The Legal 500

Andreas Neocleous & Co LLC’s banking and finance team ‘always provides positive, practical and business-like advice’, and has ‘great strength in depth’. The group, led by ‘consummate professional’ Kyriacos Georgiades, acted for Deutsche Bank AG on Actavis Group’s debt restructuring. Other clients include AIG, Bank of America and Credit Suisse.

Antis Triantafyllides & Sons is a prominent banking and finance practice, in which Stelios Triantafyllides is recommended.

Banking and finance is a core area for Chryssafinis & Polyviou LLC, which operates from its office in Nicosia and through a network of affiliates in Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. It represents financial institutions, hedge funds and banks including Bank of Cyprus, Alpha Bank and Cyprus Development Bank. Polis Polyviou is highly recommended.

Chrysses Demetriades & Co Law Office advises on acquisition, asset (particularly ship) finance, project, property and trade finance, and provides general banking advice. Chris Georghiades and Christos Mavrellis are the main contacts.

George Y Yiangou & Co provides a very high level of service and ‘short response times’. It acts for investment banks and financial institutions on high-value matters, ranging from structured real estate financings to mezzanine and syndicated loan facilities, and has particularly strong links to Russia. ‘Perfect local counsel’ Lory Cirstea is ‘business-oriented and dedicated’. Chris Yiangou and Panayiotis Panayides are also recommended.

Georgiades & Pelides’ ‘outstanding’ team has a distinct international focus. Marcos Georgiades is the key figure.

Dr K Chrysostomides & Co LLC advised an international bank on the provision of a $40m facility to a Russian company for a new warehouse. Other clients include USB Bank, Société Générale Cyprus and Barclays. Chryso Pitsilli-Dekatris and Dr Kypros Chrysostomides are recommended.

Kinanis LLC has a strong project finance focus, and acted for a Russian private investor on the $1.5bn project financing of its acquisition, development and management of a pipeline.

Michael Kyprianou & Co. LLC ‘anticipates problems and finds practical ways of circumventing them’. It acted alongside several international law firms on high-value secured loan facilities to Cypriot borrowers in 2011. The ‘conscientious’ Zena Antoniou and Tonia Antoniou are both recommended.

Pamboridis LLC advises on trade, project and acquisition financing as well as loan restructuring. It recently acted as Cyprus counsel to the borrower in securitising a $650m loan facility from a Russian bank. George Pamboridis and Yiota Kythreotou-Theodorou are both recommended.

‘Excellent in all respects’, Patrikios Pavlou & Associates LLC recently acted for a Russian lender in a $7bn facility agreement. It also acted as local counsel alongside White & Case LLC on a number of financing matters. Practice head Stavros Pavlou and corporate finance partner Lia Iordanou Theodoulou are highly recommended.

Highlights for Andreas Coucounis & Co included advising on aspects of a €54m loan from a Greek bank to fertiliser company ELFE SA; and advising on the financing of a Cyprus-based company’s investment in Synthetic Genomics. Tasos Coucounis led both matters.

Aristodemou Loizides Yiolitis LLC routinely works with a number of international law firms. Pavlos Aristodemou and recently promoted partner Nancy Erotocritou advised on Cypriot law aspects of a $800m dual-currency facility agreement to X5 Retail Group. Other clients include Songa Offshore SE and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Clerides, Anastassiou, Neophytou LLC’s clients appreciate its ‘knowledge of the broader industry’. The team, which is advising on all aspects of a €768m financing transaction, often receives referrals from international firms. Practice head Effie Anastasiou is highly recommended.

Ioannides Demetriou LLC’s clients include locally incorporated banks such as Marfin Popular Bank, HSBC (Cyprus) and Eurobank EFG (Cyprus), and foreign clients including RBS, Fortis Bank and Commerzbank. The team advised Standard Chartered on a $233m facility provided to Sterling Infotech Group. Pambos Ioannides is the key partner.

Loukis Papaphilippou and Nicholas Kypreos are the main banking and finance contacts at L. Papaphilippou & Co, which has a broad practice with a strong contentious dimension. Clients include Marfin Popular Bank, Alpha Bank and Arab Bank.

Mouaimis & Mouaimis Advocates handles asset finance, securitisation and shipping finance matters for international banks, financial institutions and investors. Panayotis Mouaimis is recommended.

Stelios Americanos & Co regularly acts as Cyprus counsel for lenders and borrowers, particularly for onward investments to CIS and Eastern Europe in circumstances where the holding company is based in Cyprus. The team recently advised Alliance Oil on a €50m loan facility. Despina Americanou and Stelios Americanos are highly recommended.

Antonis Paschalides & Co has a solid non-contentious banking and finance practice supported by a strong banking litigation team. Carlos Paschalides advised on the $100m refinancing of 5th Avenue Mall in Moscow by Nordea Bank. Other clients include Bank of Cyprus, Marfin Popular Bank and Hellenic Bank.

Demetriou Mavronicola LLC collaborated with Allen & Overy on a €160m loan from the EBRD and IFC to a Ukrainian company, and advised on a €30m equity investment in a Cyprus company. Christina Mavronicola and Athos Demetriou are the main contacts.

Montanios & Montanios enjoys a solid reputation for shipping finance. Eric Montanios is recommended.

At Papadopoulos, Lycourgos & Co LLC, senior associate Adamos Georgiou is acting on the establishment and operation of several variable capital private funds.