Global law firm White & Case LLP has acted as deal counsel on the Slovak Republic’s issue of two series of Samurai bonds, denominated in Japanese yen, which have raised JPY 30 billion (approximately US$305.4 million).
“This was the country’s first sale of bonds into the Japanese market in more than 15 years, and was aimed at diversifying the sovereign’s financing sources beyond the Euro region,” said White & Case partner Marek Staron, who with local partner Juraj Fuska led the White & Case team advising on Slovak law issues from the Firm’s Bratislava office.
“This transaction is intended to create a benchmark for future issues by the Slovak Republic,” said Juraj.
“Working on the Slovak Republic’s Samurai bond issue was a natural fit for our firm, given our strong practices in both Japan and the Slovak Republic and our experience handling major Samurai bond offerings,” said local partner Norifusa Hashimoto, who led the White & Case team advising on Japanese law issues from the Firm’s Tokyo office.
The deal was successfully launched despite severe volatility in other markets. The Samurai market has been unique, recently, in terms of the number of successful deals at a time when new transactions in other major markets are at a virtual standstill.
It brings to nine the number of sovereign Samurai bond issuers from Central Europe, of which it is the second largest debut issue and has the lowest coupon of any sovereign debut issue in the entire history of the market.
The White & Case team consisted of Marek Staroň, partner (Bratislava), Norifusa Hashimoto, local partner (Tokyo), Juraj Fuska, local partner (Bratislava), Róbert Vydra, counsel (Bratislava), Eiichi Nagai, associate (Tokyo), Yuki Hattori, associate (Tokyo) and Martin Mojžis, associate (London).
This deal follows the role played by White & Case advising Qatar Petroleum on its inaugural Samurai bond issue in September 2012.
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