Niederer Kraft Frey AG

Georg Fischer AG (GF), a Swiss industrial company listed at SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker: GF) announced today that it has signed an agreement to divest its GF Machining Solutions Division to United Grinding Group,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised CREAL SA on its Series B financing round led by Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, as well as on a license agreement with ZEISS.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as Swiss counsel to VARTA AG in connection with a German law bridge financing agreement,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Cherry Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Berlin, London and Stockholm, on its series A investment in Voliro AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Centre Lane Partners on all Swiss law-related aspects of the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Hardinge Inc., including its Swiss subsidiaries.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Coop on the purchase of the remaining 49 per cent stake in Coop Mineraloel AG from Philipps 66.

BRUSA Elektronik AG, a Swiss based technology leader in the field of development,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised a syndicate of over 15 financial institutions led by UBS on the additional financing provided to dss⁺,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Deutsche Private Equity (DPE),

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Axpo Holding AG on a JPY 42,000,000,000 (around CHF 250,000,000) Samurai loan for the financing of the company’s current business and growth initiatives,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Crypto Finance AG on the sale of Crypto Finance (Asset Management) AG to Matrixport.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Calibre Scientific, Inc., (Calibre Scientific) on the acquisition of wikuma GmbH.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Franke Group on the acquisition of the WESCO Group. The closing is subject to regulatory approval.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Sonio group on the acquisition of Flow Swiss AG.

Sunshine SwissCo AG (a consortium led by EQT), together with ADIA and Auba Investment Pte. Ltd.,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Solar Impulse Foundation on its partnership with BNP Paribas.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Sygnum on an industry-first USD 50 million Bitcoin-backed syndicated loan to Ledn.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Climate Impulse on the partnership agreement with UM6P and OCP Group.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Transgourmet on the acquisition of Saviva AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Zürcher Kantonalbank on the acquisition of Complementa AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Lakera on its USD 20 million equity Series A financing led by Atomico, with participation from Citi Ventures, Dropbox, redalpine, and other investors participating.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Invision, Nord Holding and LGT on the sale of a majority stake in IDAK Food Group to TowerBrook Capital Partners, a London and New York-based investment company.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the founders and managers of BSI Software AG on the sale of a stake in BSI Software AG to Bregal Unternehmerkapital,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised UBS Switzerland AG as arranger, agent and original lender on a CHF 700 million bridge loan facility for Emmi Group’s planned acquisition of the Mademoiselle Desserts Group.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Software AG, a company majority owned by Silver Lake, on Swiss law on the sale of several technology platforms to IBM for EUR 2.13 billion in cash.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised SIX listed CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG (CPH) on the separation of its paper manufacturing business and,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised UBS AG in its capacity as sole global coordinator and sole bookrunner on Warteck Invest’s CHF 94.7 million capital increase by way of a rights offering launched on 3 June 2024,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised GreenState AG, one of the leading Swiss vertical farming companies, on its acquisition of Yasai AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as Swiss counsel to Herman Rosen on (i) the sale of (part of) the ROSEN Group to Partners Group as well as (ii) Mr. Rosen’s re-investment.

EDF has completed the acquisition of GE Vernova’s steam nuclear activities covering conventional island equipment for nuclear power plants excluding servicing activities in the Americas.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Index Ventures on its investment in EthonAI.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised UBS Switzerland AG on a EUR 100 million bridge loan facility for Arbonia AG’s acquisition of the Dimoldura Group.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised SOPHiA Genetics SA (NASDQ: SOPH) on its secured credit facility with Perceptive Advisors.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as Swiss counsel to the global healthcare group Fresenius SE & CO. KGaA (Fresenius) on the sale of the majority of Vamed’s rehabilitation business to PAI Partners (PAI).

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Moving Spine on the funding received to further develop the improvement of treatment standards for patients with spinal disorders.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as counsel to Shearwater GeoServices AS on its investment in Mondaic AG and the entering into a strategic partnership.

Niederer Kraft Frey is pleased to announce a significant expansion of its Real Estate practice with the joining of Fabiano Menghini as a new partner based in Zurich, effective 1 May 2024. The NKF core Real Estate team now comprises ten members, including three partners.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised FUCHS SE as Swiss law advisors on the acquisition of the LUBCON group. The transaction is subject to approval of antitrust authorities.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as legal counsel to Swiss Steel Holding AG on its EUR 300 million capital increase and all related corporate law matters and proceedings before the Swiss Takeover Board, as well as in the renegotiation of the Group’s existing debt.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the banking syndicate on a USD 3.65 billion term and revolving credit facilities agreement for Galderma group in connection with its successful IPO on SIX Swiss Exchange on 22 March 2024.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Climate Impulse on its partnership agreement with Breitling.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Clariant AG on the placement of a CHF 200 million bond with a term to maturity of three years (Tranche A) and a CHF 150 million bond with a term to maturity of seven years (Tranche B).

