A special and unique new microcredential course entitled „International Secured Transactions Law and Asset-Based Finance: the Cape Town Convention and its Protocols” is starting on 17 and 18 April 2026!
Duration: 15 teaching hours (15x45 minutes) equivalent to 11 MÜK credits.
Dates: 17 and 18 April 2026 (in person day) and 25 April (online discussion)
The Course Director is William Brydie-Watson, Senior Legal Officer at UNIDROIT in Rome with whom the Faculty of Law has maintained an excellent professional relationship for many years. William Brydie-Watson is a well-recognised international expert in the field of cross-border finance law. In his current role as a Senior Legal Officer at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), William specialises in UNIDROIT ‘s international instruments in the fields of access to credit and secured transactions law. William serves on the Board of Directors of the International Law Institute (based in Washington DC), is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIARB) and lectures at various universities around the world. Admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of New South Wales, William has a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Master of Laws from the Australian National University. Previously, he was a Legal Officer in the Private International Law section of the Australian Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department and worked on the implementation of private international law treaties in Australia.
William Brydie-Watson has been teaching in the European and International Business Law programme for eight years. In 2023 his scholarly article was published in the Annalesjournal titled „Facilitating access to credit and economic growth in Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through international treaty law – The Mining, Agricultural and Construction Protocol to the Cape Town Convention”. The article can be downloaded here.
Aircraft finance is a complex speciality in the field of international commercial law. At an international level, aircraft finance practices have become increasingly harmonised as a result of the entry into force in 2006 of the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (the “Cape Town Convention”) and its Aircraft Protocol. With over 90 Contracting States, the Cape Town Convention is the most widely ratified international treaty governing secured transactions law ever negotiated and is considered one of the most successful international commercial law treaties in history. The 2001 Convention has creates an international legal framework for asset based equipment finance used in four sectors through the Aircraft Protocol (2001), the Luxembourg Rail Protocol (2007), the Space Protocol (2009), and the Mining, Agriculture and Construction (MAC) Protocol (2019).
This micro-credential fuses the practical and transactional aspects of aircraft finance with the legal theory underpinning international secured transactions law. By the end of the course, participants will not only understand the key elements of aircraft finance and cross-border asset finance, they will also have a strong grounding in the development of international standards for asset-based finance and the role of key international institutions. This fusion of practical and theoretical learning will be valuable for legal professionals looking to undertake careers in international finance, commercial dispute resolution, and more broadly international private law and transnational commercial law.
The „International Secured Transactions Law and Asset-Based Finance: the Cape Town Convention and its Protocols” course consist of two parts: an in-person teaching day and an on line teaching day. The in person teaching day will take place on April 17 and 18, featuring live, interactive lectures in both the morning and afternoon sessions. This will be followed by an online discussion on April 25. The Course covers altogether 15 teaching hours (15x45 minutes).
Improving legal professional knowledge on international secured transactions law will train lawyers to undertake complete cross-border financial transactions in relation to important sectors, such as aviation, rail, agriculture, construction, mining and space satellites.
With 90 Contracting States, the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (the Cape Town Convention) is the most widely-ratified international treaty governing secured transactions law in history. The course explains the operational and innovative aspects of the Convention, its role in the international secured transactions legal framework and the legal application of its four Protocols. The course will also consider challenges in relation to the creation of binding international legal instruments and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT)’s approach to treaty making.
Overview of training topics:
- Introduction to the course
- A historical review of the development of secured transactions
- The International Commercial Law Framework and the International Secured Transactions Framework
- The Cape Town Convention – Development, Innovative Features
- The Cape Town Convention - Core Legal Aspects
- The Cape Town Convention - The International Registry and priority
- The Cape Town Convention – Remedies and Declarations
- The Aircraft Protocol – Operation and Success
- The Luxembourg Rail Protocol – A slow success
- The MAC Protocol – The biggest step yet
- Case Study on the Aircraft Protocol
- The Space Protocol – A brave new frontier
- The relationship between domestic secured transactions law and the Cape Town Convention
- The future of the Cape Town Convention system – additional Protocols
- Problem questions and exam preparation
The course will deliver the knowledge related to the Cape Town Convention and its Protocols, and it also includes interactive, group-based activities. These exercises assess students’ ability to apply what they have learned to specific procedures and enhance their legal reasoning and problem-solving skills through fictional case studies. In the hybrid format, students joining online—both international and Hungarian—can effectively participate in group work. Written assignments completed at home contribute to the final grade and develop students' analytical and written argumentation skills.
Fee: 150.000 HUF