Ashurst is advising Goldman Sachs in relation to Visa's £198 million recommended offer for Earthport plc, announced on 27 December 2018.

Visa is one of the world's leading payment technology companies and, through its advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world. Earthport provides cross-border payment services to banks and businesses. Visa believes that Earthport can complement the development of the Visa payment solutions and intends to use its resources to help Earthport grow.

London—Dentons has advised the Hong Kong branch of DBS Bank Ltd on a pound sterling loan facility to a joint venture vehicle owned by Wing Tai Properties and Manhattan Garments to acquire 30 Gresham Street, London.

Dentons acted for the Hong Kong branch of DBS Bank Ltd as structuring bank and sole lender. 30 Gresham Street comprises about 400,000 sq ft of office space in the City of London and is occupied by Commerzbank and Investec.

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised CMBI International Capital Limited (CMBI) as sole sponsor and the consortium of underwriters on the initial public offering of China Beststudy Education Group (Beststudy).

Beststudy is the largest K-12 after-school education service provider in southern China and the fifth largest nationwide as measured by total student enrolments and revenue in 2017.

This IPO marks the first time that company with K-12 after-school tutoring business in China has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The Firm represented the underwriters in the initial public offering and Rule 144A/Regulation S offering by Wanka Online Inc. (“Wanka Online”). Wanka Online offered an aggregate of 76,390,000 Shares, which raised HK$271.9 million (approximately US$34.9 million) in gross proceeds. The shares of Wanka Online are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited, ICBC International Capital Limited and Macquarie Capital Limited acted as joint sponsors and joint global coordinators.

Simpson Thacher, acting as sole international counsel, represented The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited as Dealer in connection with the offering of HK$1.25 billion Floating Rate Notes due 2021 by Korea Land & Housing Corporation under its US$2.5 billion Global Medium Term Notes Program. The offering was conducted in reliance upon Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and settled through the Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU) Service operated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

Ashurst advised Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG (Berenberg) on the successful capital increase by way of a rights issue of SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner AG (SNP), raising gross proceeds of approximately €18.7 million.

London—Dentons has advised Scottish Widows, part of Lloyds Banking Group, on the refinancing of £86.1 million of Empiric Student Property plc’s existing debt with a new 10-year, fixed rate term loan facility.

The new facility is secured against a portfolio of the borrower’s English and Scottish operating assets, held as a lending group, through a wholly owned subsidiary. Around £30.6 million of the new facility will be drawn in the short term, with the remaining £55.5 million expected to be drawn by the end of October 2019.

Leading global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has advised the banking syndicate involved in China drug developer Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd. US$394 million IPO and listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

CICC was the sole sponsor for the transaction with Citi bank,  Credit Suisse, Fosun Hani, China International Securities and Caitong International Securities acting as joint bookrunners and lead managers.

CMS has advised OTP Bank Group on the acquisition of Societe Generale Banka Srbija, Serbia's fourth-biggest lender, from France's Societe Generale Group. The deal is expected to close in the coming months due to complex regulatory and merger clearance filings.

This transaction is the continuation of OTP's strategic expansion in Southeast Europe and part of the CMS mandate where CMS advises more than seven acquisitions across ten jurisdictions with a collective transaction value of over EU1bn.

International law firm Taylor Wessing has advised Totally Money, a fintech startup providing consumer credit reports, on its £29 million investment from Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited (Elliott) and existing investors, Scottish Equity Partners (SEP).

The investment, which is subject to FCA approval, will be used to accelerate TotallyMoney's customer acquisition, build out its technology platform and, through continued innovation, provide better credit for UK consumers.