ENSafrica has a dedicated banking and finance team which is well known for its scale and depth, and for its cross-border work throughout Africa.

Our key differentiator is the extent and breadth of our expertise and experience across the full spectrum of banking and finance work, including financial services regulation, leveraged finance, asset finance, debt finance, trade finance and capital markets.

We work with leading African and international financial institutions and blue chip companies, and we are sought after by investors, including development finance institutions, who require our expertise in their complex and high value matters, including cross-border mandates spanning multiple countries.

Over 200 years experience Over 600 practitioners 12 offices in 7 countries

We have well-established capabilities in local law, English law, French law and OHADA law, which enables us to provide you with legal advice in every jurisdiction in Africa.

ENSafrica is recognised by top ranking agencies for achieving consistently high standards when working on the continent.

As Africa’s largest law firm with over 600 specialist practitioners, ENSafrica has the capacity to deliver on your business requirements across all major industries and the continent. We are able to leverage our resources to suit your pricing preferences and deliver within your timeframes.

prominent force in the market with broad-ranging experience in the domestic and international banking and finance space
Chambers Global

what we offer

We provide advice on the full spectrum of banking and finance matters, including:

  • Asset finance, including aircraft finance
  • Banking
  • Capital markets
  • Consumer finance and data protection
  • Debt, including hybrid and mezzanine debt, and preference share funding
  • Derivatives, swaps, repurchase transactions and securities lending
  • Distressed debt, workouts and restructurings
  • Exchange controls
  • Financial services regulation
  • Financial services policy and regulatory reform
  • Fintech
  • Funds and asset management, including collective investment schemes, hedge funds and alternative investments
  • Infrastructure finance
  • Insurance, including export credit insurance and reinsurance
  • Islamic finance
  • Leveraged finance and private equity
  • Payment and settlement systems
  • Property finance
  • Public sector funding
  • Retirement funds
  • Securitisations
  • Structuring and financing of broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) transactions (South Africa)
  • Structured finance
  • Trade and commodity finance
pull qote
possesses deep experience operating across the African continent, with complementary strength in English law and numerous regional offices
Chambers Global
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the team’s cross-jurisdictional reach is a really big bonus and very few law firms are comparable in this regard
Legal 500
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each member of the team has gone above and beyond the call of duty in order to make the transaction happen
IFLR1000
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experiENS

Financial Institutions Deal of the Year
Barclays Africa Group Limited EMTN Note Programme and the issue of USD400-million Fixed Rate Reset Callable Subordinated Tier 2 Notes. This deal won the Financial Institutions Deal of the Year Award at the 2019 Bonds, Loans and Sukuk Africa Awards.
Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year
Multi-currency club loan of ZAR1.2-billion to MTN Zambia by joint lenders, including FirstRand Bank, as lead counsel. This deal won the Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year at the 2019 Bonds, Loan and Sukuk Africa Awards.
Bonds in Ghana and Namibia
Update of a Global Medium Term Note Programme for the issuance of USD3-billion bonds and tender offer by the Government of Ghana (Standard Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and others) and a USD750-million issuance of Namibia’s second sovereign bond (Barclays plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Standard Bank).
ZAR52-billion divestment
ZAR52-billion divestment of Absa from Barclays by Barclays Bank plc, involving Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Zambia.
ZAR22-billion recovery
ZAR22-billion recovery of money owed by the Steinhoff Group within five months for Absa Bank, China Construction Bank, Citibank South Africa, Depfin Investments, HSBC Bank South Africa, Investec Bank, iNguza Investments, Nedbank, Old Mutual, Rand Merchant Bank, Rapvest, Standard Bank of South Africa and Standard Chartered Bank.
ZAR20-billion debt restructure
ZAR20-billion highly complex group-wide debt restructure of the Edcon Group.
USD2.25-billion raising
Raising of USD2.25-billion in the US market by Sasol Financing USA LLC, guaranteed by Sasol Limited.
Demerger
Demerger of Investec’s global asset management business by the acquisition by Ninety One Ltd of the Southern African business of Investec Asset Management (rebranded as Ninety One) and the acquisition by Ninety One plc of the rest of world business of Investec Asset Management, as well as the listing of Ninety One.
Aircraft finance
Partial financing by Citibank of the acquisition by Comair of one new Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft.
Banking licence
Banking licence for Discovery Bank from the South African Registrar of Banks, as well as the creation of banking infrastructure and navigation of the regulatory environment.
they have a very good understanding of our business
Chambers Global

contact

expertise

expertise

African regulatory and business intelligence
agribusiness
Asia
aviation
banking and finance
Broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE)
competition/antitrust
corporate commercial
dispute resolution
employment
environment
fiduciary
fintech
forensics
immigration
India
insolvency, business rescue and debt recovery
insurance
intellectual property (IP)
intelligENS
mine and occupational health and safety
mining
private clients
private equity
pro bono and corporate social investment
project development and project finance
real estate / property
shipping, ports and logistics
tax
technology, media and telecommunications