Qasim Aslam > Dentons > DUBAI, United Arab Emirates > Lawyer Profile

Dentons
LEVEL 18, BOULEVARD PLAZA 2
BURJ KHALIFA DISTRICT
P.O. BOX 1756
United Arab Emirates

Work Department

Banking and Finance, Islamic Finance, Acquisition Finance, Commercial Banks Energy Financial Institutions, Project Finance Real Estate Finance Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy

Position

Qasim is a partner in the Banking and Finance practice.

He has international Islamic finance, project finance and structured finance experience, including transactions throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. He acts for regional, international and Islamic financiers as well as multi-lateral agencies and corporates.

Qasim is also the Head of Islamic Finance – Middle East. He is recognised in the international Expert Guides “Best of the Best” for Islamic Finance, international Expert Guides “Banking, Finance and Transactional Guide” as one of The World’s Leading Islamic Finance Lawyers, and also as a Leading Individual with Tier 1 ranking in the Legal 500 directory.

Career

  • Salik road toll securitisation: Advising Citi, Emirates NBD and others on the ground breaking US$800million multi-source securitisation of the Salik toll road system in Dubai – the world’s first Islamic road toll financing – (winner of multiple awards including Middle East Transport Deal of the Year, Project Finance Magazine Award and Structured Finance Deal of the Year for Islamic Finance News).
  • Emirates Steel Industries (ESI) refinancing: Acting on its US$1.3 billion refinancing utilising a hybrid corporate/project financing structure as well as an integrated Ijara arrangement (Mining and Metals Deal of the Year by Infrastructure Journal).
  • Petro Rabigh Phase II expansion: Advising Sumitomo Chemical on the US$8 billion expansion of a refining and petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia through conventional and ‎multiple sophisticated Islamic structures – (numerous awards include PFI International’s Petrochemical Deal of the Year and EMEA Finance Chemicals Deal of the Year).
  • Limitless Islamic restructuring: Acting for the financiers’ co-ordinating committee in the high profile international US$1.2 billion Islamic refinancing to this UAE developer utilising bespoke Mudaraba and Ijara structures.‎
  • Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (Malaysia): Advising on the award-winning Islamic commodity murabaha facility of US$100 million to The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD). Bringing together the Far East and the Middle East, this is the first cross-border transaction by a Japanese bank to an Islamic multilateral international financial institution.

Languages

English

Memberships

Scotland, admitted 1996
Senior Courts of England and Wales, 2005

Education

University of Glasgow, 1994, LLB, (Hons)

Lawyer Rankings

United Arab Emirates > Banking and finance: Corporate finance (including Islamic lending)

Dentons is well-regarded for its strong financing offering, excelling in both conventional and Islamic transactions The team acts for various regional financial institutions, leading industry corporates, government bodies and multilateral agencies, and has been notably active on ‘green’ deals, including sustainability-linked financings and bonds, as well consequential real estate and transport mandates. Alex Roussos and Stephen Knight co-lead the practice; the former is noted for his debt-financing and capital market capabilities, while the latter is recommended for his project finance expertise. Udayan Mukherjee is active on both the lenders and borrowers side on a mix of acquisition, project, and sustainability-linked financings, while Qasim Aslam continues to be an eminent practitioner regarding Islamic financing. Umera Ali is noted for his capabilities in cross-border matters.