Charles Russell Speechlys has acted as legal adviser to the management team of Emerging Markets Payments (EMP), the leading Africa and Middle East payments business, on the sale of EMP by Actis to Network International. Actis is the private equity firm which invests exclusively in Africa, Asia and Latin America and is a leading investor in growth markets with $7bn of funds under management. Network International is a leading provider of payment solutions in the Middle East, and is backed by Emirates NBD, and private equity houses, General Atlantic and Warburg Pincus.

Charles Russell Speechlys acted for management on the management warranty deed and assisted with the disclosure process in relation to the transaction, alongside Clifford Chance, who acted for Actis on the sale. Freshfields acted for Network International.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

Charles Gill, Chief Operating Officer of EMP commented “This was a complex process, with multiple bidders running in parallel, and management spread across six countries. I’m very grateful for the advice and support that Charles Russell Speechlys provided throughout.”

Commenting on the transaction, Malcolm MacDougall, Partner and head of the Private Equity team at Charles Russell Speechlys, said:

“We are delighted to have advised the management team of Emerging Markets Payments on the sale, and to have assisted in achieving exchange of contracts on the deal. We look forward to working with management to bring the transaction to a successful completion.”

The Charles Russell Speechlys team consisted of Malcolm MacDougall and Chris Manning.