Firms To Watch: Banking, finance and capital markets

Led by Matthew Kinrade, The banking and finance team at Humphrey & Helfrich is particularly skilled at handling the financing and refinancing of commercial property assets and regularly represents clients on both the lender and borrower side.

Banking, finance and capital markets in Isle Of Man

Appleby

Appleby advises on the full range of banking and finance matters with a particular focus on debt finance, bond issuances and capital market transactions, while also featuring considerable expertise in regard to corporate restructuring and reorganisations. The team is led by Kyle Sutherland, a corporate specialist who handles a variety of matters, including joint ventures, restructuring and asset finance. Tom Brook has experience in both offshore and onshore banking and finance, particularly concerning real estate and acquisition finance. Recently-promoted counsel Eleanor Harding specialises in asset finance in the property aircraft and shipping sectors. Sophia Howell-Evans is experienced in corporate finance and Sophie Corkish is particularly experienced in ship finance. Practice head Faye Moffett retired in 2022.

Practice head(s):

Kyle Sutherland


Other key lawyers:

Tom Brook; Eleanor Harding; Sophia Howell-Evans; Sophie Corkish


Testimonials

‘Appleby are very responsive and work incredibly hard to meet tight deadlines.’

‘Sophie Corkish and Tom Brook are a delight to work with. They’re very personable, responsive and above all take complete ownership of (and remove any stress associated with) the IOM side of a transaction.’

Key clients

Barclays


BNP Paribas


Citibank


HSBC


Investec


Lloyds


Santander


The Royal Bank of Scotland


The Standard Bank of South Africa


The Blackstone Group International


NEPI Rockcastle Plc


Work highlights


  • Advised the client in relation to a complex lending arrangement to the Clearbell Group. The deal involved six Isle of Man companies, an Isle of Man limited partnership and an Isle of Man unit trust arrangement.
  • Acted for the syndicate of international financial institutions (being BNP Paribas, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING Capital LLC, ING Bank N.V., Natixis, New York Branch, Société Générale and SEK, Swedish Export Credit Corporation) (together the “Senior Lenders”) on the Isle of man aspects of the financing.

Cains

The banking, finance and capital markets team at Cains regularly advises on some of the most significant high profile transactions in the market on behalf of a range of leading lenders, borrowers and financial institutions. Additionally, the team provides regulatory advice across a range of banking and finance matters, including those surrounding real estate, securitisations and bond issues. Team leader Tim Shepherd handles banking, finance and capital markets work on a domestic and international level, while Tristan Head regularly advises on complex multi-jurisdictional transactions. Steven Quayle  specialises in asset finance and Scott Leonard-Morgan handles significant corporate finance transactions. Stephanie Chew is another key name, regularly advising on acquisition, real estate and development finance. Catherine Hamill advises on a range of regulatory matters affecting the financial services industry.

Practice head(s):

Tim Shepherd


Other key lawyers:

Tristan Head; Scott Leonard-Morgan; Steven Quayle; Stephanie Chew; Matthew Wilkinson; Holly McGarrigle; Catherine Hamill


Testimonials

‘We worked with Catherine Hammill on a number of financings and she was excellent.’

‘Holly McGarrigle was very professional. We worked a large transaction together and we found her to be available after hours when the transaction required. She is very knowledgeable in her area.’

‘The team is proactive and very responsive. Gets the deal done within the timescales’

‘Cains have an enviable reputation in the Isle of Man, built on solid expertise and excellent service levels.’

‘Tristan Head is excellent to work with, always delivering on time with comprehensive but succinct advice.’

‘The Cains team dealt with the Isle of Man aspects of a financing for one of our lender clients. They were very efficient and proactive and ensured that this aspect of the transaction was dealt with in a very streamlined manner.’

‘Tristan Head and Matthew Wilkinson acted on the financing. Both were excellent and a pleasure to work with.’

Key clients

HSBC Bank Plc


Lloyds Banks Plc


Standard Bank


Barclays Bank PLC


Nedbank


Natwest


Citibank, N.A.


