A&O Shearman

Led from Hong Kong by John Lee and also able to leverage substantial wider pan-Asian resources, most notably from the firm’s Singapore and PRC offices, A&O Shearman is a popular choice for issuers (including sovereigns) and underwriters across a range of APAC-originated debt capital markets products, running the gamut from high yield and investment grade issuances, through to corporate hybrid securities and equity-linked transactions. Drawing upon excellent ties with regulators, the team is frequently at the vanguard of cutting-edge trends in the market, including in relation to digital assets and green/sustainable bond issuances. In this regard, Agnes Tsang recently combined both strengths to good effect for the Hong Kong government on its HK$800m tokenised green bond offering, which was notable for being the first tokenised green bond globally. Splitting her time between Singapore and Hong Kong, Jaclyn Yeap has also been a pivotal member of the team advising the Hong Kong government as issuer of green bonds, work which she combines with significant PRC-led deal flow, for issuers and underwriters, transactions she is well-placed to handle in part due to her Cantonese and Mandarin language fluency. Of counsel Nathan Wong has a particularly strong reputation advising underwriters across a wide variety of debt transactions, where he brings an excellent perspective on transactions in part due to a previous tenure on secondment at a major investment bank. As a result of a merger between A&O and Shearman & Sterling in May 2024, the team now includes Kyungwon Lee who regularly advises clients on high yield, investment grade and convertible bond issuances within the tech, healthcare, energy and telecoms sectors.