Hogan Lovells has advised on LatinFinance’s Sovereign Bond of the Year, Structured Finance Deal of the Year, Financing Innovation of the Year, and Equity Deal of the Year. The LatinFinance Deals of the Year, presented at the annual awards dinner, are the Latin American region's most prestigious and rigorously judged awards for excellence in investment banking, capital markets issuances, and legal advice.

In the Sovereign Bond of the Year, Hogan Lovells advised the Republic of Ecuador in a US$2 billion issuance, which marked its return to the international sovereign bond markets. The issuance secured funding for further development of strategic infrastructure projects in the country. International investors welcomed Ecuador as they sought to boost returns amongst plunging global bond yields. Miguel Zaldivar, Co-Head of the firm’s Infrastructure, Energy, Resources and Projects practice, and New York partner Evan Koster led the Ecuador bond transaction with assistance from partner Oscar Stephens and associates Gaston Fernandez and Diego Carvajal.

In the Structured Finance Deal of the Year, and Financing Innovation of the Year, Hogan Lovells advised BB Securities and BNP Paribas in the US$2 billion issuance by Rio Oil Finance Trust of future oil royalties formerly owned by RioPrevidencia, the pension fund of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and the establishment of the master trust program related thereto. The deal also included a 2.4 billion reais (US$1.5 billion) tranche. The deal was largest structured bond ever sold by an emerging markets issuer. New York partner Emil Arca led the team advising BB Securities Ltd. and BNP Paribas Securities Corp., which also included Sao Paulo partner Isabel Carvalho, New York counsel Russell Slanover, New York associates David Contreiras Tyler, Kristen Lam, and Patricia Ciccone, and Rio de Janeiro attorney Rafael Loureiro.

Finally, prior to joining Hogan Lovells in September, New York partner Lewis Cohen led the legal team advising the issuer on the Follow-On Equity Deal of the Year, Fibra Uno’s U.S. offering. New York associate Kristen Leighton also advised the issuer. Fibra Uno was the first Mexican REIT to offer U.S. dollar-denominated equity.