Banking and finance

ASAR - Al Ruwayeh & Partners

Client Satisfaction

ASAR – Al Ruwayeh & Partners's banking and finance department leverages its ‘wealth of knowledge and a diverse range of specialisations’ in pursuit of various high-profile mandates involving capital markets, Islamic and conventional finance, and project financing, as well as equity and debt transactions. Noted as ’responsive' and 'commercial’, the team is frequently retained in high-value project financing matters, including novel PPP projects, and is well positioned to handle cross-border matters, especially regional GCC and multi-jurisdictional matters. The team is led by senior partners John Cunha and Rob Little. Ibrahim Sattout boasts over 30 years of experience in high-value transactions in the finance and capital markets sector, while Ezekiel Tuma holds broad expertise in finance restructuring and cross-border financing matters.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘ASAR's practice is distinguished by its deep understanding of the legal landscapes in Bahrain and Kuwait. The team is composed of highly skilled professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and a diverse range of specialisations to the table. This unique combination of attributes makes ASAR a standout choice for clients seeking legal advice in these jurisdictions.'
‘The key individuals we work with in Kuwait are John Cunha and Rob Little. The service provided by all of these individuals is consistently exceptional. They deliver a strong work product, and have become trusted partners to our firm. Time is typically of the essence where we instruct ASAR, and we are grateful to the entire team in consistently meeting deadlines with clear and commercial advice.'
‘A collective of very strong practitioners, very responsive and knowledgable on local law matters. The “go to” firm in Kuwait and Bahrain and we would only ever not use them if conflicted. They are one of the few firms that cover a broad range of practice areas but has depth of expertise in each.’
‘I mainly work with John Cunha who I’ve known for a number of years in a professional capacity. John is technically excellent whilst commercially minded and has helped us on many transactions over the years in developing creative solutions for our clients.'
‘The ASAR team have been excellent on the cross-border syndicated transactions we have worked on with them. The team are very knowledgeable, incredibly responsive, and a pleasure to work with.’
‘John Cunha and Rob Little are both a pleasure to work with. They are responsive, knowledgeable and keen to help out wherever required.’
‘ASAR's banking team provide a streamlined service with respect to matters of Kuwait law. The team were pro-active and responsive in offering solutions to complex situations which required negotiation. They have very good communication throughout the transaction when assisting lead counsel on cross-border transactions.’
‘John Cunha is good to deal with. He is a clear communicator and is pro-active in helping deals move towards the finish line.’

Key clients

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC
Ahli United Bank B.S.C.
Citibank
Emirates NBD Bank PJSC
HSBC Bank Middle East Limited
Kuwait Finance House
National Bank of Kuwait
First Abu Dhabi Bank
Standard Chartered
Warba Bank
Gulf Bank
Arab Banking Corporation
JPMorgan Chase Bank
Gulf Investment Corporation
Macquarie Air Finance Group Limited
Boubyan Bank

Work highlights

Acted for Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited and its affiliates (Fairfax) in their mandatory takeover.
Acted as local counsel to Emirates Islamic Bank as lender in connection with the latter’s grant of a commodity murabaha financing to ABK Kuwait (acting through its DIFC branch).
Acted as Kuwait law counsel to the Finance Parties in connection with a US$500m bridge facility agreement entered into between Equate Petrochemical Company K.S.C.C. and a syndicate of international banks.

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