Demonstrating strength in defending winding up actions brought by creditors, and advising on multi-jurisdictional bankruptcy cases, CMS Hong Kong LLP is noted for representing Chinese and global companies from across the banking, manufacturing, and digital sectors. Kingsley Ong leads the team, bringing extensive experience of insolvency workouts and restructurings to the group, Andrew Horton is a litigation expert, and Steven Wise is knowledgeable in the shipping and marine insurance fields. Jonathan Chu is a commercial litigator, while both Simon Barrell and Tony Lau are key names within the practice.
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Profile

Work Department

Structured finance and securitisation; Restructuring and insolvency; Banking & Finance

Position

Partner

Career

Kingsley is a partner based in Hong Kong.  He specialisies in all types of financing and debt restructuring, including debt capital markets, derivatives, structured finance, securitisation, restructuring and insolvency. He also handles related arbitration and disputes. He is a Hong Kong Notary Public, a Solicitor in Hong Kong, a Barrister & Solicitor-Advocate in England & Wales, and an Advocate & Solicitor in Singapore.

He actively acts on behalf of arrangers, borrowers, collateral managers, enhancement providers, finance leasing companies, investors, issuers, lenders, liquidators, liquidity providers, originators, rating agencies, receivers, servicers, sponsors, swap counterparties, trustees, and underwriters.

Kingsley is also an Adjunct Law Professor at The City University of Hong Kong. His published opinions have been cited as legal authority in the US Court (Lehman Brothers Special Finance vs Bank of New York, SDNY 09-01242), the Hong Kong Standing Committee on Company Law Reform, the Financial Stability Board (FSB), and leading textbooks.

In 2015, he was appointed to the Professional Working Group advising the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on policies to position Hong Kong as a leading Corporate Treasury Centre. The new CTC Policy became law in June 2016.

In May 2016, Kingsley served as a Hong Kong Law Expert Witness before the US Bankruptcy Court (District of New Jersey), in connection with a landmark US litigation (Re Manley Toys Case No.16-15374) where the recognition of Hong Kong liquidators appointed under Hong Kong’s voluntary liquidation regime was being contested.

Kingsley also serves as the Secretary-General of APSA (www.apsa-asia.com), a Member of the Hong Kong Law Society’s Islamic Finance Working Group, an External Examiner for HKIB, and a Consulting Editor at Lexis Nexis. He is a regular speaker at conferences, seminars and trainings.

Kingsley also actively takes appointments as a Arbitrator in arbitrations conducted in English and Chinese. He is on the Arbitrator panels/lists of HKIAC, KCAB, JCAA, BAIAC, CAA, eBRAM.

Languages

English, Cantonese, Mandarin

Memberships

  • Notary Public, Hong Kong Society of Notaries;
  • Secretary-General, APSA (www.apsa-asia.com);
  • Adjunct Professor, The City University of Hong Kong;
  • External Examiner, The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (HKIB);
  • Solicitor, Hong Kong Law Society;
  • Solicitor-Advocate, Law Society of England & Wales;
  • Barrister, Inner Temple;
  • Advocate & Solicitor, Law Society of Singapore;
  • Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators;
  • Fellow, Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators

Content supplied by CMS Hong Kong LLP

Key clients

  • Acquawood LLC et al
  • Aspect Properties Japan Godo Kaisha
  • Axis Bank Limited
  • Bank J. Safra Sarasin Limited
  • Berlin Brands Group
  • BOCI
  • China Oceanwide Group Limited
  • China Zenith Chemical Group Limited
  • Hong Kong Liquidators of Manley Toys Limited:|(Ernst & Young + Grant Thornton)
  • ICBC International Finance Limited
  • MDME Limited + The Great European Carnival Limited
  • Morgan Stanley
  • 35 Opposing Creditors of Sino Oil & Gas Holdings Limited
  • Taipei Sky Tower development Group
  • Xiwang Special Steel Company Limited

Work highlights

Advising Chinese creditors in Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse in March 2023.
Advised Bank of China in the successful workout of the Tsingshan-LME nickel derivatives crisis.