Leading Associates

Firms To Watch: Banking, finance and capital markets

Banking, finance and capital markets in Cayman Islands

Dentons

Dentons‘ banking and finance practice was recently bolstered by the arrival of Joanna Hossack in October in 2024 from Collas Crill. Hossack co-leads the team with Jeffrey Johnstone, and both are knowledgeable of lender and borrower fund finance, private equity, as well as ship and aircraft financing.

Appleby

Appleby’s banking and finance team is highly regarded for advising on complex, high-value transactions with strong cross-jurisdictional capabilities. The team regularly acts for banks, private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers, and listing sponsors, with particular strengths in fund finance and collateralised loan obligations. Simon Raftopoulos leads the team, advising on a broad range of finance and capital markets matters, including private equity and IPOs. Benjamin Woolf heads the structured finance practice, focusing on issuer and investor representation in structured finance deals. Caroline Barton, group head of banking and asset finance, is noted for her expertise in asset finance, CLOs, and subscription finance. Georgina Pullinger brings deep experience in fund and corporate finance across a wide range of sectors.

Responsables de la pratique:

Simon Raftopoulos


Autres avocats clés:

Benjamin Woolf; Caroline Barton; Georgina Pullinger; Jacob MacAdam


Les références

‘Good responsiveness, attention to detail, and ability to drive towards execution.’

‘We primarily work with Georgina Pullinger, who has been a mainstay at the firm and a long-time market participant. Given their breath of exposure and deal activity, she has seen a multitude of transaction types and is commercial with finding solutions for every circumstance.’

‘The Appleby practice has great depth and breadth across finance and corporate matters.’

Principaux clients

JetBlue


Cable and Wireless


Banco Bradesco


Spirit Airlines


RFA Capital Holdings (RFA)


Hunt Oil Company


LumiraDX Limited


Wafra


Bank of America


Barclays


Wells Fargo


Goldman Sachs


HSBC


Morgan Stanley


Citigroup / Citibank


Everbank


Mizuho Bank


Deutsche Bank


US Bank


Standard Chartered


JPMorgan Chase Bank


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised JetBlue Airways Corp. (“JetBlue”) and its subsidiaries on the Cayman Islands legal aspects of its US$2.75 billion financing backed by its loyalty program.
  • Acted as Cayman counsel to the initial purchasers on an upsized $1 billion Rule 144A and Regulation S issuance of Senior Secured Notes due 2032 by Sable International Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Communications Limited.
  • Advised Coatue Management on Cayman Islands legal aspects of its Series B investment in DigitalLand Holdings Limited.

Maples Group

Maples Group maintains a top-tier Cayman Islands banking and finance practice, with standout expertise across asset finance, structured finance, fund finance, and insurance-linked securities. The team is particularly strong in CLO transactions and regularly advises on fund finance and related security matters for both borrowers and lenders. Tina Meigh brings deep experience in fund finance, global derivatives, and securitisations. Jonathon Meloy is noted for his work on international capital markets and aircraft portfolio securitisations and Sherice Arman focuses on asset and corporate finance. James Reeve advises on structured finance and general banking matters, while Matthew St-Amour and Amanda Lazier add strength in fund finance and CLO structures.

Responsables de la pratique:

Tina Meigh; Jonathon Meloy; Sherice Arman; James Reeve


Autres avocats clés:

Matthew St-Amour; Amanda Lazier; Wanda Ebanks; Anthony Philp; Shari Howell:: Jonathan Brown


Les références

‘The team is extremely knowledgeable and experienced in complex cross-border financing transactions and demonstrates the ability to develop solutions to incorporate and adapt to satisfy legal considerations in multiple jurisdictions.’

‘The entire Maples team is outstanding. Tina Meigh and Matthew St. Amour, in particular, are stand-out partners who have a wealth of experience in cross-border financings and offer both creative and practical advice.’

‘What sets the Maples practice apart is its combination of deep technical expertise, commercial pragmatism, and a truly collaborative approach. The team operates with a level of responsiveness and consistency that makes them a trusted advisor on complex and high-value transactions, especially in cross-border and ultra-high net worth contexts.’

