Baker McKenzie has acted as legal adviser to the Belorussian private equity fund manager Zubr Capital in relation to investment in the Belorussian business of the Russian IT company Softline.

Partner Simon Morgan and associate Maxim Temchuk advised on the project. Baker McKenzie assisted the client on all stages of the transaction, including deal structuring, developing a mechanism to protect the investor's interests, and signing.

Zubr Capital, which manages the SMH and Zubr Capital Fund I funds, invested up to USD 10 million in the Cypriot firm Lagembor Holdings Ltd., which holds Softline's Belorussian assets. It plans to use the funds to develop Softline’s Belorussian business, including the ActivePlatform and ActiveCloud projects.

Softline was rated as the fourth largest IT company in Russia in 2016 by CNews Analytics, which put its earnings last year at RUB 57.3 billion. The company specializes in system integration, IT-outsourcing and distribution.