hearings are here to stay. A significant advantage of hybrid hearings is the ability to coordinate with distant locations. This is a significant factor given the increasingly international nature of arbitration in the region.
Another takeaway from the APAC data was that AI adoption remains tentative, but it is increasingly gaining ground. Almost two-thirds of respondents expressed interest in AI-assisted document analysis, case summarisation, and translation, but 81% stated that they have never used AI in hearings. The data in this area perhaps reflects that there is a strong and persistent demand for AI use, but that this area is still in its nascent stages. Arbitration practitioners are clearly looking for solutions or timesavers when it comes to document analysis, case summarisation, and translation – and AI is being considered as a resolution. While uptake in arbitration may be limited at this point, growing adoption in other practice areas and significant efficiency benefits will likely inspire increasing innovation in the near future.
While technological adoption is increasing, there are lingering obstacles. When asked about hindrances to the adoption of technology, cost burdens, lack of training, and infrastructure challenges were the most cited obstacles. Similarly, ensuring consistent access to technology remains a concern, particularly in cross-border disputes.
As new technologies continue to be adopted incrementally in the region, this will lead to a tipping point, where jurisdictions and practitioners will be left behind if they are not ensuring access to technology. The innovative approach in APAC, consistently embracing technology to make hearings easier for practitioners, will further spur on adoption. Whenever one region is successful in implementing a new process or system, others tend to follow suit.
Alongside ease for practice, sustainability considerations are also driving technological adoption. 42% of respondents utilise remote and hybrid hearings to minimise travel and reduce carbon footprints, clearly indicating sustainability remains at the forefront of practitioner concern. Arbitration centres in the region seeking to draw more arbitration professionals are often eager to demonstrate sustainability credentials, and paperless hearings as well as digital case management are increasingly being promoted as components of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. What the data illustrates is that sustainability will likely continue to be a motivating factor for increasing technological adoption.
Regional Variation
As well as reflecting broader trends in APAC, the Opus 2 survey also delineated clear variations between areas in the region. One such disparity between jurisdictions was in the use of virtual hearings. 21% of respondents in Hong Kong had participated in a virtual hearing in the previous 30 days, compared to only 5% in Singapore. Similarly, 10% of Hong Kong respondents had attended a hybrid hearing within the previous month, whereas none of the surveyed Singaporean practitioners reported the same.
There were also regional differences in the rate of adoption. 38% of respondents in Hong Kong reported using electronic bundles in at least half of their hearings, while only 10% of respondents in Singapore reported using them as regularly. Singapore, however, shows a notable increase in the use of electronic evidence presentation (81%) and real-time transcription (76%). These numbers suggest that both jurisdictions are moving towards greater digital integration, with Singapore showing a faster pace in certain areas, while Hong Kong maintains strong overall adoption levels.
There are also clear lines to be drawn from the data as to the use of AI across the regions. In Hong Kong, some practitioners are beginning to use AI for legal research and hearing preparation, but its presence in hearings remains rare. In Singapore, there is a strong interest in AI’s potential, but many professionals emphasise the need for further development and reliability before embracing broader adoption. The use of AI is tentative across the regions, and this is unsurprising in a profession where particular care is required to mitigate risk in any situation. What is essential is that AI in arbitration is managed with care and diligence to ensure that the implementation of technology is as streamlined as possible as it continues to be rolled out.
The variation in adoption that has surfaced in the research may be due to differences in budgets, types of disputes, technology infrastructure, training resources, or priorities across each region. As APAC continues to embrace technology to meet changing arbitration needs and attract disputes, adoption is likely to increase across all solutions and regions.
Future of Hearings in the Region
Governments in the region have consistently shown that they are pro-arbitration, so any advancement to aid the international promotion of their arbitral offerings would in theory be welcomed. Arbitral seats in APAC have also shown a willingness to heed demand in order to attract practitioners, and these two elements of willingness almost by necessity will prompt innovations in technology to promote areas in the region further as arbitral hubs.
New areas of adoption in any sector will always prompt some initial scepticism, but at the ground floor of development in arbitration technology, there is an openness to invest in the possibilities that legal tech will provide. Collaboration and partnership between tech providers and arbitration centres will be essential to maximise the opportunities that the technology provides, but there is a strong foundation already in existence that can be built upon.
Similarly, the demand for innovation will not dissipate. Planning for hearings at the onset of an arbitration case is essential, as it can influence the overall manner in which the case is managed, impacting costs and the experience for all stakeholders in the matter. For arbitration professionals, efficiency in the preparation and execution of hearings is not a mere logistical concern but a strategic imperative.
With technology becoming a defining factor in modern arbitration, a recurring theme in the survey data, practitioners need to remain conscious of emerging trends and challenges. Understanding the adoption landscape, in any region, but particularly in APAC, enables legal professionals to make informed, thoughtful decisions as to when and how to integrate digital arbitration offerings into their practice.
Conclusion
Arbitration as a practice is undergoing a technology-driven revolution, and hand in hand with this revolution is hearings technology, with this development now a fundamental component of hearing preparation and management. The survey findings show that while arbitration professionals are starting to recognise the value of digital solutions, their engagement with hearings technology varies.
The most prominent trends in the survey proved to be the uptake of hybrid hearings and the clear role they play in modern arbitration, as well as the interest in AI easing the concerns of cost burdens and supporting sustainability initiatives. However, a recurring thread throughout the data is a willingness to accept and embrace technology and the opportunities it may provide, even if it has not yet been entirely implemented. This engagement may depend on firm size, caseload volume, and institutional preferences, but in any case, understanding these trends will provide further insight into how technology is currently used, what obstacles remain, and where the sector is headed.
Interest in AI-assisted tools for legal research, case summarisation, and transcription is demonstrably growing. And thoughtful approaches to data security, compliance, and seamless integrations with institutional workflows are guiding how emerging technology is implemented. As hearings become more and more digitalised, practitioners are also prioritising accessibility and inclusivity, aiming to provide a balance between remote participation as a viable option while still upholding procedural fairness. Looking ahead, it’s clear that arbitration hearings in APAC will continue evolving to further integrate technology and attract disputes to the region.