Principaux clients

Blackstone


TPG Capital


Herbalife


Bain Capital Credit


MJX Asset Management LLC


Avolon


Alafco Aviation Lease and Finance Company K.S.C.P.


BBAM


KKR


Octagon


American Airlines


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised on the transaction, dubbed « KingAir, » which securitised the Government of Jamaica’s rights to its future receivables from the Norman Manley International Airport.
  • Advised Antares on the largest CLO Reset priced in December 2024 and closed in January 2025, arranged by BNP Paribas.
  • Advised Avolon as they entered into an acquisition agreement for 100% of the shares in Castlelake Aviation Limited (CA Ltd).

Mourant

Mourant’s banking and finance team advises on a wide array of transactions, including leveraged and structured finance, project finance, restructurings, and equity capital market matters. Catherine Pham brings extensive experience in capital markets work, including public offerings, while Alexandra Woodcock, advises leading financial institutions and private fund sponsors on complex restructurings. Finn Howie adds depth to the team with expertise in fund and leveraged finance, structured finance, and distressed debt restructurings.

Responsables de la pratique:

Catherine Pham; Alexandra Woodcock


Autres avocats clés:

Finn Howie; Hayden Isbister; Ramesh Maharaj; Andrew Grant


Les références

‘Andrew Grant is phenomenal. A true trusted advisor.’

‘Very responsive, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with.’

‘We work with Finn Howie and Alexandra Woodcock regularly on all of our fund finance deals with a Cayman component. Both are excellent attorneys whom we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to others.’

Principaux dossiers


Walkers

Walkers is a leading Cayman Islands firm offering broad expertise across leveraged finance, syndicated lending, project finance, derivatives, and private credit transactions, with particular strength in the CLO market. James Burch co-leads the group and is recognised for his work in debt capital markets and structured finance, while Rob Jackson focuses on lender-side mandates in private equity and hedge fund financings. Joanne Ziegler brings extensive experience in structured finance, including securitisations, Sarah Humpleby leads on asset finance, especially aviation and maritime transactions, while Justin Hart advises on complex cross-border fund finance, syndicated facilities, and restructuring.

Responsables de la pratique:

James Burch; Rob Jackson


Autres avocats clés:

Joanne Ziegler; Sarah Humpleby; Justin Hart; Hugh Anderson; Olga Sologub; Adeola Adeyemi


Les références

‘Great service and responsiveness; knowledgeable partners and associates.’

‘Sarah Humpleby is a terrific professional and knowledgeable about the substantive area.’

‘Responsive, commercial, and pragmatic advice.’

Principaux clients

Oaktree Capital Management


Azorra Aviation


Goldman Sachs Bank USA


Barclays Bank Plc


Pharmakon Advisors, LP


Ripple Labs Inc.


Citigroup


Blue Owl


Carlyle Aviation


Platinum Equity


SoftBank Group Corp


Principaux dossiers


  • Representing Blackstone Alternative Credit Advisors LP on a USD 4.9 billion senior secured notes issuance and a mezzanine notes issuance to debt finance the acquisition of shares in Backhaul Network Services Inc.
  • Acting for Azorra Aviation in connection with approximately USD 1 billion in financing, including an unsecured notes issuance and term loan facility.
  • Representing Pharmakon Advisors, LP and its affiliated funds from a Cayman Islands law perspective in connection with a USD 646 million secured financing with Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Conyers

Conyers’ advises global banks, financial institutions, and asset managers on fund finance, structured finance, insurance finance, and related transactions involving Cayman vehicles. Matthew Stocker leads the team and brings a broad corporate and finance practice, including significant aircraft finance experience, while Derek Stenson is recognised for his structured and fund finance expertise. Cora Miller focuses on finance, banking, corporate reorganisations, and aircraft transactions, and Anna-Lise Wisdom has extensive experience in fund finance.

