Asia-Pacific Pakistan Banking & Finance

Haidermota & Co is widely credited as a pre-eminent team for banking and finance work, particularly project finance and trade finance transactions. The firm is also active in advising financial institutions on restructuring and refinancing mandates, and works with state institutions on regulatory and branchless banking developments in the market. The firm also offers capital markets expertise including advising on bond offerings, securitisation and delistings. The team is regularly mandated on Islamic finance work, M&A in the financial services sector and digital banking licences. Haidermota & Co has offices in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. Clients include CDC, Habib Bank and Zhenfa Pakistan New Energy.

Mohsin Tayebaly & Co has a deep bench with an impressive reputation for tackling complex transactions for prominent lender clients from its Lahore and Karachi offices. The firm offers expertise in Islamic finance, restructuring, syndicated financing, electronic bank guarantees and regulatory issues, among other matters. The team is proficient in the financing of real estate and infrastructure projects. The department has notable activity in the capital markets space, advising on sukuk issuances and bonds. Clients include The Bank of Punjab, National Bank of Pakistan and Habib Bank.

Ijaz Ahmed & Associates maintains a solid reputation for advising mostly international banks on complex, cross-border transactions from its Karachi office. The department has a varied slate of finance expertise, which covers debt restructuring, real estate finance, microfinance transactions and project finance. Additionally, the firm is noted for its expertise advising on regulatory and legislative issues and litigation relating to capital markets.

Orr, Dignam & Co is a longstanding full-service firm in Karachi that advises both lenders and borrowers on financing and debt restructuring work. The team advises on lending in a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, consumer goods and transport. The practice is active on Islamic finance matters, with clients including domestic and international banks.

RIAA Barker Gillette has strong expertise in project finance across offices in Lahore and Karachi. The team offers a good deal of experience with clients in the energy sector and acts for an array of domestic and international financial institutions. The firm acts on major term and syndicated loan transactions, and has capabilities in Shari'a-compliant banking, including sukuk and restructuring. The department is well placed to handle cross-border work due to its network of international offices in the USA, the UK, China, Afghanistan and the UAE. MCB Bank, Lucky Electric Power and Habib Bank are clients of the team.

LMA has a notable banking practice regularly instructed on large-scale rupee lending and Islamic finance transactions. The firm advises prominent Pakistani and international banks on structured finance, syndicated financing, corporate banking and restructurings from its Karachi office. LMA has a strong client following among local lenders and microfinance banks in particular and also advises borrowers on project finance matters.