High Court Finds English Bank Account Payment Satisfies Jurisdictional Gateway

The English High Court has confirmed that an implied contractual obligation to pay into a specific bank account located in England is sufficient to satisfy the jurisdictional gateway for a breach of contract committed within the jurisdiction. In Intralinks Inc v Nexans SA [2026] EWHC 2355 (Comm), Deputy Judge Thomas Raphael KC dismissed a jurisdiction challenge by a defendant seeking to litigate the dispute in France under French law.

Contractual Background and Foreign Proceedings

Intralinks, a US company providing virtual data rooms for corporate finance transactions, became embroiled in a dispute with Nexans, a French cable manufacturer, over performance and payment under a contract used for an M&A project. Nexans disputed the charging structure and various invoices received from Intralinks, which provided for payment to a bank account in England. A disagreement also emerged regarding contract formation: Nexans argued the agreement was formed on an unsigned work order dated 2 October 2024 incorporating a Master Services Agreement (MSA) providing for French law and jurisdiction, whereas Intralinks maintained the contract was based on a signed work order dated 3 October 2024 incorporating an English law MSA that was silent on jurisdiction.

In response, Intralinks issued proceedings in the English court and obtained permission to serve abroad, leading Nexans to challenge the court’s jurisdiction on the grounds that no jurisdictional gateway was satisfied.

High Court Ruling on Jurisdictional Gateways

The Deputy Judge held that Intralinks had successfully satisfied two jurisdictional gateways and demonstrated that England was clearly the proper place to bring the claim. The court noted that the old presumption that a debtor must pay the creditor at its place of business will often be displaced in modern commercial contracts, meaning an invoice specifying payment at an English bank account can found English court jurisdiction.