Lee Weilin is a ranked practitioner in Chambers Asia Pacific and is recommended in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for banking and finance work. The IFLR1000 Leading Lawyers has also named Weilin as a Highly Regarded lawyer.
Weilin is a partner with the Banking and Finance Practice Group and has more than 16 years of experience advising banks and financial institutions and multinational corporations in high value transactions, cross-border secured financings based on onshore-offshore financing structures with intercreditor arrangements, acquisition/leveraged financing, borrowing base facilities and public takeover financings.
Weilin currently heads up the multi award-winning Sustainability Practice Group in the firm and together with the Sustainability Practice team of specialist lawyers, regularly advise on a range of sustainability related issues across industries and sectors. She is an EFFAS Certified ESG Analyst.
EXPERIENCE
Green and Sustainable Finance
- Acted in the first sustainability-linked loan in Singapore’s energy sector, having advised two banks as joint lenders and sustainability coordinators in connection with the grant of sustainability-linked banking facilities to a borrower for its gas-fired co-generation plant.
- Acted in the largest bilateral sustainability-linked loan in Singapore’s real estate sector to date.
- Acted in an inaugural green financing to help finance a sustainable rubber plantation in heavily degraded landscapes.
- Acted for a Singapore branch of a Japan bank in a S$200 million sustainability-linked financing transaction to a wholly owned subsidiary of a leading energy and urban development player company in Singapore.
- Acted for a Singapore bank in a S$504 million green loan facilities for the acquisition of a 29 storey Grade A office development in Singapore.
- Acted in a S$150 million green loan facilities to finance the acquisition and development cost of a flagship green data centre in Singapore.
Real Estate and REITS
- Acting for a joint venture company in relation to the grant of banking facilities of up to approximately S$1 billion by a club of banks to finance, amongst others, construction costs, working capital expenses and other expenses for the development of a national iconic project consisting of a mixed-use complex comprising commercial facilities hotel and attractions.
- Acting for Singapore borrowers in relation to banking facilities of up to S$820 million to finance the acquisition of land and a real-estate development in Singapore.
- Acting for Singapore borrowers in relation to banking facilities of up to S$680 million to finance the acquisition of land and the construction of a mixed retail and office development in Singapore.
- Acting for a Singapore borrower which is a subsidiary of a REIT in relation to several bilateral loans of up to S$550 million to finance its acquisition of an office building in Singapore. The REIT is one of Singapore’s largest real estate investment trust.
- Acting for a data centre REIT in relation to loans of up to the aggregate amount of S$412.5 million by various banks to partially finance the acquisition of certain data center assets for the purposes of IPO and refinance its existing borrowings.
- Acting for two international banks in relation to the grant of banking facilities of up to the aggregate amount of S$300 million to part-finance the acquisition of a hotel in Singapore.
- Acting for a club of syndicate lenders in relation to an offshore project development loan of up to the aggregate principal amount of US$250 million to a joint venture company to finance the development of an integrated development in central Jakarta.
- Acted for a Singapore borrower which is a REIT in relation to a multi-currency revolving credit facility of up to S$65 million (granted by the Singapore branch of a foreign bank) to finance its acquisition of certain assets in Japan and for its working capital.
Buy-outs and other acquisitions
- Acted for banks in public takeover financing made by way of general offers and schemes of arrangement.
- Acted for an offeror (a consortium vehicle between the largest conglomerate in the PRC and a leading global investment firm) in financing a takeover offer of approximately S$1.9 billion for a company listed on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited.
- Acted for banks in a S$300 million facilities to a private investment vehicle of a listed business trust to finance the acquisition of one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemical companies.
- Acted for banks in on-shore and offshore financing structures in relation to the acquisition of properties and businesses.
- Acted for a Singapore branch of a Malaysian bank in relation to banking facilities of up to S$33 million for the financing of an acquisition of a stockbroking company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
- Acted for a club of Singapore Lenders in relation to the grant of banking facilities of up to S$750 million to a Singapore Borrower to finance the acquisition of a market leader in water treatment and chemical distribution in Australia and New Zealand.
Restructuring
- Acted for a group of lenders in a consensual debt restructuring of a Singapore listed REIT of a total debt of US$1.863 billion.
- Acted for a group of lenders in the restructuring of bank facilities granted to a Singapore food product suppliers.
- Acted for an infrastructure and construction company in the consensual debt restructuring of bank facilities, including Murabahah facilities.
Others
- Acted for a Singapore branch of a Malaysian bank in relation to a S$75 million Commodity Murabaha facility. The facility was provided on Shariah principles and on a Murabaha basis involving selected metal commodities in the London Metal Exchange.
- Acted for banks in on-shore and offshore financing structures in Vietnam and China, in relation to the acquisition of properties and businesses.
