The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Hungary > Banking, finance and capital markets

Andrékó Kinstellar has, according to a client, 'the best banking team in town'. The team is praised for its 'professional and commercial approach', and ability to 'get the deal done quickly and efficiently'. Recent instructions include a mix of real estate financing, acquisition financing, and energy-related project finance transactions, and on the capital markets side, the team advised Goldman Sachs International and Equilor Zrt on their purchase of convertible bonds. The 'highly skilled' Csilla Andrékó is 'an excellent negotiator'. Managing associate Levente Hegedűs and senior associate Máté Nagy are also highly recommended within the team which saw the departure of Ákos Mátés-Lányi to Noerr.

Dentons' 'ability to combine local strength with the substantial regional and global resources of the firm places it in a unique position to handle big-ticket cross-border mandates'. MET Group is a major client which the team advised on the acquisition financing of Hungary's largest natural gas distribution system operator, and in a separate transaction, advised on the EPC and financing of one of Hungary’s largest solar power plant investment projects. Gergely Horváth has a wealth of experience in real estate finance matters, construction projects, PPPs, debt capital markets and derivatives transactions. Edward Keller, counsel Gábor Király and senior associate Gabriella Pataki are also names to note.

DLA Piper's team includes a number of highly regarded practitioners who regularly handle high-profile real estate, acquisition and project financings and bond issuance mandates. Gábor Borbély advised on a variety of domestic and cross-border finance transactions, including portfolio sales, restructurings and consensual exit transactions, as well as insolvency proceedings in various sectors including the real estate, energy and manufacturing industries. András Nemescsói and Gábor Molnár excel in capital markets transactions, and Péter Györfi-Tóth handles financing and restructuring mandates. The team is also 'excellent at junior level', where Attila Sári is experienced in acquisition finance, corporate lending and project finance transactions, as well as debt restructurings; Barbara Császár and Miklós Horváth are also recommended.

Siegler Bird & Bird Ügyvédi Iroda excels in project, acquisition, structured and syndicated financing transactions, and its recent caseload includes new financing, refinancing and restructuring mandates, as well as public bond programme establishments and private listings of shares. It counts the Hungarian Export and Import Bank as a major client, which it advised on the €52m export financing of the Kopaszi Gát project, and in a separate transaction, advised on the financing of a greenfield agricultural project in Romania. Konrád Siegler is highly recommended for banking, finance and capital markets transactions, and bankruptcy and restructuring matters. Special counsel Tamás Simon, who handles project finance and restructuring matters, and senior associate Gábor Zoltán Szabó are also notable practitioners.

Cerha Hempel increasingly handles restructuring and refinancing, debt recovery and insolvency matters, and continues to have particular strength advising German-speaking clients on real estate and project financing transactions. The team added Tungsram Operations, NEO Property Services and Raiffeisenbank Walding-Ottensheim eGen to its client list which features both lenders and borrowers. Edina Nagy heads the team, and is recommended alongside Andrea Presser who specialises in leasing and regulatory matters.

Clients of Gárdos Mosonyi Tomori Law Office praise its 'deep, accurate legal knowledge and equivalent knowledge in business and finance'. The group has 'outstanding' expertise in the capital markets and insurance arenas, and is 'full of excellent lawyers who are among the best Hungarian experts in their field'. Erika Tomori has a wealth of experience in the field of banking and capital markets, Péter Gárdos can 'immediately find the best solution and performs exceptionally well under pressure', and Dániel Szabó is recommended for capital markets transactions.

HBK Partners Attorneys at Law is praised for its 'problem solving ability and flexibility, and can always provide a valuable solution under pressure'. It counts local and international financial institutions, corporates and private investors as its main clients which it advises on financing and capital markets transactions. Márton Kovács is particularly experienced in handling NPL transactions. Kovács recently advised MKB Bank Nyrt on the sale of its NPL portfolio to APS Group, and acted for OTP Bank Nyrt and MKB Bank Nyrt on the sale of an NPL corporate loan to a Romanian buyer. Dusán Lasztity focuses on project finance, corporate finance and syndicated lending transactions, and Dóra Halápi advises on IPOs and bond issuances.

