NEWS & INSIGHTSUp-to-date.
- Home
- News & Insights
SEARCH BY
LATEST
Žurić i Partneri (ŽIP) Kinstellar advises OTP Banka d.d. on the financing for the acquisition of Dentum Dental Clinic
Our team in Croatia has advised OTP Banka d.d. on the financing for the acquisition of Dentum Dental Clinic via the sale of a majority ownership stake to Adria Dental Group. With this transaction, OTP Banka d.d. continues to support the expansion of Adria Dental Group, which has now positioned itself as the largest dental group in Croatia and the wider region. The group has more than 420 employees, more than 70 practices and over 160 dental specialists, with annual revenues above 30 million euros. The group includes five clinics and five laboratories (Zagreb, Solin, Rijeka and Poreč) with a plan to further expand to the domestic and regional markets. The Kinstellar team in Zagreb was led by Mihovil Granić (Partner)
Kinstellar advises a syndicate of banks led by VÚB banka on a EUR 100 million loan for the development of Bory Mall in Bratislava
Kinstellar’s Bratislava office has recently advised a syndicate of banks led by Všeobecná úverová banka (VÚB Bank) and including Slovenská sporiteľňa, ČSOB and HYPO-BANK Burgenland in relation to a EUR 100 million club loan facility for refinancing and further investment in Bory Mall—a shopping and entertainment centre in Bratislava developed by Penta Real Estate. Kinstellar’s team in Bratislava was managed by Counsel Tomáš Melišek and included Dominika Bajzáthová (Managing Associate), Dáša Labašová (Senior Associate) and Michaela Straková (Junior Associate). Partner Marián Šulík led the team of Škubla & Partneri, which acted as advisors to the borrower. For more information
Kinstellar advises a syndicate of banks led by Komerční banka on the acquisition financing for FutureLife
Kinstellar has successfully advised a syndicate of major Czech banks led by Komerční banka on the acquisition financing for FutureLife, a European leader in reproductive medicine and women’s healthcare. Kinstellar provided complex advice to a banking syndicate (comprising Komerční banka, Česká spořitelna and ČSOB) that provided the financing for the acquisition of the Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health, the largest reproductive clinic in the United Kingdom, and for future expansion by FutureLife Group. Our advice included the preparation and negotiation of the finance documents under Czech law, including a loan syndicate agreement and security package. The Kinstellar team was led by Martina Březinová
The problem with Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)
If a German tourist withdraws cash from an ATM in Prague, the ATM screen may display a choice whether the tourist’s euro account should be charged in the currency of their account (i.e., euro), or in the local currency – Czech koruna. If the tourist chooses the former, they opt for the so-called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) service. DCC is a service enabling instant currency conversions for card-based transactions. DCC was introduced in 1996 to allow cardholders to pay in their home currency when making payments in foreign currencies. This can be either an ATM withdrawal or a card payment at a point-of-sale (POS) terminal in a foreign country. By using the DCC service, the amount of the transaction in the local
Kinstellar advises Helaba on a financing for the historic “NR7” building in central Prague
Kinstellar has successfully advised the German lender Helaba on the provision of a refurbishment and long-term financing to the Czech developer Crestyl for the revitalisation of the historic “NR7” building in Prague’s city centre. Kinstellar advised Helaba in relation to the renovation and long-term financing of the historic, mixed-use NR7 building, originally constructed in 1905. The landmark property, with a total area of approx. 5,600 sqm, is located at the heart of Prague’s historic city centre on Namesti Republiky (Republic Square) opposite the Palladium shopping centre and offers excellent visibility in an area characterised by good retail, office, hotel and downtown residential locations. NR7 benefits
“Buy Now, Pay Later” solutions on the rise – regulatory aspects in Bulgaria
The rapid growth of online shopping as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased demand for different payment options for consumers at the checkout. One such option that is increasingly popular with consumers is the “buy now, pay later” (“BNPL”) solution. The hot trend in consumer credit BNPL allows consumers to defer the payment of the product and repay the purchase price in several instalments over a certain period of time, usually at no interest. BNPL is also a palatable option for merchants, as it gives them another avenue to generate sales by providing consumers an accessible opportunity to acquire products on credit. Such manageable payment options are also likely to strengthen consumer
