There has been no shortage of twists and turns on the capital markets in 2016. Despite unexpected events, such as Brexit and the US elections, Finnish issuers have remained active in raising equity and debt capital, which has been reflected in our workload.
In 2016 we continued to hold a strong position as a leading practice in our sector. We were involved in several of the year’s most prominent equity issues, and in debt capital markets the total value of the assignments handled by us reached a record-high level of 4.5 billion euros. All in all, we acted as a legal advisor in a total of 16 capital markets offerings in 2016.
- We successfully represented DNA Oyj in its IPO on the main list of Nasdaq Helsinki. This was the largest Finnish IPO of the decade.
- We also advised the issuers and manager banks in several other equity arrangements. These included Sponda Plc’s and Etteplan Oyj’s rights offerings, SSH Communications Security Corporation’s directed share issue and Dovre Group Plc’s and Restamax Plc’s share listings.
- On the debt capital markets, our expertise was trusted by many issuers, such as Cramo Plc, FIT Biotech Ltd, Ukkoverkot Oy, Ferratum Oyj, Central Bank of Savings Banks Finland Plc, Sp Mortgage Bank Plc, Bonum Bank Plc, the Mortgage Society of Finland and Vapo Oy.
- In addition to offerings, we were also kept busy by assignments relating to fintech and new forms of financing. For example, we assisted automated portfolio management services company Evervest Oy in acquiring authorisation to act as an investment firm.
- Alongside client assignments, we again did our part in developing the field, for example, by contributing to the new IPO handbook published by the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion.
Our capital markets team is the largest on the market, and its strengths include market-proven expertise, innovative approach and seamless teamwork. We are at home navigating continually changing financial regulations and blazing a trail for new market practices. Our capital markets services are continuously ranked as first-tier by leading legal directories, such as Legal500 and IFLR1000.
Our team is headed up by market leaders Merja Kivelä and Janne Lauha. Our versatile and experienced associates include senior associates Thomas Landell, Anna-Maarit Laurila and Erika Saarela; associates Hannu Huotilainen, Niko Johansson, Erno Kaskinen, Aksu Tuominen and Viola Valtanen; as well as professional support lawyer Kristina Mirtti.
Our team wishes you all a happy and above all innovative 2017!