Responsables de la pratique:

Matthew Stocker


Autres avocats clés:

Derek Stenson; Cora Miller; Anna-Lise Wisdom; Kiah Estwick; Farrah Miller


Principaux clients

Prime Group Holdings


Queen’s Road Capital Investment Ltd


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised Queen’s Road Capital Investment Ltd on the consolidation of more than 490 million issued and outstanding common Shares of the Company.
  • Advised a lender with respect to their provision of a multi-billion dollar revolving and term credit facility to various debt fund entities.
  • Acted for Jefferies LLC in connection with a 144A exchangeable note offering by Galaxy Digital Holdings LP.

Ogier

Ogier’s banking and finance team is known for its dedicated corporate and finance offering, with particular strength in equity capital markets, advising on IPOs, PIPEs, and private placements. The firm is also a key port of call for financial institutions, private equity sponsors, and funds on a wide range of fund financing products and structured finance transactions. James Heinicke leads the team and is noted for his expertise in subscription, NAV, and fund-of-fund facilities, while Mark Santangeli focuses on fund and structured finance. Angus Davison handles a broad transactional practice for key institutional clients.

Responsables de la pratique:

James Heinicke


Autres avocats clés:

Mark Satangeli; Angus Davison; Bradley Kruger; Marcus Hallan; Jasjit Grewal: Thomas Sims


Les références

‘Sophisticated team, with expertise in complex cross-border transactions. They adapted to the particularities of the transaction and all the international parties involved.’

‘James Heinicke and Thomas Sims were instrumental in the cross-border restructuring transaction I interacted with them on.’

Principaux clients

Brookfield Investment Management


Banco BTG Pactual


Waterfall Asset Management


TPG Angelo Gordon


Wen Acquisition Corp


Berto Acquisition Corp


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised the initial purchasers in relation to the $1.4 billion global bond offering of LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (LATAM).
  • Acted for a syndicate of lenders on a US$800 million loan facility.
  • Advised its long-standing client Banco BTG Pactual on its US$500 million notes issuance.

Campbells

Campbells’ banking and finance team advises on complex, cross-border finance transactions, with strong expertise in corporate deals, debt and equity listings, fintech, and natural resource transactions. The firm is active in capital raising, secured lending, and asset finance, including maritime and aviation. Richard Spencer advises on fund financing and Cayman stock exchange listings, Simon Thomas focuses on private equity fund structures and financing and Edward Rhind specialises in asset and structured finance, particularly in shipping and aviation.

Responsables de la pratique:

Richard Spencer; Simon Thomas; Edward Rhind


Autres avocats clés:

Alexandra Clynes; Sayak Bhattacharya


Principaux clients

Xapo Holdings


Avianca


Abra Group


Ikena Oncology, Inc.


Steele Creek Investment Management LLC


Reach Capital


Principaux dossiers


  • Advising Ikena Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: IKNA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing targeted therapies for cancer, in connection with its reverse merger with Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals, and concurrent PIPE transaction, valued in aggregate at $175 million.
  • Advising Abra Group, the majority investor in Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. and Avianca Group International Limited, on the Cayman Islands legal aspects of two private refinancing transactions for up to $1.25 billion in total.
  • Advising Sequoia Capital on its lead investment in Enter (fka Talisman AI), a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based company that provides AI solutions for the legal sector, as part of Talisman’s US$ 5.5 million financing.

Carey Olsen

A key port of call for banks on fund finance transactions, Carey Olsen regularly handles acquisition, asset, structured, and real estate finance matters. Nick Bullmore leads the team, while Richard Munden advises across corporate debt, aviation and shipping finance, and emerging digital asset matters. Dylan Wiltermuth and Trevor McCabe add depth with expertise in structured finance, capital markets, and corporate transactions.