Kinstellar promotes Mert Elçin to Counsel in Istanbul
Kinstellar is delighted to announce the promotion of Mert Elçin to Counsel in our Istanbul office. Mert has more than 10 years of experience in corporate, M&A and banking and finance transactions as well as regulatory matters and has represented clients from a wide range of sectors, in particular banks, brokers, insurers, asset managers, investment funds and other market participants from the financial services industry, venture capital firms, founders, angel and private equity investors, and companies focusing on life sciences and healthcare, technology, media and telecommunications, retail and manufacturing. He is also experienced handling international arbitration. Mert joined Kinstellar in 2019 as
Kinstellar’s Banking & Finance team in Budapest contributes to ICLG Project Finance 2022
Kinstellar’s Banking & Finance team in Budapest is honoured to have had the opportunity to contribute the chapter on Hungary to this year’s International Comparative Legal Guide to Project Finance. The Q&A-style chapter provides an overview of the main legislative considerations—including security, bankruptcy, restrictions, insurance and arbitration—that should be taken into account by lenders and equity investors when participating in project finance transactions in Hungary. We also address the trends and recent developments in project finance in the country. You can read our chapter, coordinated by Csilla Andrékó, Partner, Budapest and Head of the firm-wide Banking & Finance and Restructuring
National Bank of Ukraine imposes restrictions on the purchase of cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets
The war in Ukraine is being felt across many industries, and the virtual assets market is no exception. In order to prevent a negative outflow of capital, the National Bank of Ukraine (“NBU”) has indirectly prohibited the purchase of cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets using bank accounts denominated in Ukrainian hryvnia (“UAH”). In recently adopted Regulation No. 78 dated 20 April 2022 “On Amendments to the Regulation of the Board of the National Bank of Ukraine dated 24 February 2022 No.18”, the NBU has set a prohibition on the use of UAH for settlements under so-called “quasi cash” transactions. Despite the ban, “quasi cash” transactions in foreign currencies are still permitted, up to the foreign
Kinstellar partners Csilla Andrékó, Diana Dimova, Nina Tsifudina named among IFLR1000 Women Leaders in 2022
Kinstellar is delighted to announce that Csilla Andrékó (Partner in the Budapest office, and head of the firm-wide Banking & Finance service), Diana Dimova (Managing Partner of the Sofia office), and Nina Tsifudina (Partner in the Sofia office) have been recognised among the most prominent women lawyers across the world by the prestigious IFLR1000 “Women Leaders” 2022 ranking. Csilla, Diana and Nina were selected for their outstanding reputations within their markets, impressive track records working on complex deals, the quality of their advice and service, and their leadership roles with their practices. It is the third consecutive year for Diana, the fifth for Csilla, and the first that Nina has received this
Open Banking in Europe in Light of PSD2 Review
Open banking is changing the way people use banking services in the modern world. Europe prides itself on being the cradle of the open banking revolution, with the EU’s Payment Services Directive[1] (PSD2) being one of the first regulatory initiatives to open up bank-held account data. PSD2 has been in force now for more than four years and has already reshaped the European payments sector. The ongoing review of PSD2 brings an opportunity to assess the current status of open banking in Europe as well as the impact of the directive on the sector. Open banking is the practice of enabling secure interoperability in the banking industry by allowing third-party providers (TPPs) to access payment transactions and other data
Overview of virtual asset regulation in Ukraine
The crypto business has grown exponentially in recent years. Ukraine is no exception to this global trend, as local businesses are also at the forefront of crypto products and innovations (DeFi, NFTs, the metaverse and Web 3.0). However, legal uncertainty in Ukraine has created risks for the sustainable development of the local crypto industry and the investments of conventional business in digital assets. This legal uncertainty has been addressed by the recently adopted legislation, which sets out a regulatory framework to minimise the risk and exposure of digital businesses in Ukraine. Although some provisions are framework in nature and secondary legislation is required, we believe that this new legislation will