Hegymegi-Barakonyi and Partner Baker & McKenzie Attorneys-at-Law advises on the full range of banking and finance transactions, including syndicated lending, acquisition finance, and export financing matters. The team is particularly active in real estate financing mandates, and recently advised the Bank of Communications on the refinancing of its real estate portfolio, and acted for JT Ross on the acquisition financing for the properties it acquired from M7, provided by Erste Bank. József Vági is recommended for capital markets, securitisation and derivative transactions, as well as regulatory matters. Associate Balázs Bibók is another name to note.

Noerr regularly advises on cross-border and local transactional projects, advising mostly lenders; it also advises on banking regulatory and compliance matters which senior associate Ákos Bajorfi focuses on. Practice head Edina Schweizer is 'a force in the market with deep experience in everything concerning banking and capital markets'.

Gergely Szalóki leads the team at Schoenherr Hetényi Ügyvédi Iroda which handles a mix of corporate, acquisition and project financing and debt issuance work, as well as debt restructurings and NPL transactions; it is particularly strong in multi-currency loan refinancings and high-yield bond offerings. Employee share plans and the issuance of employee shares also features in its recent instructions.

Szecskay Attorneys at Law counts PPF Group as a major client, which it is advising on the Hungarian aspects of the €3bn financing of the acquisition of Telenor group's CEE subsidiaries, including Telenor Hungary Zrt. The practice is jointly led by Katalin Szecskay, who focuses on advising lenders in transactional work, and Judit Budai, who specialises in capital markets transactions. Senior associate Judit Szórádi is also a name to note within the team, which saw the arrival of Anita Kalicz who joined from an in-house role at Erste Bank.

Wolf Theiss Faludi Erős Ügyvédi Iroda's recent instructions include advising lenders on energy-related project financing and real estate financing mandates, handling bond issuances, and acting on acquisition financing transactions. Melinda Pelikán is singled out for her 'outstanding knowledge and experience in finance, paired with a proactive, pragmatic and flexible approach'. Associate Diána Boross-Varga is also recommended for capital markets transactions and regulatory matters.

The banking and finance team at Deloitte Legal Erdos and Partners Law Firm is praised for its 'sound technical knowledge and precise approach'. The group is led by Luca Bokor whose recent highlights include a mix of syndicated lending, multimillion-euro real estate financing and project finance transactions. Other recent instructions include financial services regulatory matters. Managing partner Gábor Erdős is also noted.

Forgó, Damjanovic & Partners Law Firm advises lenders and borrowers on cross-border transactions. Gábor Damjanovic is 'very solution-orientated and provides practical advice', and is recommended alongside Ferenc Lénárt, who advises on regulatory and transactional matters.

Jalsovszky is singled out for its 'outstanding cooperation, flexibility and excellent professionalism'. Recent instructions include a mix of M&A financing, syndicated lending, refinancing, restructuring, real estate and project financing mandates, and NPL sale and purchase transactions. Gábor Pázsitka is the key contact.

Nagy és Trócsányi Ügyvédi Iroda has expertise in transactional and regulatory matters, and has notable strength in acting for financial institutions in contentious matters. György Kiszely focuses on financing and regulatory mandates, and Zoltán Varga recently represented a bank in a personal data transfer dispute pertaining to a non-performing loan.

Oppenheim Ugyvedi Iroda handles buyout financing, project financing and banking regulation matters. Its expertise also spans IPOs, listings, delistings, and securitisations. Mihály Barcza and senior counsel Péter Horvai-Hillenbrand are names to note.

Partos & Noblet in co-operation with Hogan Lovells International LLP recently advised key client Oriens on a series of multimillion-euro project finance and corporate finance transactions. It also advises international financial institutions on Hungarian and EU regulatory matters. The firm's recent caseload also featured banking regulatory matters. Sándor Békési heads up the team.