*The Chinese version shall prevail in case of any discrepancies between the English and Chinese versions.

Case Data in 2024

In 2024, the Arbitration Center opened a total of 83 new cases of various types, with a total value involved of approximately MOP 80,000,000. Compared to the 46 new cases in 2023, the number of cases in 2024 increased by 80.43%. Additionally, 39 cases from 2023 were carried over to 2024, resulting in a total of 122 cases handled by the Arbitration Center in 2024. Of these, 58 cases were closed, while 64 cases remain in progress and will be carried over to 2025. Since its establishment in 1998 until the end of 2024, the Arbitration Center has handled a total of 159 cases.

The types of cases handled by the Arbitration Center are mainly divided into voluntary arbitration, mediation, and necessary arbitration of disputes relating to infiltration in buildings . Among voluntary arbitration cases, the main types include lease disputes, engineering disputes, and commercial disputes, while mediation cases primarily cover financial and other types of commercial disputes. In 2023 and 2024, the Arbitration Center initiated 15 and 22 new voluntary arbitration cases, respectively, with the total value involved being approximately MOP 71,000,000 and MOP 75,000,000, respectively, representing a 46.67% increase in the number of cases initiated in 2024. Additionally, 17 voluntary arbitration proceedings were carried over from 2023 to 2024, bringing the total number of voluntary arbitration proceedings handled in 2024 to 39, of which 14 were closed, while 25 remain in progress.

In 2024, 2 new mediation cases were initiated, involving a total value of approximately MOP 2,000,000. Compared to the 3 new mediation cases in 2023, the number of cases initiated in 2024 decreased by 33.3%. In total, 2 mediation proceedings were handled in 2024, of which 1 was closed and 1 remains in progress.

Regarding necessary arbitration of disputes relating to infiltration in buildings , the Arbitration Center initiated 28 new cases in 2023 and 59 new cases in 2024, with the total value involved being approximately MOP 2,000,000 and MOP 4,500,000, respectively. Additionally, 22 necessary arbitration proceedings were carried over from 2023 to 2024, bringing the total number of necessary arbitration proceedings handled in 2024 to 81, of which 47 were closed, while 34 remain in progress.

Consultation Statistics

With the public's growing acceptance of alternative dispute resolution methods, the number of consultations received by the Arbitration Center in 2024 has shown a significant upward trend.

In 2023 and 2024, the Arbitration Center received 756 and 1,235 consultations, respectively, through telephone, email, or in-person visits, representing a 63.36% increase in 2024 compared to 2023. Among the consultations received in 2024, approximately 80% (995 cases) were related to disputes relating to infiltration , 17% (214 cases) were related to lease disputes, and 3% (26 cases) were related to other types of commercial disputes.

Cases Involving Foreign Elements

Among the various cases handled in 2024, some involved foreign elements, including: 6 cases where one of the parties was from a region or country outside the Macao Special Administrative Region; 1 case where the applicable law governing the dispute was not that of the Macao Special Administrative Region but that of another country or region; 1 case where the parties agreed to apply the rules of another arbitration institution instead of the World Trade Center Macau Arbitration Center to handle the dispute; 2 cases where the arbitrators were from a region or country outside the Macao Special Administrative Region.