Debt Capital Markets

We serve as legal counsel to South Africa's major banking groups and a number of the major international banks. We are often mandated to advise on banks' lending arrangements and compliance with the South African banking and financial services regulatory framework. Our mandate for foreign banks at times extends to advising on the establishment of representative offices in South Africa and related aspects of the regulatory framework.

We also advise borrowers from the public and private sector, and many financial services providers and other organisations that have direct and indirect interests in lending arrangements. These organisations include asset managers, developmental finance institutions, private equity funds, insurance underwriters, rating agencies, security trusts and guarantors.

Areas of specialisation include:

• Securitisation -
  advising originators, credit enhancers, rating agencies and others in respect of asset backed, synthetic and whole business securitisation transactions

• Bonds, Domestic Medium Term Notes and Commercial Paper Programmes -
  advising issuers, arrangers and lead managers regarding: Stand-alone Bond and Note issues; the establishment of Domestic Medium Term Note and Commercial Paper Programmes (Programmes); and the issue and listing of Bonds and other types of Notes and Commercial Paper under such Programmes on the JSE and the Bond Exchange of South Africa (BESA). We have also attended to the updating of these Progammes and procured the setting up and issue of retail notes under such Programmes

• Preference Shares and Debenture Issues -
  advising arrangers and issuers in relation to the establishment and terms of issue of listed and unlisted preference shares, debentures, linked units and other forms of debt instruments