About

The Haitong Bank legal team has provided assistance to support the organisation in several capital markets transactions, either private or public placements, mainly with Portuguese and Chinese issuers under which Haitong Bank has performed the role of placement agent, subscriber and arranger. Additionally, the legal team has been involved in structured and corporate finance transactions, including facilities and securities agreements or engagements for corporate finance, M&A advisory services, by drafting the required agreements and creating the guarantees. The team is made up of four lawyers including one team assistant and the head of legal Filipe Hasse Ferreira who encourages the team to work closely with the business of the Bank, properly understanding the client’s needs and achieving a win-win result. ‘Over the years, due to big challenges and new business strategies, the legal team has been tested in so many different and unpredictable scenarios which may only be successfully overcame with a great sense of team work and comprehensive approach with all our colleagues in the Bank’, says Ferreira. The business strategy of Haitong Bank has undergone a shift not only in terms of financial profitability but also in terms of governance, business model, cost awareness and strategic direction. Such a positive outcome is also due to the Bank’s willingness to capturing business and revenues and leveraging on the Bank’s core competitive advantages: its access to the China-related business flow as well as its core domestic franchises. In this context, Haitong Bank has been strengthening its synergies with other entities from Haitong Group located across six countries, particularly China. ‘To support this strategy, the legal team has had to demonstrate a capacity to adapt to new changes and constantly reinvent itself to take into consideration the new business strategies, new legal systems and jurisdictions and new regulatory environments’, says Ferreira. Significant internal restructurings have been made in order to strengthen the legal unit, with regular contact with other local legal teams and external counsels located across several geographies where the group is currently established, or has a specific business interest. ‘This change has been highly demanding, but rewarding at the same time, not only from a legal point of view, as it is fundamental to have a clear view of other legal systems to achieve positive results for Haitong Group, but also from a cultural point of view’, adds Ferreira. Other notable team members include David Ramalhete who has over 15 years’ experience in large-scale, complex capital markets and corporate finance. Cristina Vaz das Neves has abundant experience in dealing with legal matters involving venture capital funds and new addition, Luís Miguel Vasconcelos, brings over five years previous experience at a large reputable Portuguese law firm. Teresa Pinto Gonçalves is also praised as the legal department’s team assistant for the last 25 years.