Banking and Finance

Banking
and Finance

Almaty, Kazakhstan

The firm is particularly recognised for its work on cross-border project finance, syndicated lending, PPP and concession financing, sovereign and quasi-sovereign guarantees, and bank M&A, acting on some of the region’s most strategically significant transactions in the energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, mining, transport, and financial services sectors.

Our team advises international financial institutions and export credit agencies, including EBRD, IFC, ADB, DEG and the Islamic Development Bank, as well as major European, Chinese, Korean and regional banks, on the structuring, documentation and implementation of financing transactions governed by English law and local law. We are frequently engaged to deliver local law legal opinions, conduct lender-side due diligence, structure security packages, and advise on enforceability, insolvency risks and regulatory compliance.

Unicase has strong expertise in capital markets and bank-related transactions, including IPOs, Eurobond programmes, bank acquisitions, disposals and restructurings, and regulatory approvals involving national financial authorities. The firm is also one of the few practices in the region with consistent experience in Islamic finance, advising on Sharia-compliant lending structures.

A key strength of our practice lies in understanding the interface between international financing standards and mandatory local law requirements. Clients rely on Unicase for pragmatic, risk-focused advice on security enforcement, sovereign guarantees, currency control, sanctions-driven restructurings, and distressed debt scenarios in challenging jurisdictions.

Unicase has a long-established Banking and Finance practice advising international and regional lenders, development finance institutions, borrowers, and state-owned entities on complex financing transactions across Central Asia.

Astana, Kazakhstan

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Our Services

due diligence

Islamic finance, syndicated and mezzanine lending

AML/CFT and KYC compliance advisory

financings involving multilateral development banks

infrastructure and project finance

bond and security interests

sovereign guarantee and collateral

engagement with regulatory and financial authorities

issuance and placement support

drafting and review of loan, facility, and security documentation

credit, project, and trade finance transactions

Top Projects:

Unicase advised DEG - Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, investment and development corporation in connection with the planned project finance transaction in Uzbekistan for Hamkorbank JSC concerning USD 20,000,000 term facility agreement.

Unicase advised Industrial and Commercial Bank of China JSC on a RMB 2 billion dual-tranche loan facility, with one tranche dedicated to “One Belt, One Road” projects and the other to working capital. Unicase acted as Kazakhstan legal advisor, conducting full due diligence of the Borrower and providing a legal memorandum on corporate, regulatory, tax, and compliance matters to ensure the facility’s compliance with Kazakhstan law.

Unicase advised a state-owned company on the acquisition of a subsidiary of a major Eurasian banking group operating in Kazakhstan, including regulatory approvals and authorisations.

Unicase advised an international development bank on sovereign guarantee and financial guarantee in accordance with Kazakhstan legislation. The legal support included advising on sovereign guarantee under Kazakhstan law, conditions and the nature as well as procedures to approve sovereign guarantee, and providing an examination and evaluation of possible risks and Kazakhstan legal advice regarding guarantees and loans. This deal made an impact on relations between the Governments of Kazakhstan and People’s Republic of China, which agreed on cooperation worth $44 billion in 2015 only.

USD 15bn+

in financing and capital markets transactions

banking and finance mandates completed

100+

4

Central Asian jurisdictions covered

Unicase advised China Construction Bank on the legal due diligence of Next Solar Energy Group in connection with cross-border financing of a photovoltaic power project in Uzbekistan. The scope includes review of the Borrower’s corporate structure, licences and permits, shareholder arrangements, and reputational risks, with findings forming part of the lenders’ risk assessment and transaction structuring.

Unicase team provided legal support in connection with the execution of guarantee agreements between the Virazh Group and Sovcombank PJSC. The work included an analysis of the legality of the transaction, corporate authority, compliance with foreign exchange regulations, and implications of the application of Russian law.