Niederer Kraft Frey advised EOS Partners GmbH on the acquisition of Swibox Holding AG by Smart Building & Industrial Services GmbH. 

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as legal advisor to Phoenix Technologies AG in the negotiations and the conclusion of an AI collaboration agreement with IBM.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised SpineArt on its CHF 20 million convertible financing.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised a syndicate of 15 banks, led by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and UBS as joint global coordinators, in connection with the initial public offering of Galderma Group AG that launched on 13 March 2024.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as counsel to Mandi Ventures (MANDI) on its investment in Cultivated Biosciences SA.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised abrantix AG on its joint venture with B2 Payment Solutions Inc.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Groupe Factoria on the acquisition of PRINTHOF GmbH.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Calibre Scientific, Inc., (Calibre Scientific) on the acquisition of Ruwag Handels AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the banking consortium led by Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, ING Bank, a branch of ING-DiBa AG,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Bertrand Piccard and Climate Impulse on the project set-up and the partnership agreement with Syensqo.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Evolva Holding SA on the sale of its wholly-owned operating subsidiary Evolva AG to Danstar Ferment AG, a Swiss affiliate of Lallemand Inc.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised MVM Partners on its investment in icotec ag.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Demathieu Bard on the acquisition of Steiner Construction SA.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Rayner Group on the acquisition of This AG from the private investment company Multimed AG and accompanied minority investors.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Stalicla on its series B financing.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised MediCrops AG on the acquisition of a majority stake in Hygieia Partners AG (TopPharm pharmacy) and Topmed AG (Topmed medical office).

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Transgourmet Switzerland AG on the acquisition of POMONA SUISSE AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Calibre Scientific, Inc., (Calibre Scientific) on the acquisition of Bioreba AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Leonteq on its acquisition of a 10 per cent stake in the Swiss stock exchange BX Swiss.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Shenzhen Senior Technology Material Co., Ltd. on its offering of global depositary receipts (GDRs) and SIX Swiss Exchange listing under the China-Switzerland Stock Connect. Shenzhen Senior Technology Material, whose A Shares are listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange, sold 12,684,800 GDRs representing five A-Shares each at an offer price of USD 9.46, raising gross proceeds of approximately USD 120.0 million from the offering. Trading in the GDRs on SIX Swiss Exchange commenced on 18 December 2023. Shenzhen Senior Technology Material is a lithium-ion battery separator manufacturer with 20 years of experience in research and development, production, and sales of lithium-ion battery separators. Shenzhen Senior Technology Material expects to use the net proceeds from the transaction to support its overseas expansion and for working capital and general corporate purposes. Huatai Financial Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited acted as sole global coordinator and joint bookrunner for the offering, while CLSA Limited, CMB International Capital Limited and China Securities (International) Corporate Finance Limited acted as joint bookrunners. The NKF team advising on the transaction was co-led by Capital Markets partners Philippe Weber and Daniel Bono, working with associates Thiago Claro and Manuel Hirlinger (both Capital Markets).  

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Stelux Group on the sale of Universal Genève SA to Breitling AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Cortexia SA as Swiss counsel on its financing round subscribed by Bloomhaus Ventures AG, Spicehaus Partners AG,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Invision on its investment in NonStop Gym.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Sonio group on the acquisition of JevoTrust Management AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Credit Suisse (Switzerland) Ltd. acting as arranger, agent and lender and a consortium of Swiss banks acting as lenders on a CHF 125 million revolving credit facility for Andermatt Swiss Alps AG to refinance its existing financial indebtedness and to finance working capital needs and investments for the development of, among other things, hotel and tourism infrastructure in Andermatt.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised J.P. Morgan Securities and UBS AG on the offering of global depositary receipts (GDRs) and SIX Swiss Exchange listing of Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai under the China-Switzerland Stock Connect.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised EMZ on the sale of the ASSEPRO group to The Ardonagh Group.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Coop on the launch of Coop Finance+. With Coop Finance+, in collaboration with several partners in the financial, pension and technology sectors,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Swiss Steel Group, a leading producer of special long steel solutions, in the successful divestiture of several distribution entities in Eastern Europe to IMS group, a division of JACQUET METALS. The divestiture was completed on 31 October 2023.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised R&S Group, a leading provider of electrical infrastructure components in Switzerland and international markets,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Zuger Kantonalbank as sole lender on an innovative CHF 24 million credit facility to finance Carvolution's expansion of its modern vehicle fleet.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Lakera AI on its USD 10 million equity financing led by Redalpine, with Fly Ventures, Inovia Capital and angels including the co-founders of Snyk,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Clariant AG on the placement of a CHF 150 million bond with a term to maturity of five years. The net proceeds will be used for general financing purposes.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, acting as sustainability coordinator and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Singapore Branch acting as agent,

