A pillar of the banking and finance sector virtually since its inception, Bruchou & Funes de Rioja remains at the forefront of the market, its reputation as a premier operator ensuring that -in a slow market- it remains a prominent presence on the biggest and most complex liability management and restructuring deals in the country, acting for both creditors and debtors as required. Against a challenging backdrop for Argentine capital markets, the team remains a go-to adviser for clients raising new bonds and project finance facilities. Moreover, in addition to an impressive roster of local and international banking clients, the team’s advice to energy and natural resources companies on their financing requirements also stands out. Described as ‘dynamic and flexible’, the 17-strong practice group is led by firm chairman - one of Argentina’s most influential banking lawyers- Hugo Bruzone  and displays ‘technical solidity’ and ‘speed and clarity’  in its work with corporates, state agencies, banks, and multilateral lenders. Bruzone’s practice covers the gamut of banking, finance, capital markets and regulatory matters, while that of Analía Battaglia is centred on debt restructuring, project finance and infrastructure matters. The practice can also call on the inordinate experience of senior partners Enrique Bruchou and Carlos Lombardi, but a younger generation – including the ‘excellent’ José María Bazán, Alejandro Perelsztein and Matías López Figueroa – is increasingly active and prominent. Bazán focuses on local and international banking and capital markets transactions -including debt securities (private and sovereign), equity offerings, tender offers, and regulatory matters- along with bank financings, securitisations and debt restructuring; Perelsztein handles local and international capital markets transactions, bank lending, project bonds, acquisition finance, project financing (mainly for financing of infrastructure and energy projects), securitisations, equity offerings, and aircraft acquisition finance; and López Figueroa local and cross-border acquisition financings, syndicated loans, asset-backed loans and project finance. At the associate level, while former seniors Andrés Chester and Paula Mariel Ferreira   have left the firm to pursue their studies in the United States (and Juan Barros Moss departed to take on an in-house role), a younger cohort led by experienced senior Lucrecia von Petery and up-and-coming associate Leandro Belusci (both of whom have spent time at Milbank LLP’s New York office) ensure ongoing quality and continuity.

Marval O’Farrell Mairal‘s chairman, Santiago Carregal, leads the firm’s ‘outstanding’ and ‘versatile’ banking and finance practice alongside veteran banking specialist Gabriel Matarasso. With a team of more than 50 lawyers -including nine partners- at its disposal, the firm is able to deliver a full-spectrum service offering that covers all aspects of banking and finance law. A regular presence on big ticket bank M&A deals and sophisticated loans’ mandates, the team is equally adept at taking on complex forex, regulatory and financial restructuring matters; and -despite a challenging market- the practice continues to secure project finance, structured finance and capital markets work. A niche practice in Central Bank-linked litigation and a large portfolio of highly sensitive, non-transactional banking work add a further layer of differentiation. The ‘brilliant’ Roberto Silva Jr leads on the firm’s biggest capital markets engagements and is another notable name, alongside Cecilia Mairal, who is best known for handling challenging and frequently highly sensitive work for banks. Clients also make special mention of capital markets partner Juan Diehl Moreno, who works closely with financing specialist Hernán Slemenson. Sergio Tálamo, who has a strong track record in syndicated and bilateral loan markets, was raised to the partnership in August 2021; as was Francisco Abeal, whose practice extends to foreign exchange and currency control matters, 12 months later. Former partner Fernando Hernández  has departed for an in-house role with Globant. At associate level the team has experienced considerable change – in part a strong reflection of the training they receive at the firm: former senior associate Martin Lanus moved to Paul Hastings LLP in New York in October 2021, while semi-senior Agustin López Roualdes is currently undertaking his LLM at Columbia and fellow semi-senior Ezequiel Guerrero Setti moved to Banco Santander (March 2022). Associate Pablo Lapiduz arrived from JP Morgan in May 2021 but Cecilia Ramos moved in the opposite direction in May 2022, while Josefina Griot moved to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton as an international associate in August 2022. Senior associate Manuela Lava is currently the key contact at associate level; with over 15 years at the firm she has particular knowledge of financial trusts, capital markets’ matters and fintech.

