Bayo Odubeko > Norton Rose Fulbright > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Norton Rose Fulbright‘s established fintech offering spans series fundraising, complex corporate reorganisations, management buyouts and M&A work. The practice is jointly chaired by corporate partners Sean Murphy, Victoria Birch and Nicholas Berry. Murphy frequently assists start-ups, investors and financials institutions with work such as investments, joint ventures and the deployment of fintech. Birch is a payments specialist who is active across a range of corporate transactions, while Berry excels in both transactional and regulatory matters connected to insurtechs. Frequently relied upon by venture capital and private equity clients, Bayo Odubeko focuses on emerging markets and the payments sector. James Russell excels in fintech procurement mandates, while Mark Maurice is often engaged to advise on strategic minority investments into fintechs.

Regularly operating on a global basis, Norton Rose Fulbright has a growing book of work pertaining to investments in the energy, infrastructure and financial services sectors, advising a strong roster of investment firms, funds and venture capitalists. Financial services and tech sector specialist Sophie O’Connor co-leads the team alongside Bayo Odubeko, a highly experienced practitioner who is praised for his ability to ‘navigate intricate legal landscapes’ and ‘offer pragmatic solutions’. Nari Ertem has an extensive understanding of emerging markets, particularly in Africa, and is well placed to advise on complex cross-border M&A. Focused on financial services, Thomas Widdows adds further capital raising capabilities to the team. Other key names include Christopher Akinrele, who joined from Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP in July 2023.

‘Highly professional, pragmatic with a global reach‘, Norton Rose Fulbright is truly embedded in emerging markets work for major corporates, borrowers, sponsors, investment banks, government bodies, ECAs, multi-laterals and off-takers. Leveraging its extensive global network of offices, the firm is prominent in mining, oil and gas, power and renewables, infrastructure development, and commodity trading in jurisdictions across Africa, the Middle East and CIS region and Latin America. Martin McCann, who has extensive experience in infrastructure, mining, commodities and project finance, is head of the London emerging markets group. Madhavi Gosavi and Daniel Metcalfe are key advisers on the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects, and Charles Whitney handles project financings involving ECAs, particularly in the CIS region, Central Asia and the Middle East. Corporate partners Raj Karia, who is part of the firm’s mining and minerals practice, and Bayo Odubeko are among the many partners keenly focused on emerging markets work.