Covington advised Bacardi Limited in its definitive agreement to acquire Patrón Spirits International AG and its PATRÓN® brand, the world’s top-selling ultra-premium tequila, from John Paul DeJoria, a founder of Patrón. The transaction reflects an enterprise value for Patrón of $5.1 billion. The transaction follows the successful relationship the companies have had for nearly a decade since Bacardi’s initial acquisition of a significant minority stake in Patrón in 2008.

Cleary Gottlieb is advising the Chilean Codelco Group in the sale of its shares in Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH to Aurubis AG.

Prior to the transaction, Codelco’s stake, via its German subsidiary Codelco Kupferhandel GmbH, represented 40 percent of the joint venture. The remaining 60 percent was already held by Aurubis. The joint venture produces roughly 240,000 tons of copper wire rod per year, and it has a workforce of approximately 110 employees.

Cleary Gottlieb represented Kakao Corp. in a $1 billion Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of global depositary shares.

The GDSs are expected to be listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange on February 2, 2018. Citigroup and Goldman Sachs International acted as the joint global coordinators and bookrunners for the offering, which closed on January 23, 2018.

Kakao Corp. operates Korea’s leading instant messaging service as well as leading mobile and online platforms in Korea.

Paris/Hamburg/Frankfurt, Jan. 26, 2018 – An international Bryan Cave M&A team, led by Partner Fabrice Bouquier (Paris), Partner Michael Leue and Counsel Hubertus Schröder (both Hamburg), advised the Yantai Taihai Group, headquartered in Yantai, China, on the acquisition of insolvent Duisburg Tubes Production AG (DTP). DeHeng-Shi & Chen Associés in Paris also advised Yantai Taihai in France. The purchase price will remain confidential.

DLA Piper (Canada) LLP represented Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure Ltd (TSX: TWM) in the issuance of $125 million aggregate principal amount of 6.75% senior unsecured notes due 2022, by way of a private placement. The private placement successfully closed on December 19, 2017. Tidewater will use the net proceeds from the private placement for repayment of indebtedness under its existing credit facility, drawn to fund its various capital projects, and for general corporate purposes.

Shearman & Sterling advised Marlin Equity Partners, a global private equity firm with over $6.7 billion of capital under management, on debt financing in relation to Marlin Equity Partners' acquisition of a majority stake in social media analytics company TalkWalker. The financing consisted of a New York law-governed term loan and revolving credit facilities.

Leading global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Sinopec Oilfield Service Corporation on its private placement of 3.3 billion H-shares on the Hong Kong Exchange.

The H-share placement was made to Sinopec Century Bright Capital Investment Limited and China Structural Reform Fund Corporation Limited, and was completed on 24 January after regulatory approvals were received. It injects close to US$572 million into one of the world' largest oilfield service companies.

Washington, D.C., 26 January 2018 – Hogan Lovells represented nuclear fuel technology development company Lightbridge Corporation (NASDAQ: LTBR) in its recently announced joint venture with Framatome, a leading provider of nuclear fuel, components, and reactor services. Under the announced deal, the two companies agreed to form  Enfission, a 50-50 joint venture company to develop, license, and sell nuclear fuel assemblies based on Lightbridge-designed metallic fuel technology and other advanced nuclear fuel intellectual property

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) have advised the management of Exactpro Systems on a management buyout. The transaction saw BLP’s clients buy the company back from the London Stock Exchange, to which they had previously sold the business.

The Moscow and London offices of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP have advised the firm’s longstanding client PJSC Polyus (“Polyus”) on the issue by its indirect subsidiary Polyus Finance plc of $250 million senior bonds convertible into global depositary receipts representing ordinary shares of Polyus.

The bonds are guaranteed jointly and severally by Polyus and its subsidiary, JSC Polyus Krasnoyarsk, and were offered and sold outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S of the US Securities Act 1933, as amended.