Financial Services

Financial Services Services

Our Finance and Banking practice has a strong team of financial services lawyers who offer comprehensive and strategic advice in all areas of financial service activities. Our lawyers advise asset managers, development finance institutions, private equity funds, insurance underwriters, rating agencies, security trusts and guarantors.

We represent some of the largest international banks and all the major banking groups in South Africa. Our financial services lawyers are often called on to give advice on banks’ lending arrangements and regulatory compliance matters. We advise foreign banks on establishing representative branches in South Africa.

We also represent borrowers from the public and private sectors, and financial services providers and other organisations that have direct and indirect interests in lending arrangements.

We offer our clients comprehensive services and support that is built on a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the financial services arena and the corresponding regulatory environment.

Our services include:

• Establishing and operating hedge funds and collective investment schemes, and structuring new products.
• Concluding and documenting exchange-traded derivatives (including futures, options and swaps) using ISDA Master Agreements and over-the-counter derivatives.
• All aspects of insurance law and drafting insurance policies; we advise pension and provident fund administrators and trustees.
• All aspects of primary and secondary legislation governing financial markets and financial services; including the Securities Service Act, Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, the National Credit Act and anti-money-laundering legislation. We also make submissions to the industry regulator on clients’ behalf.
• Drafting agreements and other required documents for safe custody arrangements.
• Drafting various types of securities lending arrangements, including arrangements using ISLA Master Agreements.