Client: Ultra high net worth private client holding a significant strategic shareholding in a FTSE 100 company
Deal Value: £100,000,000
The Challenge
One of our most complex mandates to date. The client held a significant strategic shareholding in a FTSE 100 listed company representing a position of considerable scale relative to the company's free float. They required £100,000,000 in liquidity to fund a major international real estate acquisition portfolio across four jurisdictions. The size of the position relative to daily trading volumes made conventional securities lending impossible through standard channels. Additionally the client's insider status and associated dealing restrictions created significant structural complexity that eliminated most lending options entirely.
The Solution
We engaged a highly specialised team of securities lawyers, compliance advisors and a small number of elite international lenders capable of handling positions of this scale and complexity. The facility was structured with a bespoke collar arrangement that satisfied regulatory requirements around the client's insider status whilst providing the required liquidity. A detailed legal opinion was obtained across all four real estate acquisition jurisdictions and the lending structure was approved by the client's own legal and compliance team before drawdown.
The Outcome
The client successfully accessed £100,000,000 in liquidity whilst remaining fully compliant with all regulatory obligations relating to their insider status. The international real estate acquisition portfolio completed across all four jurisdictions within the required timeframe. The facility structure has since been recognised within the industry as an innovative solution to a highly complex lending challenge.
his was an extraordinarily complex transaction that required a level of expertise and discretion we had not encountered before. The result exceeded every expectation.
— Client — Strategic Shareholder, London