Ashurst has advised the mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners, lenders and agent on the A$1 billion financing for Viva Energy REIT Limited.

In 2014, Vitol SA acquired (through its Viva Energy Holding Pty Ltd SPV) Shell's Australian downstream business. As part of Vitol's second phase of its strategy for these assets, the lenders agreed to provide certain corporate and acquisition debt facilities to fund the spin off the service station real property assets into an ASX listed real estate investment trust (REIT).

Charles Russell Speechlys has advised India Capital Growth Fund Limited on its £22.9m fund raising through the issue of new Ordinary Shares on the exercise of Subscription Share Rights.

India Capital Growth Fund Limited is an AIM quoted closed ended investment company registered in Guernsey, managed by Ocean Dial Asset Management Limited.  The Company’s investment objective is to invest predominantly in listed small and mid-cap Indian companies and the proceeds of the issue will be deployed in this strategy.

International law firm Simmons & Simmons has advised Rex Bionics Plc, the pioneer of the REX Robot technology that enhances the mobility of wheelchair users, on its AIM fundraising.

The fundraising is intended to sustain commercial momentum during a strategic re-positioning of the company and review of further funding opportunities. The fundraising includes a new investment in the company by Maxhealth Medicare Co. Ltd of China. The company also announced a new agreement with Dubai-based Amana Healthcare Care.

Nabarro has advised Allenby Capital, as nominated adviser and joint broker, and new client, Dowgate Capital, as joint broker, on the AIM IPO of Franchise Brands plc, one of the handful of successful IPOs since the Brexit result. Nabarro has also advised Numis Securities as nominated adviser and sole bookrunner on the £30.7m placing (before expenses) by AIM-listed Benchmark Holdings plc.

On 28 July, 2016, EC World Real Estate Investment Trust (EC World REIT) completed its red chip listing on the main board of Singapore Exchange (SGX); King & Wood Mallesons advised the underwriters in the project. With the subscription and syndicated financing by cornerstone, institutional and retail investors, EC World REIT raised a total of SGD 1.07 billion, approximately RMB 5.2 billion.

Clifford Chance advises Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, on its equity participation in Forward Engineering GmbH ("FE"), a leading German design and engineering company specializing in automotive lightweight structures made from carbon fiber and other composite materials.

FE has an extensive track record in design and engineering activities relating to autobody and parts made from composite materials, since the time it was part of Roding Automobile GmbH (spun off in March 2016), to reduce the weight of mass-produced vehicles.

DLA Piper advised the Swedish mining development company Sotkamo, Silver AB, which is listed on the NGM Equity Exchange and on NASDAQ Helsinki, in connection with a preferential share issue, on Finland related matters.

The strategy of the company is to begin production in the Silver Mine in Sotkamo, Finland. The received amount in the issue was about 186 MSEK, before expenses and the issue was fully subscribed.

The DLA Piper team was led by partner Tuija Kaijalainen, and included partner Ari Savela (Helsinki).

Travers Smith LLP has advised investment trust Ranger Direct Lending Fund plc (the "Fund"), which launched in May last year, in connection with its placing of 30 million ZDP shares through its subsidiary, Ranger Direct Lending ZDP plc.

The Fund will invest the proceeds of the placing in a diversified portfolio of debt obligations that have been originated or issued by direct lending platforms.

Admission to the standard segment of the Official List occurred at 8.00 a.m. this morning.

Linklaters was pleased to recently advise the lead manager on Biostime International Holding Limited’s combined capital markets and bank fundraising exercise, raising a total of US$850m of new financing for Biostime.

The transaction involved the combination of new US$400m 7.25% high yield notes due 2021, and a US$450m term loan facility and a tender offer for Biostime’s existing HK$3,100,000,000 Convertible Bonds due 2019.

Ashurst has advised Macquarie Capital (Australia) Limited (MCAL), as sole lead manager, bookrunner and underwriter on an institutional placement and share purchase plan by Independence Group NL (IGO), to raise up to A$280 million.