Narayan Iyer > Linklaters LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

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Narayan Iyer

Narayan Iyer photo
020 7456 4837 narayan.iyer@linklaters.com View profile

Work Department

Banking

Position

Narayan is a finance partner and one of the Indian market’s leading international lawyers. He is head of the firm’s India practice, which advises corporates and financial institutions on outbound and inbound investments, projects and financings. 

Narayan has a broad finance practise, acting for major banks, financial sponsors and corporates. He has particular expertise in acquisition and structured financings, loan portfolio acquisitions and financings, real estate financings and inbound and outbound transactions. He has significant experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors. 

Between 2010 and 2013, Narayan was a partner of TT&A, Linklaters’ best friend law firm in India. Prior to that, he was based in Linklaters’ office in Singapore having started his career as a trainee with Linklaters in London.

Work highlights:

Narayan has acted on many high-profile finance deals. These include advising:

  • Standard Chartered Bank on the sale of a portfolio of loans in India, the first in a series of similar deals in India as part of the government’s directive to banks to focus on the robustness of their balance sheets
  • the lending and underwriting banks on the refinancing of US$6.9bn worth of debt uninsured by the Tata Corus Group
  • Brookfield Property Partners on the acquisition and financing of Unitech’s Indian real estate portfolio
  • Enron on the US$3bn Dhabol power project (since renamed Ratnagiri Gas and Power), the first ever inward investment into the India power sector
  • the sponsor and borrowers on the Sakhalin LNG project, the world’s largest integrated oil and gas project and the largest LNG financing in Russia
  • the banks on financing and reorganising Essar Oil’s debt portfolio

Career

Trainee solicitor Linklaters, London 1996-98; assistant solicitor, London and Singapore 1998-2007; partner, Singapore 2007-09; partner Talwar, Thakore & Associates, Mumbai 2010-13; partner Linklaters, London 2013.

Languages

English, Hindi, French, Tamil.

Memberships

Narayan is a frequent speaker at conferences, including speaking at events organised by Chambers of Industry, market associations and Legal professional bodies. 

Narayan has been interviewed several times on the growth of masala bonds as India increases efforts to spur on the bond markets, and was interviewed by Bloomberg TV India ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the UK in November 2015.

His publications include a discussion on the banking structure in India and an analysis of the Indian Insolvency Act.

Narayan is ranked Band 1 by Chambers Global for International Firms, Expertise Based Abroad for India.

Education

Narayan studied economics at University of Bombay and law at the London School of Economics, and is a Solicitor of the Bombay Incorporated Law Society

Lawyer Rankings

London > Industry focus > Emerging markets

The London office of Linklaters LLP frequently coordinates high-value matters alongside strong local teams in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, CIS, andTurkey. Particularly adept in project finance and development, energy and infrastructure matters, and a broad range of financing structures, the firm is widely regarded as one of the strongest global players in emerging markets transactions. Head of the Africa group Andrew Jones is a key figure in the London office. He acted for BHP Group Limited in its multi-phased investment in the Kabanga Nickel Project, one of the largest development-ready nickel sulphide deposits in the world, located in the north-west of Tanzania. Finance partner Narayan Iyer is head of the firm’s busy India group. His recent work includes assisting Standard Chartered Bank Limited with the $700m financing for Adani Transmission Ltd subsidiaries to fund transmission projects in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Global energy sector leader James McLaren returned to London from Hong Kong in 2023 but remains active in projects in China. He was part of a team that acted for lenders on BlackRock Real Assets’ NT$9.406bn ($328m) refinancing of a portfolio of 186MW of solar assets in Taiwan with an 18-year green loan facility. Global head of Islamic finance Neil Miller, who works in both Dubai and London, is a key adviser on sharia-compliant instruments. Head of the global energy and infrastructure group Daniel Tyrer is also recommended.

India > Foreign firms

Primarily based in Singapore and London, Linklaters LLP’s India group has an active presence in the country and acts for both domestic businesses and international corporates seeking to operate in India. Narayan Iyer, based in London, is a seasoned projects and energy specialist, focusing on acquisitions, leveraged finance and other transactions in these sectors. On the corporate side, Savi Hebbur, also in London, is the key contact, while Amit Singh heads the firm’s India group, a notable area of strength, from his base in Singapore. Ben Carroll, in London, takes point on disputes, including international arbitration, and Philip Badge, in Singapore, has extensive experience of handling complex Indian cross-border transactions.

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