Dentons has advised the National Bank Oman, one of the largest banks in the Sultanate of Oman, on the establishment of a listed and rated US$600 million Euro Medium Term Note programme, and the debut issue of US$500 million 3.125% Notes (due 2019).

The Programme and issue are rated (A3, Moody's) and listed on the Irish Stock Exchange. The Programme was arranged by HSBC, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Credit Agricole Corporate Investment Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.

Gränges AB, a leading global supplier of rolled products for brazed aluminum heat exchangers, has announced the outcome of the initial public offering of the Company’s shares and the listing on Nasdaq Stockholm (the “Offering”). The Offering was over-subscribed and attracted strong interest, both from Swedish and international institutional investors as well as from the general public in Sweden and Norway.

Simpson Thacher recently represented the underwriter, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., in connection with a registered public offering of common shares of Kosmos Energy Ltd. A total of approximately $140.0 million in net proceeds was raised in the offering. Affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P. and Warburg Pincus LLC received all of the gross proceeds from the offering.

Kosmos Energy Ltd. is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on frontier and emerging areas along the Atlantic Margin.

Mayer Brown advised Raiffeisen Bank International AG as arranger and dealer on the establishment of a EUR 5 billion Debt Issuance Programme of Raiffeisen Zentralbank Osterreich AG as issuer. CSSF in Luxemburg approved the respective prospectus.

Raiffeisen Zentralbank Osterreich AG is the central institution of the Austrian Raiffeisen Banking Group one of Austria's largest banking groups.

Macfarlanes has advised The Royal Bank of Scotland plc in relation to new term and revolving acquisition facilities made available to certain companies in the Octopus group.

Part of the proceeds was used to finance the acquisition of real estate investment manager MedicX Group, from funds advised by Cabot Square Capital. MedicX Group is the administrator of the MedicX Fund that invests in primary healthcare properties.

The Macfarlanes team was led by banking and finance partner Andrew Perkins.

Slaughter and May is advising Nedbank Group Limited (Nedbank) on its US$493.4 million subscription for a 20% shareholding in Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI).

Nedbank announced that it will subscribe for 4,512,618,890 new ETI shares for a total consideration of US$493.4 million. ETI is the leading pan African bank with operations in 36 countries in Africa and is listed on stock exchanges in Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Dubai—Dentons has advised Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (Malaysia) on an Islamic commodity murabahah facility of US$100 million to the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector.

ICD is one of the most influential agencies in the Islamic finance markets and the facility is the first ever financing by BTMU with a multilateral international financial entity.

Linklaters has advised Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. (“BOCOM”) on its issuance of US$1.2 billion 4.50 per cent. Tier 2 Capital Bonds due 2024 and EUR500 million 3.625 per cent. Tier 2 Capital Bonds due 2026. The Basel III compliant Tier II instrument is the first international regulatory capital issue by a mainland Chinese financial institution, the largest ever international regulatory capital offering by a Chinese related financial institution and the first to be issued in Euro and US dollars. 

Linklaters has advised the Managers on the issue by the Luxembourg Government of a €200 million sukuk (Islamic bond). The transaction represents the first euro-denominated non-Islamic sovereign sukuk, which follows the UK Government’s issuance of the first ever sukuk outside the Muslim world, which Linklaters advised the UK government on in July 2014.

BNP Paribas and HSBC acted as joint lead managers and Banque Internationale à Luxembourg S.A. and QInvest LLC acted as co-managers on the transaction.

Clifford Chance announced today that it is advising the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) on the proposed sale of its 30% stake in the International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) for US$538 million to Qatari investors.

The exit will enable NBK to strengthen its capital position and pursue its regional expansion strategy of owning and managing controlling stakes in entities in the MENA region, with a greater focus on the GCC.