BANKING & FINANCE
With the region’s financial markets becoming increasingly sophisticated and regulated, clients require legal experts who can navigate the complexities of this constantly evolving sector through local presence and experienced insight. By staying at the forefront of market developments and leveraging its proven know-how in structuring complex financial transactions, Hourani & Partners has become a trusted adviser to both lenders and borrowers in such matters as bilateral transactions, Islamic financing, private equity financing, structured finance, project finance, structured trade finance, debt restructuring, syndicated loans and regulation of financial institutions. We understand how to apply local nuances to intricate transactions in order to successfully close deals in today’s global market.
Islamic Finance
Hourani & Partners has advised many of the region’s largest and most prominent institutions in the area of Islamic finance. Our lawyers have developed an in-depth and intuitive understanding of Shari’ah compliance requirements and standards by working with many of the leading Shari’ah scholars in the field. Our lawyers’ understanding of complex conventional banking structures coupled with Shari’ah compliance expertise positions Hourani & Partners as a leader in developing some of the region’s most innovative Islamic finance products and solutions.
Project Finance
Amid the recent growth in infrastructure development across the region, our lawyers have advised clients on a wide range of project finance mandates. In addition to providing negotiation, documentation, and structuring support, our finance lawyers evaluate the legal, financial, and commercial risks associated with each project and provide innovative solutions to mitigate such risks. Serving financial institutions, developers, government entities, and investors, we offer comprehensive legal support across every stage of a transaction’s life cycle.
Structured Finance
Hourani & Partners represents issuers, financiers, sellers, underwriters, placement agents, investors, and lenders, among other stakeholders, in structured finance transactions. We use an informed and collaborative approach to meet our clients’ objectives in both domestic and cross-border transactions and assess regulatory and legal risks to develop the most advantageous funding arrangement possible. Our team’s experience extends to transactions involving collateralized debt obligations, asset-backed transactions, equipment leasing, corporate bonds, and securitization.
Representative Banking & Finance transactions include:
- Advising Saudi Electricity Company on a $103 million loan from an international financial institution for a cross-border infrastructure project; and a landmark $3 billion syndicated Murabaha financing, one of the largest in the company’s history
- Advising the lenders on project financing for residential developments in NEOM
- Advising an international lenders in a financing arrangement for a leading BNPL FinTech company, facilitating investment into the fast-growing digital finance sector
- Advising a multinational investment firm on a GBP 27.5 million revolving credit facility with a global bank for corporate and working capital purposes
- Advising a global banking institution in a $150 million term facility provided to a major Saudi financial institution
- Advising a major Chinese financial institution on a landmark financing arrangement with one of the largest Saudi banks, including structuring and compliance with KSA banking laws
- Advising an investment firm on a multi-jurisdictional financing arrangement, including a $15 million term facility, requiring careful structuring of upstream guarantees and security documentation to ensure enforceability under KSA law
- Advising a major international bank with the Saudi law aspects of a financing transaction involving a multinational engineering group, including structuring security arrangements in compliance with KSA regulations
- Advising a Japanese financial institution in connection with a $150 million bilateral facility, including legal opinions on enforceability and regulatory compliance under KSA law
- Advising a major UAE-based financial institution on the accession of a Saudi guarantor to a term and revolving facility extended to a Saudi borrower, including structuring documentation and legal opinions on enforceability under KSA and UAE laws
- Advising lenders on SAR 4 billion murabaha facilities extended to a telecommunications infrastructure company, advising on refinancing structures, facility documentation, and enforceability of security arrangements under KSA law.
- Advising a global banking institution on a $150 million term facility provided to a major Saudi financial institution, including structuring and compliance with Saudi banking and regulatory frameworks
- Advising Saudi Electricity Company on a landmark USD 1.8 billion cross-border electricity interconnection project involving the construction of transmission infrastructure between two regional governments
- Advising a major state-owned electricity provider in connection with a USD 1 billion credit facility arranged by a leading Japanese bank