The ‘great team’ at Beccar Varela stands out for its strong transactional expertise and is also active in project finance and banking regulation. During the last 18 months restructuring and liability management deals have accounted for a significant volume of transaction flow, with the firm representing global banking syndicates on a number of complex, cross-border deals. The firm has sustained a steady flow of borrower-side engagements too, advising corporates on capital markets and regulatory matters. The quartet of Pablo Torretta, Luciana Denegri, Daniel Levi and Maximiliano Nicolás D’Auro co-lead the practice. Torretta’s practice includes regulation, restructuring and project finance, although he is best known for his in-depth forex expertise, while Denegri stands out for her capital markets work. Levi, who also co-leads the firm’s fintech practice, has helped to the position the firm strongly in digital banking and online payments. D’Auro, in turn, has broad banking and finance law experience, with specialist expertise in the areas of compliance and anti-corruption. The firm strengthened its senior ranks with the April-2022 promotion of Felipe Videla and Lucía Degano (who works out of Montevideo) to the partnership. Seniors María Victoria Pavani (capital markets); and Gonzalo Javier Ochoa (banking/foreign exchange regulation) are the key figures at associate level.

The ‘innovative’ Bomchil banking and finance team has a strong borrower client list, which it supports with a broad range of capital markets, liability management and restructuring, and banking regulatory advice. The firm takes on lender-side work too, with direct lending clients a key feature in this area. Banking and finance head Fermín Caride focuses on corporate and structured financing and is praised for his ‘great knowledge and dedication’. María Victoria Funes ‘provides a service beyond excellence’ and has broadened out her core traditional banking practice into fintech and cryptocurrency. ‘Experienced’ partner Patricio Martin and associate María Victoria Tuculet are also singled out by clients.

The ‘extremely competent and experienced’ banking and finance team at Mitrani Caballero & Ruiz Moreno Abogados has a strong borrower-side transactional focus, advising on the financing aspects of complex cross-border M&A deals, as well as liability management and restructuring mandates. The practice also advises corporates and financial institutions on central bank and regulatory matters. On the lender side the firm counts a cohort of US, Asian and European banks among its client base. Diego Parise, a corporate-finance partner with extensive capital markets experience, leads the practice, with key support from fellow partner Julio Martínez, who handles capital markets, securitisation and project finance engagements. Project finance and debt restructuring expert Natalia Rauchberger, capital markets lawyer Matías Olcese and fintech-focused senior counsel Nicolás Fernández Madero  round out the senior team. Specialist senior associate Juan Vignolo undertakes acquisition, corporate and project finance, along with capital markets’ matters; associate Belén Justiniano left for JP Morgan in July 2021.

Pérez Alati, Grondona, Benites & Arntsen advises local and international corporates, banks and financial institutions on capital markets, banking, debt restructuring and project finance matters. The practice, which offers clients ‘dedication, knowledge and great support’ is a ‘benchmark’ banking-and-finance player, an active presence in the domestic market, as well as leading the way in the rapidly growing sustainability finance space, where it advised on the first ever social bond issuance by a civil association. The team also has expertise in sovereign and sub-sovereign matters. Respected corporate finance lawyer Diego Serrano Redonnet and the ‘excellent’ María Gabriela Grigioni co-lead the practice alongside name partners and firm founders Mariano Grondona and Alan Arnsten. The senior bench was further strengthened in early in 2022 with the promotion of Tomás Pérez Alati to the partnership. Nicolás Aberastury and Alejo Muñoz de Toro, who both handle capital markets’ matters, debt restructuring, syndicated loans and project finance, are the key names at associate level. Rising star Danilo Parodi Logioco left for an in-house role with Nômade People in August 2021.

Tanoira Cassagne Abogados enjoyed a particularly active banking and finance practice during the course of 2021, advising on a high volume of debt issuance, restructuring and project finance transactions. Primarily oriented towards financial entities, the team serves a sizeable roster of local and international banking clients, advising them in their roles as underwriters, placement agents, trustees, custodians, escrow agents and grantors of loans. The team also supports financial institutions on regulatory and forex matters and has deepened its fintech offering with the promotion of Rocio Carrica to the partnership in January 2022. The ‘dynamic’ and ‘very knowledgeable’ Alexia Rosenthal (banking, finance, capital markets and stock market regulatory matters), co-leads the practice alongside Jaime Uranga (banking and finance, capital markets, forex, Central Bank regulations, restructurings and sovereign/sub-sovereign debt issue). At associate level, Ignacio Criado Díaz is the name to note. Since publication, the firm has promoted Luis Merello (new business and venture capital) and Lucia Rivas O'Connor to the partnership (effective, March 2023); both handle a range of new business, start-ups and venture capital matters, both corporate and financial.

Tavarone, Rovelli, Salim & Miani maintains a full service banking and finance practice that advises on private and public debt issuances as well as on loans, sovereign debt and general regulatory matters. The team’s work on high profile provincial debt restructurings stands out and it is also known for its track record in infrastructure and project finance. Name partners Marcelo Tavarone, an experienced finance and capital markets practitioner; and Federico Salim , who advises banks private equity clients; co-lead the team alongside Julieta De Ruggiero  (banking, finance and capital markets; project finance, securitisation and debt restructuring) and Francisco Molina Portela (capital markets, project finance, debt restructuring, and banking & securities regulation), who was appointed partner in 2020.  Specialist senior associate Facundo González Bustamante is also noted.

