Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised UniCredit, one of Europe’s leading commercial banks, on the creation of a dedicated automotive bank in Russia in a joint-venture with auto manufacturers Renault and Nissan. The bank will offer a wide range of financial services to Renault, Nissan and Infiniti brand customers and dealers in Russia.

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Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has advised VimpelCom Holdings B.V. on a $2 billion Eurobond financing, including a RUB 12 billion tranche and two dollar-denominated tranches totalling $1.6 billion. VimpelCom Holdings is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of VimpelCom Ltd., one of the world’s largest integrated telecommunications services operators. The transaction closed today, February 13, 2013.

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Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised Kazakhstan’s “BTA Bank” JSC (the “Bank”) on the restructuring of approximately US$11.1 billion of its financial indebtedness.

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King & Spalding has recruited leading Russian law expert Ilia Rachkov to establish an international disputes practice in Moscow as the firm continues to strengthen its global dispute resolution offering.

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Ukraine’s state controlled oil and gas company, JSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, has signed an English law governed US$ 3.656 billion credit agreement with state owned China Development Bank Corporation to finance various individual projects involving the substitution of natural gas with locally produced coal. The investment programme is intended to help Ukraine increase its energy capacity through the introduction of modern technology, construction of new plants and the upgrading of existing infrastructure.

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Morgan Lewis represented CREDIT BANK OF MOSCOW, a privately-owned universal commercial bank operating in Moscow and the Moscow region, on a $500 million offering of 5-year Eurobonds (the “Notes”) with an interest rate of 7.7% p.a. The bonds were issued by CBOM Finance p.l.c., an Irish special purpose vehicle, for the purpose of funding a $500 million loan to CREDIT BANK OF MOSCOW. The offering closed on February 1, 2013. The proceeds of the offering will be used by the bank for general banking purposes.

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Baker & McKenzie successfully advised Uralchem Group, the leading Russian fertilizer maker, on a debut USD220 million 5-year multi-currency syndicated pre-export loan facility arranged by ING Bank, Raiffeisenbank, Sberbank and VTB Capital as mandated lead arrangers and with HSBC Bank and Rosbank as lead arrangers. The loan was structured as a classic pre-export finance facility backed by deliveries of export-grade fertilizers and other export-grade commodities.

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Linklaters has advised the lenders on the Western High-Speed Diameter Project (WHSD) in Saint Petersburg – Russia’s first city-based toll road and the largest PPP project in Russia to date.

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Hogan Lovells is expanding its global litigation and arbitration practice with the recruitment of a litigation team from Linklaters in Moscow. New partner Alexei Dudko will join the firm on 30 January 2013 and he will be bringing a team with him.

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Latham & Watkins advised the Arrangers, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Sberbank CIB and Troika Dialog Kazakhstan, in connection with the establishment by “Samruk-Energy” Joint Stock Company of its US$680,000,000 Global Medium Term Note Programme. The Notes were listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange. Latham & Watkins subsequently advised the same institutions in their capacity as Dealers in relation to a US$500,000,000 drawdown under the Programme, which closed on 20th December 2012.

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