AZB & Partners houses a vastly experienced team who handle a full range of matters for lenders and borrowers under the guidance of Bahram Vakil and Anand Shah, who jointly head the practice. Shah acts for domestic and international financial institutions in strctured debt deals and external commercial borrowings. Nilang Desai is particularly experienced in the areas of distressed asset funds, and often advises banks and international corporates on financial restructuring transactions. Other key members of the team include Hufriz Wadia, who handles a broad range of matters, including bilateral, syndicated, and structured financing, securitisation structures, and project financing and Nikunj Maheshwari advises banks on structured finance transactions and inter-bank lending matters. Gautam Saha has since departed the practice.

The team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas handles a myriad of banking and finance matters, including external commercial borrowings, mezzanine financing, and securitisation issues under the guidance of Cyril Shroff  and Viswanathan, who jointly captain the practice. Viswanathan focuses on advising corporates on project financing with emphasis on the regulatory aspects of the energy sector. The team often advises banks and non-banking finance companies on the lenders side, as well as borrowers seeking domestic and international financing. Amey Pathak has ample experience in advising on infrastructure project finance for domestic and international banks, financial institutions, and multilateral lending agencies.

Juris Corp houses an experienced team who often advise conglomerates and financial intermediaries on project, real estate, shipping, and commodity financing. Ankit Sinha has expansive expertise in advising non-banking financial companies, banks, and sponsors across the aviation, financial services, and mining industries. Sinha also advises on rupee financing, foreign currency lensing, and credit enhancement structures. Saurabh Sharma serves financial entities and corporates on structured and acquisition finance, interbank borrowing, and note issuances. Vedanarayanan Lakshmanan joined the team from an in-house position in April 2022, and associate partner Rupul Jhanjee joined the team in August 2021 from Lex Favios.

Khaitan & Co.‘s houses a ‘deep, well resourced team‘ who handle mezzanine financing, construction and real estsate finance, in addition to export and import finance. Devidas Baneerjee acts as the national practice head from Kolkata, advising major corporations, sponsors, and financial institutions on syndicated lending, inter-creditor issues, and unsecured transactions, supported by Siddharth Srivastava, who is ‘extremely thorough and well read‘. The ‘very experienced and knowledgeable‘ Manisha Shroff focuses on banking regulation and cross-border bilateral financings, whilst Rajeev Vidhani advises promoters and corporates on the negotiation of financing transactions, guarantees and security. Rolwine Alva specialises in advising on rupee term loans and the onshore and offshore issuing of debt securities. Shishir Mehta left the team in March 2022.

The ‘pro-active, experienced‘ team at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co advise global corporates on leveraged, integrated, cross-border, and multi-currency facility financings. Based in Delhi, Shilpa Mankar Ahluwalia is a specialist in structured debt, and often advises on REIT financing deals. Veena Sivaramakrishnan is ‘one of the brightest minds‘ in the market and handles debt and equity matters and restructurings. The team also advises on secured real estate finance and corporate lending, dispensing advice on syndicated and bi-lateral loans. Shubhangi Garg  has considerable experience in advising on foreign currency financing and overseas direct investments.

Talwar Thakore & Associates‘ practice remains a first choice for domestic and overseas banks, and non-banking financial institutions when it comes to cross-border transactions, an area in which Nidhi Rani has extensive expertise. Sonali Mahapatra spearheads the practice, advising both borrowers and lenders on project financing and debt restructuring whilst Rituparno Bhattacharya, who is highly experienced in the areas of structured, asset, acquisition, and trade finance, often advises alternative credit providers and banks. The team’s expertise and bench strength has since been bolstered by the arrivals of Gautam Saha and Pallavi Meena from AZB & Partners and managing associate Anindita Ganguly who joined from Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India.

The ‘extremely hardworking, focused‘ team at DSK Legal handles international banking matters, often advising on overseas direct investments and external commercial borrowings, with a particular emphasis on the real estate space. Sajit Suvarna  oversees the practice as the deputy managing partner of the firm; and Anjan Dasgupta is an expert in infrastructure and energy project finance, and has over 20 years’ experience in advising international financial and multilateral institutions, and banks. Ajay Shaw advises international and domestic clients on corporate, project, and structured finance deals, whilst Ashish Pahariya focuses on advising debt funds, financial institutions, and asset reconstruction companies on transaction structuring and borrowers’ due diligence matters. The ‘exceptional‘ Avinash Kumar Khard has over 12 years’ experience in infrastructure and corporate-commercial financing, working alongside associate partner Roochi Loona in Mumbai.

The team at IndusLaw works on a variety of cross-border matters, advising banks, multilateral financial institutions, and borrowers on structured finance and inter-creditor issues, in addition to cross-border lending. The ‘intelligent, enthusiastic and committed‘ Sushmita Gandhi and Shabbeer Ahmed place emphasis on dispute resolution and commercial litigation, and use their ‘exemplary‘ knowledge to advise both borrowers and lenders on cross-border and domestic debt financing matters. Associates Anamika Singh and Prapti Kedia both handle litigious matters, and are key members of the team in Mumbai.