Niederer Kraft Frey is pleased to announce a significant expansion of its tax practice with the joining of two new tax partners in Geneva, effective as of 1 October 2023: Marcel Meier and Jacques Pittet.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised PolyPeptide on its inaugural EUR 111 million three-year revolving credit facility with Credit Suisse, Danske Bank and Zürcher Kantonalbank as mandated lead arrangers.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Vantage Education AG, one of the largest private providers of education and training in the Swiss market, on the acquisitions of the NBW, BodyFeet and Bio-Medica.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as counsel to Autoneum Holding AG in its rights offering launched on 14 September 2023. The targeted net proceeds from the offering of CHF 100 million will be used to partially repay the CHF 150 million bridge loan which Autoneum entered into to provide initial financing for the acquisition of Borgers’ automotive business.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised IDAK Food Group, a premium frozen food provider with highest quality standards, on the acquisition of a majority stake in Romer’s Hausbäckerei AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised ZuriMED Technologies on its CHF 14.5 million series A financing round led by Chindex Medical Limited (Hong Kong), Yellowstone Holding AG (Geneva) and a group of leading orthopaedic surgeons from Switzerland, Germany, France, and the United States.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Sonio group on the merger with BUSINESS IT AG. The merger creates one of the largest ICT service providers in the field of IT infrastructure in Switzerland.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as lead counsel to HYGH AG in connection with its EUR 21.5 million financing round in which Sparta Capital Management provided debt and equity financing.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Werap Group on the successful sale of its shares in Fabrimex AG to Exista AG,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Axpo Holding AG on the sale of a minority stake in Axpo Volt Beteiligung AG to BVK.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Oliver Healthcare Packaging, a leading supplier of sterile barrier flexible packaging solutions for the global healthcare market,

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Capvis on all aspects of the financing relating to the acquisition of a majority stake in SCHURTER Group.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised CKW on the sale of a majority stake in EWA-energieUri AG to a consortium consisting of the canton of Uri, the corporation Uri and funds managed by Swiss Life Asset Management.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as lead counsel to the shareholders in Swiss International Scientific School Dubai (SISD) joining Nord Anglia Education in a landmark transaction in the education sector.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as lead counsel to CGS Management AG and Advaton AG, owner of Kalt Maschinenbau AG and Staedler Automation AG on the merger of Advaton AG with the French company SAS Eurotandem.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd. on its offering of global depositary receipts (GDRs) and SIX Swiss Exchange listing under the China-Switzerland Stock Connect.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised bNovate Technologies SA as Swiss counsel on its CHF 12 million Series C financing round led by Emerald Technology Ventures, followed by existing shareholders.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised UBS on all Swiss structuring, legal and regulatory aspects in connection with the origination of the issuance of CNH 200 million fully digital (tokenized) structured notes by Bank of China International Holdings (BOCI),

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Swiss Confederation on the conclusion of a Loss Protection Agreement (LPA) with UBS Group AG.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Kunshan Dongwei Technology Co., Ltd. on its offering of global depositary receipts (GDRs) and SIX Swiss Exchange listing under the China-Switzerland Stock Connect.

