Dania El Samad

Dania El Samad

Partner

Dania El Samad has been building up her banking and project finance experience since 2007. She has been promoted to Partner in the Firm’s Banking & Project Finance Department in January 2020. She specializes in banking and project finance, and has experience in acting for governmental and corporate entities, lenders, borrowers and multinational clients. Mrs. El Samad has also experience and has worked on a broad range of transactions relating to the development, acquisition, disposal and financing of infrastructure projects.

Mrs. El Samad has over 13 years of experience in Egypt, and is recognized as an expert on banking and finance transactions, including drafting and negotiating finance documents, loan agreements and security documents, such as pledges, mortgages and corporate guarantees. She also assisted in major project finance and syndicated lending transactions, on behalf of leading real estate developing companies, banking and  financial institutions and other local and international clients  and has been recently acted on behalf of project companies in the renewable energy projects under the FiT program and related project financing. In addition, Mrs. El Samad has provided several legal opinions on Cross-Border banking activities, Repo and Derivatives transactions under GMRA and ISDA Agreements, Global Depository Receipts and Global Depositary Notes for international financial institutions and banks.

In addition, Mrs. El Samad advises multiple local and international banking clients such as National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr, Citibank, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Bank of New York Mellon, Arab African International Bank, JP Morgan, Nova Scotia Bank, Commerzbank and ICBC Standard Bank.

Dania El Samad obtained her License en Droit (LL.B in Law) in 1996 and her Maîtrise en Droit in 1997 from the Faculty of Law, Lebanese University. Her working languages are Arabic, English and French. Ms. El Samad obtained her Masters II in International and European Business Law from IDAI, Paris 1 Sorbonne in 2014.

Mrs. El Samad’s working languages are English, French and Arabic.

Indicative Recent Transactions:

• Advised a syndicate of leading international banks as buyers in relation to a landmark USD3.8 billion repo transaction with the Central Bank of Egypt as seller. The repo agreements were signed in October 2018. The syndicate comprised Citigroup Global Markets Limited, Credit Suisse AG, Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Bank plc, JP Morgan Securities Plc, Natixis, Nomura International plc, First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC and ICBC Standard Bank plc.
• Advised a syndicate of leading international banks in May 2018 with a USD600,000,000 term Loan Facility Agreement granted to National Bank of Egypt, SAE. The syndication includes Arab Banking Corporation B.S.C., Citibank Bank N.A. London Branch, Commercial Bank of Abu Dhabi PJSC, Emirates NBD Capital Limited, First Abu Dhabi Bank P.J.S.C., HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah P.S.C. & Standard Chartered Bank with First Abu Dhabi Bank P.J.S.C. as Agent.
• Advised a syndicate of leading international banks as lenders in connection with a USD 550 million term loan facility granted to Banque Misr. The syndication included Emirates NBD Capital Limited, Union National Bank PJSC, Citibank, N.A, Emirates NBD Bank (P.J.S.C), Mashreq Bank PSC, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, National Bank of Kuwait SAK, The National Bank of Ras al Khaimah (P.S.C), National Commercial Bank, Blom Bank Egypt, Commerzbank, National Bank of Egypt UK limited, Standard Chartered Bank, Alubaf Arab International Bank, BBK B.S.C. The facility agreement was signed on December 2018.
• Advised Arab African International Bank on its acquisition of Scotiabank’s business in Egypt in 07 March 2015.
• Advised National Bank of Egypt in connection with a $390 million term loan facility arranged by Citibank N.A London, HSBC Middle East limited, Standard Chartered and National Bank of Abu Dhabi.