Responsables de la pratique:

Nick Bullmore


Autres avocats clés:

Richard Munden; Dylan Wiltermuth; Trevor McCabe


Les références

‘Richard Munden brings strong practical experience to the table having in-house GC experience and multi-jurisdictional experience, which is helpful for a global business like mine. ’

Principaux clients

Barings and Citibank


Transocean Inc


Ambipar


BCEC-GFL Borrower (Cayman) LP


BC Partners


GFL Borrower II (Cayman) LP


Mercer Park Opportunities Corp


USA Rare Earth LLC


Kavak Holdings Limited


Addi


Adelante Holdings Limited


Tripledot Studios


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised Barings and Citibank on a market-leading structured funding transaction for Coller Capital, the world’s largest private market secondaries manager, to support and broaden its fundraising efforts for private market investments.
  • Advised Transocean Ltd on its subsidiary (Transocean Inc’s) upsized US$1.8 billion offering of senior notes due 2029 and 2031, which are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by Transocean Ltd and select subsidiaries.
  • Advised Ambipar Emergency Response on the inaugural US$750 million offering of 9.875% Senior Unsecured Green Notes due 2031 by Ambipar Lux S.à r.l., a subsidiary of Ambipar Participações e Empreendimentos S.A.

Stuarts Humphries

Stuarts Humphries advises leading banks, financial institutions, and businesses on domestic and cross-border transactions, acting for both lenders and borrowers on Cayman Islands counterparty issues. The team has expertise in syndicated letter of credit facilities, onshore lending secured by offshore securities, trade finance, and complex financial structuring across debt, equity, and structured products. Jonathan McLean leads with deep banking, finance, and regulatory expertise, while Chris Humphries heads the funds team, advising investment managers, promoters, and international investors.

Responsables de la pratique:

Jonathan McLean


Autres avocats clés:

Chris Humphries; Megan Wright; Buck Grizzel; Joseph Bates


Les références

‘Responsiveness and client service.’

‘Honesty, pragmatism, and excellent knowledge of the field and current legal practices on the ground.’

‘Jonathan McLean is my point of contact and I highly recommend him.’

Principaux clients

Citibank


Bitcoin Scaling Labs


Kinesis


Rails Limited


Sonic


Metals House Inc


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised US-based international bank, Citibank, on the securitisation of various credit transactions ranging up to US $400 million.
  • Advised Rails Limited on the establishment and formation of a US multi-million dollar global crypto exchange platform and counseled on various regulatory obligations.
  • Advised Sonic, a multi-billion dollar DeFi platform on complex regulatory, compliance, and structural matters relating to a major token offering and migration, navigating evolving global and Cayman Islands virtual asset regimes.

Bedell Cristin

Bedell Cristin’s Cayman Islands banking and finance team advises on corporate, commercial, real estate finance, and asset finance matters. Stephen Nelson leads the team and is a key port of call for fund managers, private equity structures, and digital asset funds.

Responsables de la pratique:

Stephen Nelson


Principaux dossiers


Harneys

Harneys maintains a strong presence in Cayman’s finance and capital markets, advising multinational corporations, global financial institutions and fintech innovators, with particular strength in Latin America. James Smith focuses on investment funds and digital assets, Christopher Hall covers banking and fund finance, while David Mathews is highly active in blockchain and tokenisation projects.

Responsables de la pratique:

James Smith; Christopher Hall


Autres avocats clés:

David Mathews; Carolynn Vivian; Louise Hayward


Les références

‘The firm can provide a wide range of services for companies looking into the BVI, Cayman and other Caribbean countries, especially in the crypto space, which is very valuable.’

‘Harneys are a powerhouse in the BVI and Cayman. Harneys is also strong with its digital asset work in the BVI and Cayman, with its own specialised teams working with huge clients in the industry.’

‘David Matthews is a recent excellent addition to the Cayman office.’

Principaux clients

Iris Financial


Metatech Holdings (trading as Nonco)


P2P Staking


Vinci Partners Investments


Finfront Holding Company (BitFuFu)


Maiyue Technology Limited


Principaux dossiers


  • Represented issuer Iris Financial S.A, a Euronext Amsterdam-listed company focused on the financial services sector, on its business combination with Younited S.A, a leading European consumer credit business.