Swiss Prime Site issued convertible loan notes in the aggregate amount of CHF 275 million to ELM B.V., a repackaging vehicle.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Gasverbund Mittelland AG, the leading procurement and grid company of natural and biogas to the Plateau and Northwestern regions in Switzerland,

DKSH links existing CHF 315m term loan facility to sustainability targets

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Nicolas Gonet and Gonet & Cie SA on the strategic business partnership with Arab Bank (Switzerland) Ltd.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised SWISSto12 in its landmark deal with Inmarsat to build its new generation of spacecraft.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Ecorobotix SA as Swiss counsel on its CHF 46 million Series B Prime financing round led by AQTON Private Equity GmbH and Cibus Capital LLP. Additional investments came from Swisscanto Invest/Swisscanto Growth Fund I, Yara Growth Ventures, Flexstone Partners, as well as existing investors including Swisscom Ventures, BASF Venture Capital, 4FOX Ventures and Verve Ventures.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised NewBiologix on its launch and its USD 50 million series A financing.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Swiss Finance & Property AG as sole lead manager and Helvetische Bank as settlement agent in Orascom's successful capital increase by way of a rights offering launched on 14 April 2023. The transaction consisted of an offering of subscription rights and a backstop commitment by the majority shareholder for shares for which subscription rights were not exercised. Orascom has issued 19,228,617 registered shares with a par value of CHF 5.00 each, leading to gross proceeds in an amount of approximately CHF 135 million. The cash proceeds from the offering will be used to finance current development projects in Oman, Montenegro and the United Kingdom and for general corporate purposes. The newly issued registered shares are listed and traded on SIX Swiss Exchange.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the Stadtcasino Baden group on its acquisition of the remaining 19% minority stake in Casinò Locarno. With this acquisition, the Stadtcasino Baden group owns all shares of Casinò Locarno and further strengthens its position in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised the banking syndicate, led by BofA Securities, SVB Leerink and Credit Suisse, in connection with the initial public offering of VectivBio Holding AG and the listing of its shares on Nasdaq. Through its IPO, which priced on 8 April 2021 at USD 17 per share, VectivBio raised gross proceeds of USD 146.6 million (including greenshoe). At market close on the first day of trading, VectivBio had a market capitalisation of USD 824 million.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Credit Suisse as Arranger and Joint Lead Manager and Zürcher Kantonalbank as Joint Lead Manager in connection with the auto lease securitisation and issuance by Swiss Car ABS 2021-1 AG of CHF 200,000,000 0.50 per cent. asset-backed notes due 2031. The notes, which are backed by a portfolio of Swiss auto lease assets originated by AMAG Leasing AG, have been assigned a “AAAsf” / “AAA(sf)” rating by Fitch / S&P and are listed on SIX Swiss Exchange. The transaction closed on 19 April 2021 and constitutes the sixth auto lease securitisation of AMAG Leasing AG following its debut transaction in 2015.

On 9 April 2021, Crédit Agricole next bank (Suisse) SA successfully completed its second issuance under its Swiss Covered Bond Programme, issuing CHF 200 million Series 2021-1 0.125 per cent. Fixed-Rate Covered Bonds due April 2031 (with extended maturity date April 2032). The Covered Bonds are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and rated “AAA” by Fitch. In respect of the issuance, Credit Suisse AG and Crédit Agricole CIB acted as Joint Lead Managers.

PolyPeptide Group AG, advised by Niederer Kraft Frey as lead counsel, today commenced trading on SIX Swiss Exchange. This represents the first traditional IPO in Switzerland since late 2019. The IPO was multiple times oversubscribed given strong demand from investors across Switzerland and internationally.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised BC Capital AG, a Fintech company with registered offices in Lachen, in connection with its latest financing round. The EUR 20 million financing round, which included existing as well as new investors, was led by the family office of the Hopp family.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Invision AG, a leading equity investment company, on the acquisition of a majority stake in SkySale Schweiz GmbH. The transaction was completed on 27 April 2021.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised Transgourmet on the acquisition of GM FOOD.

Today, Montana Aerospace AG commenced trading on SIX Swiss Exchange. The offering consisted of 17,153,997 new shares at an offer price of CHF 25.65 per share (with an over-allotment option of up to 2,573,099 existing shares offered by Montana Tech Components AG), implying an offering volume of approximately CHF 506 million and a total market capitalisation of approximately CHF 1.2 billion.

Niederer Kraft Frey advised former Swiss national football player and entrepreneur David Degen on the acquisition of a majority of the shares in FC Basel Holding AG from Bernhard Burgener. FC Basel Holding AG owns 75 percent of FC Basel (FC Basel 1893 AG), 25 percent belongs to the association FC Basel 1893. FC Basel is a Swiss football club rich in tradition, which in its history has been Swiss Champion 20 times and Swiss Cup Winner 13 times.

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as counsel to the selling shareholders in the sale of beecom AG to Eficode, Europe’s leading DevOps company. The transaction was successfully closed in May 2021.