The history of the FAI started over 100 years ago in the Finnish western city of Vaasa. There, in 1909, the Vaasa Tradesmen’s Association proposed that an arbitration board be established in Helsinki.
Steps towards establishing an arbitral body were taken swiftly. The rules were drafted in 1910, and, in 1911, the new institution started operations under the name Helsinki Arbitration Board of Commerce, Industry and Shipping.
In 1919, the arbitration board began operating under the auspices of the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland, which it has done ever since.
In 1920, the rules were revised and the name was changed to the Helsinki Arbitration Board.
In 1928, soon after the Finnish Arbitration Act was enacted, the arbitration board revised its rules and changed its name to the Board of Arbitration of the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland.
New revisions of the rules followed in 1961, 1979 and 1993 after the enactment of the current Finnish Arbitration Act (967/1992). The institution’s name became the Arbitration Institute of the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland.
In 2004, the rules for expedited arbitrations were adopted.
In April 2011, the Central Chamber of Commerce of Finland changed its name in English to the Finland Chamber of Commerce. As a consequence, the arbitration institute’s current name is The Arbitration Institute of the Finland Chamber of Commerce.
On 1 June 2013, the revised Arbitration Rules and Rules for Expedited Arbitration of the Finland Chamber of Commerce entered into force.
On 1 January 2020, the revised Arbitration Rules and Rules for Expedited Arbitration of the Finland Chamber of Commerce entered into force.
The most recent revision of the Arbitration Rules and Rules for Expedited Arbitration of the Finland Chamber of Commerce entered into force on 1 January 2024.
Please see the current FAI statistics on the number of cases etc. here.
Vaasa Tradesmen’s Meeting 1909
