Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions
Leveraged on our extensive experience and understanding of the Malaysian market, business practices, laws and regulations, our Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions practice group assists clients to mitigate risks by identifying and advising potential issues affecting a transaction and proposing practical solutions to address those issues to enable our clients to achieve their commercial goals.
We have assisted local and foreign companies, private equities, investors, investment banks and others to successfully execute and complete cross-border and domestic mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, takeovers, restructuring and other corporate exercises in various industries such as insurance, banks and financial institutions, telecommunications, oil and gas, manufacturing, healthcare, real estate and education.
We have been involved in some of the most significant corporate transactions in Malaysia.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Our areas of practice include:
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Acquisitions and divestments of shares
- Acquisitions and disposals of businesses and assets
- Foreign direct investment
- Joint venture and strategic alliance
- Private equity and venture capital
- Privatisations
- Takeovers (mandatory, voluntary and selective capital reduction)
- Management buyouts
- Due diligence
- Regulatory and licensing compliance
- Corporate governance
SELECTED AWARDS
- Mergers & Acquisitions Deal of the Year 2010 – IFN Awards 2010 – Islamic Finance News
RANKING
- Asialaw 2018 – Highly Recommended for Corporate/M&A
- Chambers Asia Pacific 2018 – Band 2 for Corporate/M&A
- IFLR1000 2018 – Tier 2 for M&A
- Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018 – Tier 3 for Corporate and M&A
SELECTED EXPERIENCE
- Advised a Chinese company in its subscription of shares in a Malaysian company which owns real estate. Also advised the foreign company on the shareholders’ agreement
- Advised a Hong Kong bank in its acquisition of the entire issued and paid-up capital of a licensed bank in Malaysia
- Advised a foreign company in its acquisition of 49% shareholding in a Malaysian general life insurance company from a public listed company. Also advised on the shareholders’ agreement
- Advised a foreign company in its acquisition of shares in a Malaysian life insurance company and the mandatory general offer of the remaining shares not owned by the foreign company and persons acting in concert. Also advised the foreign company on the shareholders’ agreement
- Advised a public listed company in its disposal of all the equity shares in a Malaysian insurance company by way of a bid process
- Advised a foreign private equity in its acquisition of shares in a company which owns a private hospital. Also advised on the shareholders’ agreement
- Advised a foreign company in its proposed acquisition of an asset management company.
- Advised a foreign private equity in its acquisition of shares of a foreign corporation (which owns, among others, shares in Malaysian companies)
- Advised a foreign company in the disposal of all the shares of a foreign corporation (which owns shares in Malaysian companies)
- Advised a company in its disposal of its wholly owned subsidiary to a public listed company which consideration was settled by the issuance of shares by the public listed company
- Advised a Hong Kong listed foreign corporation in its mandatory general offer to acquire all the remaining shares of a public listed company not already owned by the foreign corporation and persons acting in concert
- Advised the single largest shareholder of a public listed company on a shareholders’ agreement with a private equity fund (which acquired shares in that public listed company) resulting in a mandatory general offer (“MGO”) being triggered. Advised the shareholder in the MGO
- Advised a few entities (foreign and local) in the general offer (whether mandatory, voluntary or by selective capital reduction)
- Advised a public listed company on its selective capital reduction and repayment exercise
QUOTES
“A client lauds the firm's ‘outstanding legal advisers’, with particular regard for the team's empathetic approach. This source praises ‘their ability to put themselves in our shoes to understand the matters at hand’. Additional clients appreciate the team's extensive experience in the Malaysian market, commenting that they ‘know the local market and situation very well.’” – Chambers Asia Pacific 2018
“The ‘excellent and responsive’ team at ZUL RAFIQUE & partners provides ‘accurate and appropriate advice.’” – Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018
“What struck me about them was how familiar they were with the regulatory and execution side of the deal and their professionalism and responsiveness – I was very impressed with their ability to move things along.” – quote from client published in Chambers Asia Pacific 2014
“Very responsive, attentive to details and deadlines.” – quote from client published in Chambers Asia Pacific 2012
“This top-notch team offers clients good turnaround times, practical solutions and in-depth industry knowledge.” – quote from client published in Chambers Asia Pacific 2011
Partners