The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Malaysia > Islamic finance

The 'efficient, practical and knowledgeable' Islamic finance team at Adnan Sundra & Low continues to be instructed in a range of transactions including Sukuk issuances and project financing. The group is jointly led by Deepak Sadasivan and Adrian Chee and includes Kok Ling Gan and the 'professional and responsive' Edward Ng, all of whom have a breadth of experience across a number of sectors including energy, telecoms and real estate. The team was further strengthened following its merger with Putri Norlisa Chair in August 2018.

Albar & Partners' practice has experience across a range of Islamic finance structures, including complex debt capital market transactions. The team counts a range of national and international financial services institutions among its clients, and attracts praise for 'not just assisting with the legal issues but also understanding the commercial intention'. Lily Chea Li Tan and Swee Loong Chung jointly head the team, handling a range of structured finance, Sukuk issuances and project financing transactions.

Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill's Islamic finance team is a popular choice for domestic and international financial institutions and counts United Overseas Bank, RHB Islamic Bank and Mapletree Investments among its clients. Weng Hwee Tay – who has been particularly active in advising foreign funds and banks on mezzanine financings – heads up the practice which includes Megat Hizaini Hassan, who has a breadth of experience in advising lenders on project finance transactions, restructuring projects and debt issuance, as well as capital markets expert Eu Jin Ong.

With experience handling a range of domestic and cross-border transactions, Zul Rafique & Partners' banking and finance practice group advises on a wide range of structures involving various Shariah principles. Practice head Loh Mei Mei – who has recently been particularly active in advising Islamic banks on project finance transactions – Kung Suan Im, Ashela Ramaya, Chan Kwan Hoe and Celine Rangithan, all have broad practices and experience in transactions in the bank lending space and debt capital markets.

The banking and finance practice at Kadir Andri & Partners has expertise advising lenders, arrangers, borrowers, and issuers on Shariah-compliant corporate financing transactions; it recently advised Asia Finance Bank on its RM2bn-structured covered Sukuk murabahah. The group includes highly-experienced practice head Andri Badri and managing associate Choy Ling Siew, who recently joined from Rahmat Lim & Partners.

The financial services group at Shearn Delamore & Co, which counts Malaysian and multinational financial institutions and corporations among its clients, has experience advising on Shariah-compliant transactions and drafting template Islamic financing documents for banks. The group has also developed a niche in advising on the regulation of derivatives. Practice head Christina Kow and Pamela Kung both have experience in a range of Islamic and conventional banking and finance and capital market transactions.

The Islamic banking and finance group at Shook Lin & Bok has experience advising across retail financing, mezzanine financing and debt capital markets. The team is led by Jalalullail Othman, who focuses on corporate finance, and includes Mei Lin Khong, whose clients benefits from her broad banking and finance experience.

The banking and financing team at Wong & Partners offers commercial and technical advice on Shari'ah compliant products and, as a member firm, benefits from the Baker McKenzie network, which it is able to leverage in cross-border matters. Practice group head Mark Lim has experience handling complex transactions for local and international financial institutions and major corporations. Other names to note include Esther Chik, who led the advice to OCBC Al-Amin Bank and CIMB Bank on the first known Islamic finance transaction in Cambodia.

Azmi & Associates is instructed in a range of debt or equity financing work with experience both advising on transactions and developing Islamic finance structures. Ahmad Lutfi Abdull Mutalip heads the practice which includes Ahmad Syahir Yahya, who has particular experience developing common Islamic banking documentation based on the Shariah concepts of Murabahah, Tawarruq, Musyarakah, Bai’ Sarf and Ijarah.