Slaughter and May advised FWD Life Insurance Public Company Limited (FWD) on its bancassurance collaboration with TMB Bank Public Company Ltd (TMB) in Thailand for an initial term of 15 years. The transaction was announced on 14 July 2017.

The FWD group spans Hong Kong and Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Japan, offering life and medical insurance, general insurance and employee benefits. TMB is a commercial bank serving wholesale, SMEs and retail customers with a branch network throughout Thailand.

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The joint venture between Rentokil Initial plc (FTSE: RTO) and Haniel & Cie. Holding Company creates a leading provider of workwear and hygiene services in Europe by way of transfer of the respective Rentokil businesses into CWS-boco, a company owned by Haniel. In consideration for the transfer, Rentokil Initial will receive around EUR 520m in cash and a 18% stake in the joint venture, subject to completion adjustments. The transaction was signed on December 15, 2016 and closed on June 30, 2017 following merger control clearance.

Eversheds Sutherland (International) has advised fashion retailer Next on its joint venture with TV Chef Gino D’Acampo and Individual Restaurants to open Prosecco bars and restaurants in Next stores.

The partnership between Gino D’Acampo and Next will be aided by Steven Walker, founder of Individual Restaurants, who will provide the services to ensure delivery is of the highest standard. 

Orrick advised Deutsche Börse Group in its strategic partnership with Trumid, a financial technology company that provides an electronic trading network for corporate bonds.

The Group will invest US$10 million for a minority stake as an add-on to Trumid’s previously disclosed US$28 million financing from earlier this year. Trumid will use the new funding to continue enhancing and expanding its technology offering. Both firms will work together to develop products and services for the European market.

Gide acts as lead counsel to Renault on its recently announced partnership with Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (“CBA”), which will enable Renault to enter the growing light commercial vehicle (“LCV”) market in China.

Under a binding framework cooperation agreement signed by the two companies on 5 July 2017 (“FCA”), Renault will acquire from CBA a 49% stake in Shenyang Brilliance JinBei Automobile Co., Ltd., a top player in the LCV industry in China. The resulting joint venture company will manufacture and sell LCVs using Renault’s product and technological know-how.

DLA Piper represented Oxford Properties Group in a joint venture with Norges Bank Real Estate Management in the recent acquisition of two Washington, DC, office towers. The first asset, 900 16th Street NW, is a LEED Gold certified building and boasts views of the White House and Washington Monument. The second asset, 1101 New York Avenue, NW, is also LEED Gold certified with 180-degree, uninterrupted panoramic views of the Washington skyline from every floor.

Clifford Chance has advised Swedbank as it enters into strategic partnership with Europe’s leading independent equity broker, Kepler Cheuvreux, creating a leading equity house with strong local presence in the Nordics.

Together, Swedbank and Kepler Cheuvreux will establish a top-ranked equity offering in the Nordics. Swedbank’s commitment to the partnership is reflected in its investment in a 6% equity stake in Kepler Cheuvreux.

Rentokil Initial plc (FTSE: RTO) and Haniel & Cie. Holding Company in December 2016 entered into an agreement to form a joint venture, creating a leading provider of Workwear and Hygiene services in Europe with combined revenues of c. €1.1bn.

The joint venture brings together Rentokil Initial’s Workwear and Hygiene businesses in 10 countries principally in the Benelux and Central & Eastern Europe regions, together with Haniel’s businesses in 17 countries which operate under the CWS-boco brand.

Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised SES-imagotag, a specialist in digital solutions for retail commerce and global leader in smart digital labels, on a proposed partnership with BOE Technology Group, a leader in the semiconductor display industry and 'Internet of Things' technologies, to strengthen its global and technological leadership.

Hong Kong – Paul Hastings, a leading global law firm, announced today that it represented Alpha Asia Macro Trends Fund III, a private fund managed by Singapore-based Alpha Investment Partners Limited (“Alpha”), in its joint venture with Keppel Land China Limited to acquire mixed-use development SOHO Hongkou in Shanghai for approximately US$525 million. Alpha, a premier asset manager in Asia, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Capital Holdings Pte. Ltd.