Banking & Finance
Specialised teams in banking and finance law
Expert banking & finance lawyers in CEE
As a lender or borrower, you need a team to support with innovative and efficient solutions, and which has regulatory, litigation, restructuring and other specialists who can help you adapt to changing economic, political and regulatory conditions.
With ever increasing developments focusing on financial regulatory issues, you need advice not only on compliance, but also assistance in developing internal policies and procedures that are consistent with the most current banking laws and regulations to help you avoid unnecessary risk. You benefit from our team’s excellent relationships with local regulators and government officials.
Key experts
“Highly impressive banking and finance team regularly instructed by leading international and domestic financial services providers as well as major corporations. Equipped with substantial experience in real estate finance as well as acquisition, project and infrastructure finance. Also active in refinancing and debt restructuring. Well placed to assist with international matters, leveraging its network of offices across the CEE and SEE regions.”
– Chambers Global
“Our Wolf Theiss team showed a high degree of professionalism and seniority, even in more junior positions and always ensured a complete and sound evaluation of questions and open topics from any possible perspective. Individuals displayed high business acumen and a strategic approach to contract preparation and legal settlements which enabled us to significantly strengthen our negotiation position.”
– The Legal 500
What makes our team the best banking and finance lawyers for you?
Our regional, integrated firm offers distinct advantages spanning the full spectrum of legal services.
- An established international law firm with 60+ years of experience in Austria and CEE/SEE
- A fully integrated, single team of 340 locally-qualified lawyers in 13 countries and offices
- Collaboration and innovation across multidisciplinary teams and offices
- Excellent client satisfaction – responsive, client-oriented, and consistent
- Experience with complex and cross-border matters covering the full spectrum of legal services
- Knowledge and expertise to add value to deals across industries
“One client praises the team’s cross-border capabilities: ‘Wolf Theiss is very international and has the appropriate capacities. This enables the firm to use its know-how of the financial sector across borders.'”
– Chambers Europe
“Wolf Theiss is an excellent partner guiding us through the regulatory processes. Its lawyers are very accurate and detailed, and ensure that nothing is missed.”
– IFLR1000
Leading the legal field
Our lawyers are involved in key transactions and matters across the region, bringing their industry expertise and specialised business knowledge to add value to our clients’ work.
Advised banking consortium in largest-ever asset-based lending deal
Advised Austrian bank in €66 million financing green project
Advised on €1,015 billion cross-border bank sale
Advised multinational insurance group on sale of subsidiaries in 11 jurisdictions
Cross-border customised solutions, advising on complex banking and bank regulatory law matters
Landmark Bulgarian project finance transaction
Our banking and finance lawyers advised finance parties on one of the largest project finance transactions in Bulgaria – the concession of the Sofia Airport.
We acted for the lenders and the hedge counterparties in respect of the financing granted to the consortium comprising the French investment firm Meridiam, Austria’s Strabag, and the operator of Munich Airport to whom the concession of Sofia Airport has been awarded.
For the first time in Bulgaria, a project financing of such magnitude has been simultaneously led at the international level and implemented locally by a single law firm.
Complex, highly regulated cross-border sale
Our lawyers advised Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) on the sale of Raiffeisenbank (Bulgaria) for EUR 1,015 billion to KBC Bank.
This was a complex cross-border deal in a highly regulated environment with a significant impact on the Bulgarian banking sector. There were regulatory and competition law challenges given that a subsidiary of the purchaser was a direct competitor of the target.
Ground-breaking global ABL deal
Our team advised a banking consortium (JP Morgan Chase & Co.) on the Austrian law aspects of the deal’s cross-border collateral structure and the sale and assignment of Austrian law governed receivables.
The banking consortium, consisting of JP Morgan Chase and 21 other leading banks, provided secured asset-based financing totalling USD 7 billion in the context of Platinum Equity’s acquisition of the world largest provider of technology solutions Ingram Micro.
The financing is a ground-breaking global Asset-Based Loan (ABL) and the largest asset-based lending deal ever.
Specialist bank financing transaction
We advised Kommunalkredit Austria on the EUR 66 million financing provided to Green Source and its Solar Partners for the construction of eight solar power plants with a total peak capacity of 65 MW by five Hungarian project companies owned by Solar Partners.
An international interdisciplinary team from the Wolf Theiss practices “Projects, Energy & Infrastructure” as well as “Banking & Finance” advised Kommunalkredit Austria on this transaction and was responsible for the complete legal project due diligence as well as for the complex contractual documentation.
Areas of specialisation
Financing
Whether you are a project sponsor, developer, commercial bank, underwriter, debt or equity investor, supplier, export-credit agency, government, contractor, purchaser or lender, you need advice on financing sector developments. You can rely on our experts in acquisition, real estate and project finance to quickly and efficiently help turn ideas into reality.
Project Finance
Each project calls for a customised financing solution. We can help you look into anything from traditional LMA acquisition and project finance structures, to different forms of structured finance and debt restructuring law techniques such as project bonds, monetisation of revenue streams, securitisations, and derivatives products.
Real Estate Finance
We make it our business to understand yours. Domestic and foreign banks as well as project development companies and their sponsors regularly turn to us for advice in real estate project financing.
Our banking and finance practice in CEE can help you with financial engineering, examining the regulatory environment behind the granting or receipt of a credit or loan, as well as drafting and negotiating financing agreements and related security packages.
Loan Portfolio Transactions
Involved in a (distressed or non-distressed) loan transfer? You are on the safe side with us. No matter if you are on sell-side or buy-side, you benefit from our lawyers’ expertise in loan portfolio transactions throughout the CEE/SEE region.
The distressed debt market shows increased activity and potential for financial investors and banks recovering from low credit ratings and poor profitability performance. Our NPL dedicated team is available to advise you under English and on local law using LMA standards.
Deleveraging, Restructuring, Insolvency
When facing deleveraging, sensitive bankruptcy filings and issues involving financial restructuring law or corporate restructuring law, it is essential to minimise future legal challenges, potential liability hazards and risks of being preferential or set aside under avoidance rules.
You can rely on our top restructuring lawyers to advise you on turnarounds, asset protection and recovery from a commercial perspective as well as in relation to banking, corporate finance and litigation laws. Learn more about our Insolvency, Restructuring & Crisis Management practice.
Regulation of the Financial Industry
We support you on all regulatory issues related to the establishment, licensing and operation of branches, subsidiaries and services on a local and cross-border basis, including capital and liquidity regulations such as Basel III and Basel IV.
Financial Services Litigation
We represent lenders and borrowers in investigations and court proceedings including consumer mass litigation on the defendants’ side. As financial institution or as service provider, you benefit from the close cooperation with our litigation experts, both as plaintiffs and defendants. Opponent abroad? No problem: Our banking and finance law experts routinely handle highly complex cross-border financial litigation cases.
What others say about us
“Proactive, hands-on problem solving. Fast, on time and always available.”
“We have worked with and had a good relationship with Wolf Theiss for many years in different areas. We frequently turn to them for financial regulatory work as they know our industry well. We like that they see the big picture and always have an original solution for issues. They are well connected to regulators and do traditional regulatory advisory, but they are also top with non-traditional outside-the-box requests concerning new payment methods.”
“High standards and excellent regulatory knowledge.”
– IFLR1000
Get in touch
Whether you need an international team with extensive experience in banking and finance matters or are looking for a restructuring lawyer, Wolf Theiss can support your business goals through our profound legal practice.
