Clifford Chance LLP has strong expertise in regulatory capital securities for banks and insurers, corporate hybrid instruments, equity-linked products, and liability management. The firm also advises on sovereign and emerging markets issuances, green, social, and sustainability-linked bonds, digital bonds, as well as EMTN and ECP programmes. Team head Matthew Fairclough advises across a wide spectrum of debt and equity capital markets, with particular expertise in corporate hybrid capital and regulatory capital products across the UK, Europe, and Africa. He is supported by Paul Deakins, who focuses on Eurobonds, EMTN programmes, and other public securities offerings for both corporate and financial institution issuers; and Simon Sinclair, who advises on convertible and exchangeable bonds, regulatory capital instruments, and liability management transactions. Kate Vyvyan is a name to note for her work with sovereigns, supranationals, international corporates, and leading investment banks active in the debt capital markets.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'Matt Fairclough stands out in the emerging markets space. Juggles the hurdles of a transaction with absolute ease, navigating challenging jurisdiction-specific issues with wisdom and experience. I would never hesitate to instruct him.’
‘Incredibly talented pool of DCM lawyers with an exceptionally high standard of technical expertise and commercial understanding. My go-to firm. Breadth of product knowledge and optimised execution capabilities make them stand out ahead of their competitors.’
‘Paul Deakins is one of the brightest minds in the city. Anticipates problems, identifies solutions, and always focuses on the commercial practicalities of a deal. A joy to work with.'
- 'Simon Sinclair - my go-to partner for regulatory capital. He has a wealth of knowledge and can tackle complicated issues with ease. Always available and goes the extra mile.'
- 'The team are well-organised and adept at supporting on complicated matters. They are thoughtful, hard-working and handle complexity well in a pragmatic and flexible way.'
- 'The client-first attitude is excellent across the team, with all individuals providing an exceptional service.'
- 'A friendly, approachable, highly knowledgeable debt capital markets team. Vast market practice experience. Willing to compromise with clients on fees. Absolutely no hesitation in engaging Clifford Chance for DCM mandates. Definitely a go-to team in the DCM space.'
- 'A friendly, approachable, highly knowledgeable debt capital markets team. Vast market practice experience.'
Key clients
- <p>African Development Bank</p>
- <p>Danske Bank A/S</p>
- <p>J.P. Morgan</p>
- <p>Citigroup Global Markets Limited</p>
- <p>Goldman Sachs International</p>
Work highlights
Advised African Development Bank (AfDB) on the first sustainable hybrid capital issuance by a multilateral development bank (MDB).
Advised on Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's (AIIB) digitally native note issuance of USD $300,000,000, 4.000 per cent. per annum due 15 January 2027.
Advised J.P. Morgan on a USD $1 billion debt for nature transaction involving the Republic of El Salvador, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Environmental Investment Fund of El Salvador (FIAES) and ArtCap Strategies.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Matt Fairclough
Other key lawyers
Paul Deakins; Simon Sinclair; Kate Vyvyan