Oman > Banking and finance
Index of tables
Banking and finance
Leading individuals
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- Sadaf Buchanan SNR Denton
- Roger Byrne Trowers & Hamlins
At SNR Denton, the departure of Justine Harding was offset by the arrival of Sadaf Buchanan, from an in-house position at PwC. Her team handles a breadth of work, including bilateral and syndicated financing, and the firm’s UK and US connections make it a popular choice for debt capital markets work. With its regional capabilities, the firm is also well placed to take advantage of the increasing demand for shari’ah-compliant products. One highlight saw the group act for Bank Muscat as facility agent in a landmark refinancing. Other clients include Bank Dhofar, and Oman Refineries and Petrochemicals Company.
Trowers & Hamlins is advising the founding committee of the first Islamic bank in Oman, a flagship project involving complex matters of shari’ah compliance as well as matters novel in Omani law; and is also acting as lead counsel to the project lenders in relation to a $170m commitment in project financing for the construction of a new plant for Aluminium Rolling Mill Company, a complex transaction which included agreements to secure natural gas and electricity supply, off-take and usufruct rights. Roger Byrne leads the practice.
Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Co remains the favoured port of call for Clifford Chance’s Dubai base, and provides a wide-ranging service for commercial and investment banks and corporates. The team advised MB Holding on the maiden high-yield bond issue by a subsidiary of an Omani corporate entity with an international listing. Mansoor Jamal Malik is a well-connected and widely respected figure in Oman.
Bruce Palmer’s ‘excellent, professional, value-for-money’ team at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP has core strength advising banks and borrowers on infrastructure matters. It advised Oman Investment Fund in relation to its anchor investment in Oman’s first private equity fund. Another signature client is oilfield services company Dalma Energy, which the team represented on the refinancing of a $340m facilities agreement.
The departure of Alastair Neale from Said Al-Shahry Law Office was offset to some extent by recruitment at mid-level. Stephen Sayer’s ‘dedicated’ team acts for a significant number of banks including Wells Fargo, RBS, HSBC Middle East, and State Bank of India in Oman. It retains its traditional strength advising banks in relation to projects.