Mayer Brown advises on €1.35 billion refinancing of Budapest Airport

Leading global law firm Mayer Brown has advised Budapest Airport on the refinancing of €1.35 billion loan facilities and associated interest rate swaps.The refinancing includes a €1 billion five-year senior term loan and a €300 million junior facility.

Budapest Airport was acquired in 2007 by a consortium of investors including AviAlliance (formerly Hochtief Airport), Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, the Government of Singapore’s investment arm Malton and KFW Ipex Bank. More >>

Tags:  Mayer Brown LLP | London

Hogan Lovells Advises on £1.2Bn Automotive Securitisation for Volkswagen Financial Services

Hogan Lovells has advised Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS) on its first public securitisation of UK automotive receivables since 2008. The transaction, which closed on 25 September, marks the highest-volume automotive ABS transaction to be completed in Sterling, with the Class A Notes and Class B Notes totaling approximately £1.2billion. More >>

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Herbert Smith Freehills advises on Nepal’s biggest ever foreign investment deal

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised the Investment Board of the Government of Nepal on its project development agreement (PDA) with a consortium led by Indian infrastructure company GMR (the GMR Group) to develop the 900 megawatt, US$1.4 billion hydroelectric Upper Karnali Hydro Power Project (the Project). The Project was awarded to the GMR Group through an international competitive bidding process in 2008 on a build-own-operate-transfer basis. More >>

Tags:  Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP | London

Linklaters advises on BSkyB’s £3.25bn Euro and Dollar denominated bonds to fund Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland acquisition

Linklaters has advised the managers on four tranches of bonds issued by BSkyB. Proceeds from the bonds will help finance its acquisition of Sky Italia and a majority stake in Sky Deutschland from 21st Century Fox.

The €1.5 billion bond with a 1.5% coupon due 2021 and the €1 billion bond with a coupon of 2.5% due 2026 were issued pursuant to the £10,000,000,000 Euro Medium Term Note Programme of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc and BSkyB Finance UK plc, unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by British Sky Broadcasting Group plc, BSkyB Finance UK plc, British Sky Broadcasting Limited, Sky Subscribers Services Limited and Sky In-Home Service Limited. In addition Linklaters advised the managers on a US$750 million bond with a coupon of 2.625% due 2019 and a US$1.25 billion bond with a coupon of 3.75% due 2024 sold into the United States. More >>

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Shearman & Sterling Represents Underwriters in Connection with HSBC Holdings plc’s US$3.75 Billion Inaugural Contingent Convertible Securities Offering

Shearman & Sterling represented the underwriters (led by HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.) in connection with HSBC Holdings plc’s inaugural contingent convertible securities offering, comprising an offering of US$1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.625% perpetual subordinated contingent convertible securities (callable January 2020 and every five years thereafter) and US$2.25 billion aggregate principal amount of 6.375% perpetual subordinated contingent convertible securities (callable September 2024 and every five years thereafter). The securities qualify as additional Tier 1 capital instruments under bank regulatory capital rules. More >>

Tags:  Shearman & Sterling LLP | London | Washington

London and Frankfurt Offices of Bingham McCutchen to Join Akin Gump

International law firm Akin Gump today announces that the London and Frankfurt offices of Bingham McCutchen, along with a group of partners from Bingham’s Hong Kong office, will join the firm. With this 22-partner expansion, Akin Gump will grow its London and Hong Kong offices markedly and will also open the firm’s first office in Germany. The move will be effective over the coming weeks.

The move will bring together Akin Gump’s financial restructuring practice in the United States, led by partners Daniel Golden, Ira Dizengoff, Fred Hodara and Mike Stamer, with the London-based leaders of Bingham’s financial restructuring group, partners James Roome, Barry Russell and James Terry. The combination cements Akin Gump’s reputation as the home of a top-tier global financial restructuring practice and adds substantial depth to the firm’s corporate, finance, disputes, regulatory and tax practices while significantly increasing the firm’s international footprint.

The firm further expects to welcome a number of additional attorneys from Bingham soon in London, Hong Kong and Frankfurt. More >>

Tags:  Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP | Frankfurt | Hong Kong | London

Hogan Lovells Advises on Dutch Longevity Hedge

Hogan Lovells has advised Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) on an index-based longevity swap transaction it has entered into with Delta Lloyd covering €12 billion of Delta Lloyd’s longevity reserves. The transaction completed on 22 August 2014.

This marks the first time that Delta Lloyd Levensverzekering N.V., the life insurance arm of the Dutch insurance, pensions and investments firm Delta Lloyd, has used the reinsurance market to transfer longevity risk. More >>

Tags:  Hogan Lovells | London