Humans Mobile Ltd. v. Republic of Uzbekistan

At a glance

Parties

Humans Mobile Ltd. v. Republic of Uzbekistan

Case no.

ICSID Case No. ARB/25/24

Forum and rules

ICSID Convention arbitration; ICSID Arbitration Rules in force as of 1 July 2022; seat Washington, D.C.

Treaty

Uzbekistan–Singapore BIT 2003 (per the ICSID case database entry; not stated in the published orders)

Tribunal

Sir Daniel Bethlehem KC (Presiding Arbitrator), Ms. Anne K. Hoffmann, Prof. Jorge E. Viñuales

Sector

Online payment and mobile telecommunication services (per the case database entry)

Outcome

Pending. The published documents are two procedural orders setting the procedural rules and the procedural calendar.

Amount

No amounts claimed are stated. Each party made an advance payment of US$200,000 to ICSID.

The dispute

Humans Mobile Ltd. brought an ICSID claim against the Republic of Uzbekistan. According to the case database entry, the dispute concerns online payment and mobile telecommunication services, and the claim relies on the 2003 Uzbekistan–Singapore BIT. The two published procedural orders do not describe the investment, the measures complained of, the legal basis of the claims or Uzbekistan's defences. They show that the claimant filed a Request for Provisional Measures on 20 January 2026. They also show that the respondent may raise preliminary objections and ask for bifurcation.

Key holdings

1. The proceeding is governed by the ICSID Arbitration Rules in force as of 1 July 2022. The Tribunal was constituted on 7 January 2026, and the parties confirmed they had no objection to any member. PO1 §§1.1, 2.1
2. Washington, D.C. is the seat of the proceeding and English the procedural language. Hearings are closed to the public, though the Tribunal may revisit this before a hearing. PO1 §§11.1, 12.1, 26.6
3. The parties bear the direct costs of the proceeding in equal parts, subject to the final decision on costs. A party that receives third-party funding must immediately disclose the funder's name and address, and, for a juridical person, those who own and control it. PO1 §§9.1, 10.1
4. The Tribunal set a schedule for the claimant's Request for Provisional Measures of 20 January 2026. Written submissions ran to 20 February 2026, a hearing was set for 2 March 2026, and a decision was due within 30 days after the last submission. The published documents do not show the decision on the request. PO1 §17.2 and Annex B
5. The Tribunal will be guided by Articles 3 and 9 of the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence (2020) for document production. Any request for bifurcation must be made no later than 45 days after the Memorial on the Merits. PO1 §§15.2, 19.2
6. The parties could not agree on dates, so the Tribunal fixed a Procedural Calendar with three alternatives. The Memorial on the Merits is due 29 May 2026 and any request for bifurcation by 13 July 2026. Without bifurcation, the hearing window is 6–17 March 2028 (if bifurcation is requested and refused) or early 2028 (if none is requested). If preliminary objections are bifurcated, the hearing window is 1–6 November 2027. The Tribunal found that the time allowed to each party, though not identical, gives each a fair and reasonable opportunity to present its case. PO2 ¶¶ 5–6 and Annex

Procedural history

1. 30 May 2025Upon registration of the Request for Arbitration, ICSID asks the claimant for an advance payment of US$200,000. The claimant pays on 8 July 2025.
2. 7 January 2026Tribunal constituted.
3. 20 January 2026Claimant files a Request for Provisional Measures.
4. 23 February 2026First Session held by video conference.
5. 25 February 2026Procedural Order No. 1 sets the procedural rules and the schedule for the provisional measures request.
6. 2 March 2026Scheduled hearing on the Request for Provisional Measures.
7. 30 March 2026Procedural Order No. 2 fixes the Procedural Calendar, with alternatives depending on bifurcation.

Tribunal, counsel and experts

Decided by

• Daniel Bethlehem President
• Anne K. Hoffmann Co-arbitrator
• Jorge E. Viñuales Co-arbitrator

For the claimant

Peter & Kim · Vladimir Dobrynin

For the respondent

Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan · Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP

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Keywords

• procedural order
• procedural calendar
• provisional measures
• bifurcation
• preliminary objections
• Uzbekistan–Singapore BIT
• mobile telecommunications
• online payments
• ICSID Arbitration Rules 2022
• third-party funding
• document production
• IBA Rules
• Uzbekistan

Summary generated with AI from the published documents — refer to the award for the authoritative text.