Orrick advised Vitruvian Partners LLP on their investment in German credit comparison portal Smava GmbH. Smava will receive $65 million in this Series D financing round from investors led by Vitruvian as well as existing investors. Including this latest round, the Berlin-based company has received $135 million in investments since its founding in 2007.
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP has advised Goshawk Aviation Group on its US$100 million Schuldschein issuance. Commerzbank AG and BNP Paribas acted as joint lead arrangers.
Following its successful first Schuldschein issuances in 2016, Goshawk Aviation Group has again raised proceeds with the popular German law debt instrument to finance its continuing strong growth. The Schuldschein loans have a maturity of five years.
King & Spalding acted for Toyota Tsusho Corporation in the disposal of its interests in the Otway Gas Project (OGP) and BassGas Project in Australia, which are to be purchased by Beach Energy Limited.
White & Case LLP has advised Michelin on its US$600 million offering of non-dilutive convertible bonds due 2023, redeemable in cash only.
The bonds, issued by Compagnie Générale des Etablissements Michelin, will not bear interest and the net proceeds of the issuance will be used for Michelin's general corporate purposes and to purchase options related to the transaction.
White & Case LLP has advised Duke Street, a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in European middle market companies, on the acquisition of A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH (A-ROSA).
The seller is Waterland, an independent private equity investment company, and the parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transaction, Duke Street's second investment in Germany, is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.
Shearman & Sterling advised Goldman Sachs, BofA Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, China Renaissance and ICBCI as underwriters on the US$124.2 million initial public offering by LexinFintech Holdings Ltd. (LexinFintech) of 13.8 million American depositary shares (ADSs), which include 1.8 million ADSs sold pursuant to a full exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment exercise, and the listing on the NASDAQ Global Market. LexinFintech is a leading online consumer finance platform in China.
Shearman & Sterling advised the previous shareholders of MeinAuto GmbH, including Holtzbrinck Ventures GmbH, Global Founders Capital GmbH & Co., Beteiligungs KG Nr. 1, Vorwerk Direct Selling Ventures GmbH and Herrn Nicolas Leutwiler, on the sale of their shares to the U.K. investment firm HgCapital.
The online platform MeinAuto.de is Germany’s leading online website for new car sales. MeinAuto, founded in 2007, is headquartered in Cologne, Germany. The company has over 16 million visitors per year and is connected to more than 9,000 car dealers.
Shearman & Sterling is advising Tele2 on the U.S. aspects of its proposed approximately $3.3 billion merger with Com Hem.
International law firm CMS has advised technology client, what3words, on the successful investment of a significant stake in the company by German carmaker, Daimler.
what3words is an innovator in addressing technology, providing a system which assigns a three-word address to every 3mx3m square on the planet. Daimler have previously worked closely with what3words in integrating the technology with Mercedes’ satellite navigation systems, allowing drivers to navigate to any destination using a unique, three-word combination.
Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has advised Australian-Chinese developer, owner and operator of renewable power generation assets Maoneng Australia (Maoneng) on its entry into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and on related agreements with Origin, who is providing firming and other services to UNSW.
The PPA relates to the 200 megawatt (MW) Sunraysia Solar Farm, located near Balranald in south-western NSW, owned and developed by Maoneng.