Led from Hong Kong by the vastly experienced Francis Edwards and aided by a sizeable presence in Singapore and the PRC, the collaborative Greater China team at Clifford Chance provides ‘highly responsive and cost-effective’ advice to global and regional  financial institutions and investors across a broad range of structured finance and securitisation mandates. Many of the transactions are innovative often first-of-kind structures which require deep knowledge of the latest technology – here that the team is particularly well-positioned in part by virtue of its ability to draw from the knowledgebase of lawyers within the global team which have utilised similar structures. In a deal which involved input from Singapore and London, Edwards recently advised the global co-ordinating banks in relation to the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation’s debut securitisation of infrastructure and project finance loans. Terry Yang has a  ’strong understanding of China’s financial market practices and regulations’, ensuring that he is a popular choice among local banks and securities firms seeking guidance on policy developments and in relation to the regulatory considerations underpinning structured note investments and margin financing transactions. Lin Lu has strong credentials among buy and sell-side participants and as well as his transactional work, he has, in his role as a director of the Asia-Pacific Structured Finance Association, actively participated in the promotion of China cross-border securitisation.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘It is an excellent Hong Kong team that is well supported by leading global team. This is critical as many deals in Asia are first of its kind here but have been done elsewhere. This setup ensures the latest developments are fed through and integrated in our deals at the lowest cost.'
  • 'The team is highly responsive and cost-effective.'
  • ‘Not only is Lin Lu able to advise on common law type jurisdictions, his understanding of China’s legal system and ability to communicate with lawyers in China ensures cross-border issues are addressed in the most efficient and economical way.’

  • 'Terry Yang is known for his practical approach and excellent communication skills, along with his strong understanding of China’s financial market practices and regulations.'

Key clients

  • MUFG
  • ING
  • Standard Chartered Bank
  • Citi
  • HSBC
  • Morgan Stanley
  • UBS
  • BlackRock
  • JPMorgan
  • AIA Group Limited
  • International Swaps and Derivatives Association
  • Ares Management

Work highlights

  • Advised ING, MUFG and Standard Chartered Bank as joint global coordinators, joint bookrunners and joint lead managers on The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited's debut securitisation of infrastructure and project finance loans, Bauhinia ILBS 1 Limited.
  • Advised HSBC on its appointment as the sole settlement bank in Hong Kong for ‘Faster Payment System (FPS) x PromptPay’, a cross-border QR payment linkage launched by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Bank of Thailand.
  • Advised HSBC on an innovative digital gold token project, which represents the first-in-market virtual asset project involving structuring, documenting and obtaining regulatory approval for the launch of a digital token linked to underlying physical gold that is sold to retail investors in Hong Kong.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Francis Edwards

Other key lawyers

Terry Yang, Dr Lin Lu