The ‘fast and precise’ banking and finance department at Allende & Brea stands out for its ‘attentive’ client service and ‘creative’ problem-solving skills. The ‘versatile’ and ‘respected’ Jorge Mayora leads the team alongside ‘first class' practitioner Carlos Melhem. Over the last few years the practice has carved out a strong presence in the fintech and payments technology markets, drawing on expertise from its corporate, labour and compliance divisions to help clients reduce risk and navigate the shifting regulatory landscape in what is an increasingly fast-paced sector. The team also has strong capabilities in central banking regulation and forex matters, advising a range of global banks and financial institutions on a day-to-day basis in these areas. The practice has strengthened its bench with a number of junior level hires, although semi-senior associate Dolores María Muñiz left in July 2021 to undertake her LLM in the US.

DLA Piper Argentina country manager Marcelo Etchebarne fronts a banking-and-finance practice that has gained increasing recognition for the depth and breadth of its work in Argentine markets. The firm’s diversified team takes on work from corporate, sovereign and sub-sovereign clients on both the borrower and creditor side. The team has built up a particularly impressive track record in the provincial bond space, acting for the Province of Buenos Aires and the Province of Chaco (among others), on high profile foreign debt restructurings; and has also worked with creditors in restructuring matters, most notably representing an ad hoc bondholder committee in YPF’s historic $6.2bn liability management transaction. On the capital markets side, the practice has leveraged its parent firm’s international network to advise Argentine-based issuers on public offerings on international stock markets. Other key names in the practice include banking and corporate veteran Guillermo Cabanellas, and structured finance and financial trusts specialist Alejandro Noblia. Justo Segura, who focuses on capital markets and public debt issuance; and Nicolas Teijeiro, who represents private and public sector clients in international capital markets transactions, provide an additional line of senior expertise.

Martínez de Hoz & Rueda leverages its exceptional energy industry track-record to secure a steady stream of high-end debt capital markets work. The firm’s ‘highly efficient’ and ‘technically very good’ banking and finance team is a leading force in the renewable-energy project-finance space and demonstrated its cross-border capabilities when representing blue-chip client Pan American Energy in the only new money international deal in Argentina in 2021. Outside of its core energy client base, the firm has also taken on agribusiness and sub-sovereign debt restructuring work. The ‘brilliant’ José Martínez De Hoz (n), who advises borrowers and banks on cross-border and domestic financings, co-leads the team with Martín Lepiane, who handles project and trade finance along with banking regulatory matters and litigation.

Nicholson y Cano Abogados' banking and finance practice is co-led by Carlos Marcelo Villegas, Mario Kenny, Emiliano Silva and Mariano Fabrizio. Villegas has extensive banking and capital markets experience and is known for his work on the financing aspects of complex M&A and restructuring deals. Kenny specialises in structured finance, securitisations and secured lending, while Silva is particularly strong in banking, forex and capital markets regulation. Fabrizio is the main point of contact for multilateral and bilateral credit organisations seeking permanent counsel support. The team is active in domestic capital raisings across a number of sectors, most notably agriculture and energy, and also handles securitisation and project finance matters.

O'Farrell‘s banking and finance team displays ‘excellent knowledge’ of the market and supports clients with ‘personalised service’. Name partner Uriel F. O'Farrell, who has a strong transactional and energy-sector background, heads the practice in tandem with capital markets expert Sebastián Luegmayer. The energy and agribusiness sectors provide a key source of work, with energy group YPF and John Deere two notable long-standing clients who turn to the firm frequently for support on capital raising and other banking matters.

The ‘dynamic’ Carolina Zang co-heads the ‘solid’ and ‘dedicated’ banking and finance practice at Zang, Bergel & Viñes Abogados alongside insolvency and restructuring specialist Francisco Roggero, and María Angélica Grisolía, who joined the firm as partner at the end of 2021. The team is comfortable handling international and domestic banking matters and is especially strong in financial restructuring and capital markets transactions. The firm’s leading real estate track-record ensures a steady flow of work from borrowers and lenders active in the sector.

Cerolini & Ferrari Abogados handles a significant volume of domestic debt and capital transactions and also supports local and international clients on regulatory, compliance and incorporation matters. Firm founder Agustín Cerolini, an experienced banking and capital markets lawyer, leads a five-strong team that has been particularly active supporting financial institutions on securities matters; he also advised lenders on the provision of a syndicated loan to Club Atlético River Plate.