Conyers‘ ‘well prepared, thorough, and knowledgeable‘ department for banking, finance, and capital markets work is undoubtedly one of the heavyweights in the jurisdiction, frequently seen on complex and high-valued matters, from IPOs to multifaceted financings. As part of his role as head of corporate at the firm’s BVI office, Robert Briant oversees the finance team and continues to counsel longstanding client Weatherford International. ‘Brilliant M&A, finance and general corporate lawyer‘ Anton Goldstein is a further key figure for major transactions, while Rachael Pape receives client praise for her burgeoning practice, which has particular focus on corporate finance and reorganisations, capital markets, derivatives, and securitisations. Nicholas Kuria ‘delivers strong work‘ and is involved across the spectrum of work in this area.

As part of the firm’s substantial transactional offering, Harneys features a banking and finance team that is a go-to for lender side matters, acting for major financial institutions and prominent onshore law firms. Among the firm’s regular undertakings are offshore elements of cross-border lending and debt finance transactions, with the department assisting clients with varied types of financing and credit transactions. Tanya Cassie Parker is managing partner at the BVI office and draws on corporate finance expertise in co-leading the banking and finance arm alongside Michelle Frett-Mathavious, whose client base includes law firms, financial institutions, HNWIs, funds and corporates. George Weston, who heads the firm’s corporate offering across the Americas, is another experienced name to note for financing deals, and more junior key figures in the transactional team include Joshua Mangeot and Rhonda Brown.

Maples Group continues to focus on high value transactions for institutional clients, with a banking, finance and capital markets offering that is especially well regarded in the aircraft and shipping sectors. The department makes for a reliable high-end choice in general banking matters, equity and debt capital markets, deals with private equity backing, cross-border restructurings, and asset and project financing. Chris Newton has well over a decade of experience offshore and a track record assisting with all manner of banking, finance and restructuring transactions for financial institutions, sponsors, investors and borrowers. He co-leads the practice group with Ruairi Bourke, go-to counsel for a number of multinational banks, and the capital markets contact for prominent group companies and investors. Key support comes from Chloe Harris, while veteran former group leader Richard May retired in November 2023.

Walkers BVI stands out on several fronts when it comes to its banking and finance work, including focusing on the recent growth area of fintech entries via BVI, as well as continuing to be a recognised name in traditional, high-value cross-border finance transactions. Asset finance for aircraft and private vessels is also a strength, and the broad offering is also well versed in capital markets work, structured finance, and related regulatory matters. Matthew Cowman, the managing partner of the BVI office, is strong on commercial financing and he co-leads the department with Omonike Robinson-Pickering, who has a thriving, growing practice specialising in advising financial institutions and borrowers on complex cross-border finance transactions from a BVI perspective. Lauren Williamson is another stand-out name across banking and finance transactions.

The banking and finance practice at Mourant covers a broad range of matters and has recently shown strength in US real estate financing, as well as acting in a number of capital markets deals, especially involving smaller Chinese companies listing on the US stock market. At the helm of the practice, Ian Montgomery is noted for debt and equity fundraising, public listings, security arrangements, and corporate restructurings, with a client base that includes international law and accountancy firms, financial institutions, multinational businesses, funds, and HNWIs. The team was bolstered in August 2023 with the addition of one of the markets foremost young lawyers Aliki Skelton-Lettsome, and Marianne Wilson is a further name to note with a burgeoning practice in this field.

Complex financing matters and some of the most notable capital markets deals involving BVI entities are all within the wheelhouse of Ogier‘s team for banking and finance. Following the retirement in February 2024 of co-head of the department Ray Wearmouth, the practice is solely led by Michael Killourhy, an experienced corporate lawyer now overseeing all transactional matters at the office and in this area, a particularly well regarded name for equity capital markets. As part of Wearmouth’s planned retirement, his practice is being managed temporarily by Jersey based Christian Burns-Di Lauro, who is increasingly involved in BVI matters. David Mathews is another client-recommended name to note.

Multi-jurisdictional matters for both borrowers and lenders are strengths of the team at Appleby, which involves a mix of lawyers across various disciplines, as well as from across its international network of offices. International asset finance transactions are also a notable forte. Corporate group head Jeffrey Kirk oversees banking and finance matters too, while Jersey-based Andrew Jowett also spends time at the BVI office and stands out for financing work in the energy and natural resources space. Shana Simmonds has expertise in secured and structured financings and private equity transactions, and David Clark, primarily working from Bermuda, is a further prominent figure in BVI matters for the firm.

Clients of Carey Olsen‘s banking and finance team are appreciative of its ‘tailor-made approach‘ to matters that include asset finance, real estate finance and refinancing transactions. The department assists both lenders and borrowers, and is jointly led by Clinton Hempel and Elizabeth Killeen. Hempel is the firm’s global head of the BVI corporate practice and is often engaged in cross-border joint ventures, M&A, corporate reorganisations and stock exchange listings. Killeen is ‘a mainstay of the corporate legal world in the BVI‘ and has over 15 years of experience in the jurisdiction. Katrina Lindsay is the more junior contact to note.

Ellie Crespi leads the banking and finance group at Collas Crill and receives notable praise from clients, with one dubbing her ‘the go-to offshore lawyer for secured lending matters in particular‘. The team is counsel of choice to international banks and financial services companies and its versatility is seen in a workload that spans asset and real estate finance matters, debt restructurings and insolvencies, as well as shipping finance work. Greg Boyd‘s vast experience in transactional law in the BVI makes him a top choice for cross-border corporate and finance transactions, and the two partners are supported by Annabel Bishop, who has particular experience in investment funds matters.