The team at Luthra and Luthra Law Offices India use their ‘rich and diverse experience‘ to advise non-banking financial companies and banks on a full spectrum of transactions. Girish Rawat focuses on cross-border lending, hybrid debt financing, and project finance, having advised the State Bank of India and NIIF Infrastructure. Nishant Singh advises on syndicated lending, trade and fund finance, and structured lending, whilst Karan Mitroo and Purvi Dabbiru are ‘stand out‘ partners, advising multinational lenders and borrowers alike, as well as guarantors on corporate finance.

Dentons Link Legal‘s practice handles domestic and international transactions across the oil and gas, education, and mining sectors for public and private domestic banks and financial institutions. Anand Srivastava and Nidhi Pathania guide the team from New Delhi and Mumbai respectively. Pathania often advises foreign multilateral banks on corporate finance transactions and project financing across the energy, ports, and power transmissions sectors. Samantha Fernandes has 12 years’ experience in advising banks and financial institutions on overseas and domestic currency financings, and corporates on syndicated finance, as well as capital and corporate loans. Vishakha Bhagvat departed the practice in April 2022.

The team at Phoenix Legal utilises its ‘deep level of knowledge‘ to provide comprehensive advice to domestic and overseas banks, non-banking financial companies, and micro finance institutions. Leading from Mumbai, Sawant Singh has ample experience in project finance, as well as domestic and external commercial borrowing. Abhishek Saxena supports the team from New Delhi and focuses on cross-border deals across a number of sectors, including oil and gas, automotive, and infrastructure; and Aditya Bhargava has extensive knowledge of syndicated rupee lending and project finance matters, often advising lenders and financial institutions.

The team at ZBA has deep expertise in advising on transaction structuring for domestic and overseas banks. Niloufer Lam captains the practice and draws a broad client roster of multinational lenders and domestic financial institutions. The team often handles matters concerning infrastructure and project, trade and commodities, securitisation, and external commercial borrowing.

ALMT Legal‘s practice places emphasis on advising on regulatory matters, foreign exchange, and loan refinancing. Ryna Karani heads the practice from Mumbai and often dispenses advice on rupee and commercial borrowings, whilst Aliff Fazelbhoy advises international banks on acquisition financing transactions. Associate Prem Jumani handles cross-border transactions, structured finance, and consortium finance matters.

The team at Bharucha & Partners handles both regulatory and transactional matters within the banking and finance sphere, often advising major banks and borrowers on rupee and foreign currency financing, syndicated loans, and reverse factoring. Justin Bharucha and Alka Bharucha jointly lead the practice, both having ample experience in advising on debt finance and alternative lending. Rohit Sharma handles a full variety of domestic and cross-border transactions, including external commercial borrowings, project finance, and asset-backed finance. Sharma also has ample knowledge of securitisation and advises both lenders and borrowers.

Dhaval Vussonji & Partners‘ practice serves a varied client base of lenders, non-banking financial companies, and corporates on project financing across the power, telecom, and oil sectors. The team in Mumbai thrives under the guidance of Prachi Dave , who has over 10 years’ experience in advising on structured finance, vanilla loans, and mezzanine funding, often serving multinational investment banks, private banks, and domestic corporate borrowers. Manisha Paranjape combines her notable expertise in the real estate sector and her experience in advising borrowers on term and consortium lending, and the creation of securities.

The team at Dhir & Dhir Associates direct their focus towards the project, infrastructure, and real estate financing, advising both borrowers and lenders in contentious and non-contentious matters. Guranpreet Singh Sarna specialises in project and infrastructure finance, while Sachin Gupta contributes his litigation expertise. Principal associate Shikha Singh combines her deep knowledge in the renewable energy sector with her expertise in banking and finance to advise on consortium and sole funding, and emergency credit lines.

The team at Argus Partners regularly serves domestic and overseas banks, non-banking financial companies, and asset reconstruction companies on structured finance, loans against shares, and consortium lending matters. Krishnava Dutt oversees the practice as the managing partner of the firm from Mumbai, whilst Nidhi Arya focuses on advising clients on debt transactions, construction finance, and external commercial borrowings in the Kolkata office. Aastha has over 12 years’ experience in advising on project finance and syndicated lending, and acting for lenders and borrowers and large corporates; and Pratish Panjabi often advises corporates and financial institutions on debt syndication and domestic loan transactions.

The team at Krishnamurthy and Co handle project, consortium, and structured finance matters and often represent both lenders and borrowers. Rukmini Roychowdhury spearheads the practice, often advising banks and non-banking financial companies on lending transactions and receivables financing. The team also handles issues relating to stressed assets and compliance.

Majmudar & Partners‘ practice handles a full range of banking and finance matters, including trade and syndicated finance, external commercial borrowings, and banking regulatory advice. Akil Hirani oversees the practice as the managing partner of the firm, and the head of the transactions team, whilst Fraser Alexander has over 25 years of experience in handling litigious banking matters. The team’s broad client base includes banks and financial institutions.