Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised a consortium of underwriters on the proposed US$317m rights issue by Wanda Commercial Properties (Group) Co., Limited (Wanda Commercial Properties).

Wanda Commercial Properties is a Hong Kong-listed commercial real estate investment and operations management company. It is the sole business platform for commercial property investments and operations of Dalian Wanda Group.

Wanda Commercial Properties will raise around HK$2,467.5m (US$317m) through the issue of 856,773,210 rights shares.

Latham’s Capital Markets teams ushered in the first IPOs of 2014. The firm advised Jefferies on the IPO of biotech company GlycoMimetics that was the first IPO to list on NASDAQ in 2014. The firm also advised Cypress Energy Partners on their IPO, which was the first IPO to list on the NYSE in addition to being the first Master Limited Partnership IPO of 2014. Congratulations to both Capital Markets teams and our clients!

Travers Smith Corporate Partner Andrew Gillen and Corporate Senior Associate Daniel Simons have advised Numis Securities Limited as sole sponsor, financial adviser, underwriter and broker on IP Group plc's ("IP Group") £75 million firm placing, placing and open offer and offer for subscription (the "Capital Raising") and as sole sponsor and financial adviser in connection with IP Group's recommended all-share offer for Fusion IP plc ("Fusion IP") (the "Acquisition").

Watson, Farley & Williams has advised FinnAust Mining plc ("FinnAust"), an exploration company with extensive mining assets in Finland, on its reverse takeover by Centurion Resources plc (the "Company").  The consideration for the reverse takeover is £7.7m to be satisfied by the issue of shares in the Company.

The Company, which is listed on AIM, has also raised £3.4m through a placing to fund the development of FinnAust's portfolio of copper and nickel projects in southern Finland. The Company has now changed its name to FinnAust Mining Plc.

Charles Russell Energy & Natural Resources and Capital Markets teams have advised Europa Oil & Gas (Holdings) plc ("Europa"), the AIM-listed oil and gas exploration and production company, on its recently completed £4m equity fundraising.

Ashurst advised J.P. Morgan Cazenove in relation to IMI plc's return of approximately £620 million from its balance sheet to its shareholders. The cash return follows the $1.1 billion disposal of its Beverage Dispense and Merchandising divisions to The Marmon Group, a Berkshire Hathaway company, which was announced on 2 January 2014.

Norton Rose Fulbright advised Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in its inaugural Basel III-compliant domestic public offering of $500 million of Non-Cumulative, 5-Year Rate Reset Preferred Shares Series AZ. Our team of Dawn Whittaker, Heidi Reinhart and Evelyn Li assisted RBC’s in-house legal team led by Erin Dion, Senior Counsel.

The offering was originally announced at $200 million, but as a result of strong investor demand, the gross proceeds of the offering were increased to $500 million. The expected closing date is January 30, 2014.

Baker & McKenzie has advised True Corporation Public Company Limited (True), and its subsidiaries, known collectively as True Group, on the establishment of the True Telecommunications Growth Infrastructure Fund (TRUEGIF). The total fund value of over THB 58 billion makes it the second largest infrastructure fund in Thailand, and the fourth largest fund established in Southeast Asia in 2013.

Dechert advised Kofax Limited, a leading provider of smart process applications for the business critical First MileTM of customer interactions, on its reorganization proposals to create a new holding company incorporated in Bermuda with a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange and a listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

Paul Hastings, a leading global law firm, announced today that the firm represented Guosen Securities (HK) Capital Company Limited as the sponsor in the listing of Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc.’s (“Livzon Pharmaceutical”) H-shares converted from B-shares on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by way of introduction.

Livzon Pharmaceutical is a comprehensive pharmaceutical enterprise integrating research & development, production and sales of pharmaceutical products and is already listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.