Zhi Chao
Partner
Zhi Chao is a leading banking and finance lawyer advising banks and corporates on complex, innovative and cross-border financings across Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Awards and Recognition
Biography
Languages - English, Mandarin
Jurisdiction - England & Wales
Zhi Chao is an experienced banking and finance partner who advises leading financial institutions and corporates on their most complex and innovative financing transactions across Asia-Pacific and Europe. He has a broad cross-border practice with particular expertise in structured commodity finance, syndicated finance, sustainability-linked and transition finance, alongside leveraged finance, Islamic finance, project finance and real estate finance.
Zhi Chao is at the forefront of developments in structured commodity and transition finance, having advised on Asia’s first energy transition syndicated borrowing base facility secured against digital carbon inventory. His wider practice encompasses major syndicated and sustainability-linked financings, complex borrowing base and receivables financings, cross-border security and intercreditor structures, acquisition financings, green loans and Islamic financing.
Drawing on extensive experience acting for both lenders and borrowers, Zhi Chao brings a commercial perspective to sophisticated and cross-border transactions. Clients value his ability to anticipate issues, devise practical solutions and drive transactions towards completion while remaining focused on their commercial objectives. When website visitors get to a point of reading your biography, they genuinely want to know more about you, your experience and your expertise.
Experience
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Asia’s first energy transition borrowing base facility
Advised the arranger and lenders on a US$175 million syndicated borrowing base facility for a global commodities trader, secured against digital carbon inventory – the first energy transition syndicated borrowing base facility of its kind in Asia.
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US$1 billion sustainability-linked financing
Advised the mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners on sustainability-linked facilities of up to US$1 billion for a major palm oil producing group, sharing an evergreen security package across multiple jurisdictions under a complex intercreditor and security sharing platform.
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JERA – US$1.475 billion syndicated financing
Advised the mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners on a US$1.475 billion syndicated revolving credit facility for JERA Global Markets.
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US$1.016 billion / CNH905.5 million syndicated financing
Advised the bookrunning mandated lead arrangers on US$1.016 billion and CNH905.5 million syndicated revolving credit and term facilities for members of a global commodities trader.
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Structured prepayment financing
Advised a global commodities trader on a limited recourse structured prepayment financing to its PRC supplier to finance production of commodities, secured over commodities and associated offtake arrangements.
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GuocoLand – green real estate financing
Advised GuocoLand on S$730 million green loan facilities for the acquisition, development and construction of the Midtown Modern project in Singapore.
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US$1.2 billion Indonesian project financing
Advised China EXIM Bank on a US$1.2 billion project financing for the development of a mine-mouth power project in South Sumatra, Indonesia.
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Dual conventional and Islamic financing
Advised the mandated lead arrangers on US$200 million conventional and Islamic Murabaha facilities for plantation and mill development projects, sharing a common Indonesian security package.
