Slaughter and May is advising Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (Hikma) in relation to its acquisition of Medlac Pharma Italy, Co. Ltd. (Medlac), an injectable manufacturing company in Vietnam. The acquisition includes a high-quality injectable facility, adjacent vacant land, Medlac’s product portfolio of 23 injectable products, its pipeline and all employees.

The acquisition was announced on 7 November 2018.

Global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Red Eléctrica Corporación on the world's first syndicated loan using blockchain technology. The €150 million loan was engaged from three banks: BBVA, BNP Paribas and MUFG. Negotiations were conducted quickly over the platform developed by BBVA based on DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology).

DLA Piper has advised Hahn Group on its sale of the Rathaus Center Dietzenbach to the European investment and asset management company Catalyst Capital. The property, which is the only shopping mall in the city, was built in 2007 and covers a rentable floor space of some 21,600 square metres. Both parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Clifford Chance has advised Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), one of the world's leading producers in the intermediate petrochemicals industry and a leading global manufacturer of wool yarns, on the acquisition of Kordárna Plus, a.s., a Czech-based industrial textile producer and a leading European producer of tire cord fabrics. The sellers are a group of shareholders led by Jet Investment, a private equity investment company based in Brno, Czech Republic.

TLT has advised Oscar winning studio Aardman on the transfer of the company into Employee Ownership, effectively selling the company to its workforce.

Founders, David Sproxton and Peter Lord, have transferred the majority of Aardman's shares into an employee ownership trust, which will hold the shares on behalf of the company's workforce. The sale aims to ensure that Aardman remains independent, securing the creative legacy and culture of the company that has been built up over the last 40 years.

International law firm Pinsent Masons LLP has advised Post Office Limited on its acquisition of Payzone Bill Payments Limited from Payzone UK Limited.

Bill payments are an important part of the Post Office’s retail offer and provide a valuable over-the-counter service to customers, generating footfall across the Post Office's branch network.

International law firm Ashurst is advising OMV on its agreement to establish a joint venture with Malaysia-based major independent oil and gas company, Sapura Energy Berhad.

Under the agreements, OMV Exploration & Production will pay US$540 million for a 50% stake of the issued share capital in a newly-formed company, SEB Upstream Sdn Bhd. This is based on a total enterprise value of up to $1.6 billion which comprises an equity value of up to US$1,250 million and debt of US$350 million.

DLA Piper has advised Aradei Capital S.A. (Aradei) with the issuance of a secured bond in a public offering of MAD600 million in five tranches.

Aradei is the real estate investment company of Label'Vie. It specializes in retail in Morocco and works in partnership with the French group Carrefour. The operation will enable Aradei to diversify its external financing, to have an additional leverage ratio at an optimized cost and to finance its investment program over the coming years.

The Sultanate of Oman has sold US$1.5billion seven-year Sukuk certificates, its second foray into the international debt capital markets in 2018 following its issuance of US$6.5bn sovereign bonds in January.

Linklaters advised the banks on the deal, including Citigroup, HSBS, JP Morgan, Gulf International Bank and Standard Chartered.

The Linklaters team was led by Capital Markets partners Jonathan Fried and Cecil Quillen and associate Nicola Minervini.

Mayer Brown has announced the arrival of Robert John (40) as a partner in the firm's Corporate / Private Equity practice in Frankfurt. Robert John joins Mayer Brown from Clifford Chance, where he worked for many years.

Robert John is a corporate lawyer with considerable experience advising private equity investors and strategic investors on national and cross-border M&A transactions. He also advises on corporate law, management participations, public takeovers, restructurings and joint ventures.