Banking and Finance

Our Banking and Finance team has the expertise and insights to guide clients through the intricacies of emerging markets, offering commercially focused legal & tax advice grounded in extensive experience representing leading banking and financial institutions. By leveraging both international experience and local legal expertise, we have established ourselves as premier financial legal advisers in developing Asia.

We represent a diverse range of clients, including domestic and international banks, sponsors, private and institutional investors, insurance companies, development banks, governments, agencies and state owned enterprises in their domestic and cross-border finance transactions. Our experience span a wide array of transactions including commercial and institutional lending, acquisition and leveraged finance, project finance, securitization and structured finance, derivatives, secured and unsecured transactions, and regulatory advice and compliance.

DFDL is a member of numerous legal panels of leading financial institutions such as International Finance Corporation and the Asian Development Bank. Our goal is to provide clients with practical legal advice that exceeds their expectations in these markets. We strive to offer the best solutions while retaining a focus on the commercial aspects of your business.

How we can help:

  • Corporate banking, loan syndication, and cross-border lending;
  • Project finance and acquisition finance;
  • Financial services regulation;
  • Securitization, derivatives, and structured finance; and
  • Financial technologies.

Key Credentials

  • ING Bank on its USD 75 million loan to Cleantech Solar Asia to help finance, construct and operate a portfolio of rooftop solar photovoltaic projects across Southeast Asia. This was the largest “green” loan in Asia Pacific in the commercial renewables sector.
  • Standard Chartered Bank on the USD 195 million term loan financing to Ha Noi Thien Y Environmental Energy for its development of a 75 MW waste-to-energy plant in Hanoi – Vietnam’s largest waste-to-energy plant.
  • IFC, Daelim Energy and Clifford Capital, the lender and equity investors on a USD 170 million financing to a Singapore entity for the acquisition of Summit Corporation Limited that owns a majority controlling stake in 17 gas and fuel-based power projects ranging from 50 MW to 450 MW capacity in Bangladesh.
  • China Development Bank, one of the largest state-owned development banks in the world, in connection with the lending of a term loan bank facility of USD 100 million to the Bank of the Lao PDR.
  • Mizuho Bank and ING Bank, as lenders, in connection with a USD 55 million loan facility for the purpose of refinancing a power transmission line operator, Cambodian Transmission.
  • Grab, as lenders counsel for Cambodia and Myanmar, in relation to advising a consortium of lenders on its first senior secured term loan facility, the biggest term loan facility in the Asian tech sector, with a principal amount of USD 2 billion.
  • A consortium of banks and financial institutions on its financing of USD 300 million, 225 MW gas-fired combined power plant project, the largest of its kind in Myanmar, the Myingyan Power Plant.
  • IFC and ADB as local counsel on a proposed USD 400 million equity and loan funding on a project finance basis for the Landmark mixed use real estate development in downtown Yangon being carried out by the Yoma Group of companies.
  • A foreign export-import bank on its USD 800 million acquisition financing of a large teak plantation in Myanmar.

Awards

2024 legal 500 asia pacific

  • Banking and Finance Bangladesh Tier 2
  • Banking and Finance Thailand Tier 3

Key Contacts

Partner, Managing Director, Indonesia & Singapore | Head of Regional Banking and Finance
Indonesia, Singapore
+65 983 661 52
Partner, Managing Director, Myanmar | Regional Head of Dispute Resolution Practice
Cambodia, Myanmar
+95 997 612 1022 / +855 783 335 66

Insights

Intelligence from the DFDL legal team

Banking and Finance
May 7 2024

Myanmar: The New Minimum Reserve Ratio and Interest Rate on Average Excess Reserves Set by the CBM

On 30 April 2024, the Central Bank of Myanmar (“CBM”) issued a new directive which primarily focuses on two aspects:…
Banking and Finance
Apr 29 2024

Virtual Banking in Thai Financial Services

On March 4, 2024, the Minister of Ministry of Finance (“MOF”) issued a new regulation through the Notification of Ministry…
Banking and Finance
Apr 3 2024

Vietnam: New National Action Plan in Relation to Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers

Currently, Vietnamese law does not contain a specific legal framework for the virtual assets and virtual asset service providers. Nevertheless,…
Anti-Trust and Competition
Mar 27 2024

DFDL and Leaf Announce Cooperation Agreement

We are pleased to announce that DFDL is extending its PRC network of collaborating firms through a cooperation agreement with…
Banking and Finance
Mar 19 2024

Vietnam: Refinancing in Vietnam at a Glance

In 2023, there were noticeable changes in the regulatory framework governing refinancing in Vietnam. Refinancing remains forecasted as a crucial…
Banking and Finance
Mar 18 2024

Malaysia: Relaxation of Regulatory and Operational Requirements for Labuan International Commodity Trading Companies and Labuan Digital Banks

The Labuan Financial Services Authority (“LFSA”) issued a circular on 22 November 2022, announcing an extension of regulatory reliefs for…
Banking and Finance
Mar 14 2024

Vietnam: Draft Decree on the Regulatory Sandbox in the Banking Sector – Notable Considerations for Fintech Service Providers

On 4 March 2024, the Government of Vietnam published the draft Decree on the regulatory sandbox in the banking sector…
Banking and Finance
Feb 27 2024

Myanmar: The Issuance of the Agent Banking Services Directive

On 6 February 2024, the Central Bank of Myanmar (“CBM“) under the State Administration Council (“SAC“) issued a directive on…