The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited


DQ

The banking and finance team at DQ offers considerable experience in tax, regulatory and compliance services for international clients operating in the Isle of Man. Corporate head Andrew Harding advises on significant secured financing matters on behalf of both lenders and borrowers. Mark Dougherty is a key contact on the team with considerable experience in ship financing in the Isle of Man and Bermuda. Donna Matthews advises on trust, commercial and insurance matters while Adam Killip handles a broad range of regulatory matters.

Practice head(s):

Andrew Harding


Other key lawyers:

Mark Dougherty; Donna Matthews; Adam Killip; Rachel Winterbach


Key clients

Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank


Santander Corporate & Commercial Banking


Entain plc


Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Filiale Deutschlandgeschäft


Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale


Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Limited


HSH Nordbank AG


Societe Generale


KfW IPEX BANK GmbH


Nomura International


Bank of Ireland


TowerBrook Capital Partners


DNB Bank ASA


Citibank N.A., London Branch


AIB ISL


Credit Suisse


UniCredit Bank AG


Ulster Bank


Union Bancaire Privée, UBP SA


Floreat Group


Dandara Group


Work highlights


  • Advising Entain Plc in connection with a restructuring involving the cancellation of loan notes listed on The International Stock Exchange (TISE), assisting in the name change, acting on their behalf in various transactions including in regards to the proposed acquisition of EMMA GAMMA Adriatic d.o.o. from the seller EMMA GAMMA Limited.
  • Advising Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank in relation to the Sea Bridge Finance Limited joint venture. Sea Bridge Finance is a 50-50 joint venture between CA-CIB and SMTB and has been formed to invest up to US$1 billion in senior secured ship mortgage loans.
  • Advising client on the regulatory requirements in order to become a controller of an authorised insurer under the Insurance Act 2008. Reviewing client group structure and advising on documentation requirements. Collating and submitting change of control notification to the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority.

Keystone Law

The ‘seasoned professionals’ at Keystone Law are particularly experienced in handling real estate finance matter son behalf of leading international financial institutions. The team also supports clients in providing bridge and mezzanine financing. Managing director Geoff Kermeen has  considerable experience advising lenders, investors and developers in the UK and European real estate sector. Sally Cranshaw focuses her practice on supporting UK companies on commercial real estate matters being financed through Isle of Man vehicles. Stephen Rodd, William Margot and Hazel Dawson are other key names on the team.

Practice head(s):

Sally Cranshaw; Geoff Kermeen


Other key lawyers:

Stephen Rodd; William Margot; Hazel Dawson


Testimonials

‘The Team is user friendly and easy to work with.’

‘Sally Cranshaw is practical, knowledgeable, easy to contact and works well with counsel to achieve client deadlines.’

‘We use Keystone for their Isle of Man services. They have always provided reasonably priced, efficient and quality work for us.’

‘Sally Cranshaw – fantastic attention to detail, proactive and always helpful to meet tight timeframes’

‘The team are seasoned professionals and offer a personal and efficient service.’

‘Sally Cranshaw provides excellent client service and is extremely pro-active in managing the transaction at hand. A pleasure to work with.’

Key clients

Abu Dhabi Al Islami UK


Fiduciam Nominees Limited


Doncaster Glassworks Property Limited


Drakar Limited


HCI Crow Investors Holdings Limited


Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c.


ING Bank, N.V. London Branch


Santander UK PLC


BentallGreenOak


Simcocks

The banking and finance team at Simcocks supports prominent clients on both the lender and borrower side on banking and finance matters on a domestic and cross-border level. Team head Alex Spencer is skilled in the preparation and negotiation of loan and security documentation, while David Spencer specialises in media and entertainment finance documentation and insurance contracts. Irini Newby is another key name, whose banking and finance work is complemented by a specialty in commercial property work.

Practice head(s):

Alex Spencer


Other key lawyers:

David Spencer; Irini Newby