LAWYER PROFILE

Ashwath Rau

Asia-Pacific 2026

AZB & Partners

Ranked in 2 practice areas

Corporate/M&A: Mumbai-based

India

16 years ranked

Private Equity

India

18 years ranked

About

Provided by AZB & Partners

Practice Areas

• Corporate / Mergers & Acquisitions

• Financial Services

• Funds

• Private Equity & Venture Capital

• Regulatory & Securities

• E–Commerce & Retail

• FinTech & Digital

• Infrastructure

• Insurance

Career

Ashwath Rau has over 21 years' experience across a diverse range of practices, including Corporate / M&A, Investment Funds & Asset Management, Private Equity, Joint Ventures, Financial Regulatory, Corporate Governance and General Corporate Advisory. His clients include leading multinational corporations, private equity houses, banks, and other financial services companies, as well as companies in the infrastructure, IT & ITES and telecom & digital services sectors.

Professional Memberships

• Member, SEBI committees / working groups for the review of regulations relating to mutual funds and foreign portfolio investors (2018 – 19)

• Member, Investment Funds Committee, International Bar Association (2014 – 2018)

• Member, Limited Partners + Manage in India Council, Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (IVCA) (2018 – Present)

• Invitee, SEBI Working Group on redrafting the SEBI (Foreign Portfolio Investors) Regulations, 2014, under the Chairmanship of Shri. Harun R. Khan (2018 – Present)

• Invitee, SEBI Working Group to reconcile the SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 with the Companies Act, 2013 and the Insolvency and the Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (2018 – Present)

• Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa (1999)

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Asia & Pacific

Private Equity - India

Band 1

Individual Editorial

Ashwath Rau is a senior partner at AZB & Partners and is based in its Mumbai office. He is entrusted by leading global private equity houses to handle complex investments.

Learn more about this team View ranking table

Corporate/M&A: Mumbai-based - India

Band 1

Individual Editorial

Ashwath Rau oversees a large body of work that covers M&A and investments from his Mumbai base. He is a well-known figure in the market, regularly acting on high profile transactions in the technology, banking and cement sectors.

View ranking table

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Ashwath is an excellent corporate lawyer with his finger on the pulse of the corporate/M&A market.
Corporate/M&A: Mumbai-basedChambers Asia & Pacific
He combines a technical understanding of legal implications and a significant level of commercial acumen, which allows him to anticipate and pre-emptively address potential issues and challenges.
Corporate/M&A: Mumbai-basedChambers Asia & Pacific