BANKING AND FINANCE

The Banking and Finance Practice is founded by Mr. Ashraf Ihab, founder partner, and deputy chair of the executive committee of the Firm. The Banking and Finance Group ( the “Group“) is a market leader in Egypt with extensive and significant experience in banking and project finance field. The Group is founded on the achievements, records of accomplishment and expertise of its members. The Group includes experienced lawyers with a deep understanding of financial tools and their practices in the Egyptian and International markets and they are always abreast of the legal developments in the field.

As a market leader and drawing on the unparalleled expertise of its partners, counsels and associates, the Group brings to the legal market a blend of exceptional individual skills as well as more than 45 years of legal experience.

The Banking Group is headed by Mr. Ashraf Ihab, Founding Partner, and includes four partners, one counsel, one senior associate and one associates and might extend to include members from other groups within the Firm as and when needed.

Dr. Mona Zulficar provides support and guidance to the Group and helps with strategic issues related to structuring and new products.

The Group possess excellent exposure to banking & project finance transactions, sophisticated syndications, club deals, multilateral syndications and debt rescheduling agreements. Opine on Islamic finance, banking regulations, derivatives, asset financing, sovereign and investment funds. We draft, review and update banking standard forms. We also advise on sale of banks, real estate finance, consumer finance, micro finance, factoring, debt finance tools and incorporation and licensing of different financial institutions.

We advise our Clients on all matters related to banking and finance activities such as prepayment & release of securities, novation under GMRA concluded between Syndicate of Banks and Central Bank of Egypt, changes in LIBOR worldwide from an Egyptian law perspective, and advised on the enforceability of Repo-TRS Transactions under GMRA and ISDA Agreements with Egyptian Banks. We also assisted several international investments and commercial banks on regulatory matters and financial litigations.

Our list of credentials encompasses project finance projects in several sectors such as green bonds projects, power plant projects, education projects, healthcare projects and mining projects.

In addition, the Group has a long-line of exceptional record of accomplishment on debt instruments transactions (corporate bonds, green bonds, sukuk, Ijara financial sukuk, sustainable sukuk and securitization) that are marked as first precedents in the market.

Heads of the Group played a key role in developing and drafting new economic legislation as adviser, drafting expert or a member of national drafting committees on important laws, such as the Investment Law, the Telecom Law, the Companies and Capital Market Laws, the new Banking Law and the Economic Courts Law. They are eager to help either develop new regulations that cater to new legal issues encountered that are not necessarily addressed by the current regulations or to adapt current regulations to best international practice.

Over the years, the Group has, presents to the market remarkable track records of first precedents in the Egyptian Market either in banking and project finance or in debt market transactions.

Heads of the Group Dr. Mona Zulficar and Mr. Ashraf Ihab are locally and internationally known for handling ground breaking transactions that are marked as a precedent in the market

The Group is consistently, ranked by leading international directories including Chambers and Partners, IFLR1000 and Legal500 as a Top Tier Firm and our Team as a Top Tier Team/ Practice Area. Our individual partners also consistently receive recognition and top rankings as Market Leaders, Highly Regarded Lawyers, Highly Recommended lawyers and Notable Practitioners.

Over the years, members of the Group were able to establish and maintain a fragile bond with our Clients; we provide them with individualized service that caters to their needs and business requirements, our deep knowledge, timely response, continuous availability and ability to work and deliver under time pressure without affecting the quality of our services, leads to their satisfaction.

Quoted from our Clients on Chambers and Partners: “They are excellent, I appreciate that they are accurate, prompt, meticulous and methodical”; “Complex transactions are dealt with swiftly and without any issues becoming significant”; “Mona Zulficar is probably the most experienced banking lawyer in Cairo. She is particularly capable in deal negotiations and navigating complex regulatory issues”; “Ashraf is a notable practitioner, always available and technically excellent”.

Quoted from Our Clients on IFLR1000: “The Principles, values, and professional ethics constitute an added value to any institution. Their level of integrity, credibility and professionalism is extremely impressive. They always impress us by providing more than what we expect from them as our trusted legal counsel and not only as a trusted external legal counsel but as a real industry partner. They indeed maintain a trademark of quality at its best”; “They have a very solid reputation in the Egyptian market and they provide world class quality legal services to their clients and have at the same time very strong business orientation in handling such legal matters”; “Z&P is the kind of partner that cares about us more than we care about ourselves, they are our safety net”.

Quoted from Our Clients on Legal500: “Very responsive, quality service from the senior professionals”; “There is lots of partner-level attention, which is appreciated”.