Financial services

We advise institutions across the financial sector on the full range of their commercial operations. Working with both lenders and borrowers, we combine commercial awareness with regulatory expertise. Our leading transactional banking practice, universally recommended by leading legal directories, is regularly involved in local and cross-border financing, including major regional deals, and has pioneered new financial instruments and structures. We offer specialist Shariah law expertise and extensive experience in traditional interest-based financings. Our dispute resolution department regularly represents major financial institutions in claims against borrowers and also defends borrowers against creditor claims.

We represent some of the world’s largest insurance and reinsurance companies. We regularly advise on various insurance matters, including insurance contracts, incorporation and licensing of insurance companies, litigation involving insurance claims, and significant amendments to insurance laws.

Our financial services team advises high-net-worth individuals and families, trustees and private wealth industry professionals on the full legal issues connected to their investments. Our advice balances secure investments with global transparency and international capital mobility. The team advises on all legal concerns affecting private clients and families, including estate planning and trusts, family offices, family disputes, investments and real estate.

• Acumen Fund, represented client in connection with their financing projects in Pakistan.
• Adamjee Insurance Company Limited, represented client and consortium of insurance companies in arbitration proceedings and successfully negotiated a settlement in respect of one of the largest insurance claims relating to crude oil in Pakistan.
• Al-Meezan Investment Bank Limited, represented client in the Initial Public Offer of Rs. 270m.
• ICI Pakistan Limited, represented client in relation to Rs.1b term finance certificates issued by client.
• MetLife, advised on a range of insurance-related issues.
• OGDC, represented client in GDRs of USD 1b.
• Overseas Private Investment Corporation, represented client in its USD 10 m credit facility to Tameer Micro Finance Bank Limited and in relation to finance worth USD 9.89m provided to SSJD Bio-Energy Limited for a 12 MW power plant project based in Sindh, Pakistan.
• Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association, represented client and obtained an interim order restraining the operation of section 7 of the import pricing policy as issued by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan on behalf of the Defending American Life Insurance Company (Pakistan) Limited (ALICO Pakistan) (now known as IGI Life Insurance Limited) and American Life Insurance Company (ALICO) in two suits filed before the High Court of Sindh at Karachi by employees of American Life Insurance Company (Pakistan) Limited, against the intended sale of ALICO’s majority shareholding in ALICO Pakistan, to IGI Insurance Limited.
• PICIC Insurance Limited, represented clients in the High Court and Civil Courts.
• PTC, represented client in GDRs of USD 900m.
• United Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited and National Bank of Pakistan, represented the consortium in the USD 70m Murabaha financing of Pakistan International Airlines for the acquisition of aircraft.