Our Finance and Banking practice has a strong team of financial services lawyers who offer comprehensive and strategic advice in all areas of financial service activities. Our lawyers advise asset managers, development finance institutions, private equity funds, insurance underwriters, rating agencies, security trusts and guarantors.

We represent some of the largest international banks and all the major banking groups in South Africa. Our financial services lawyers are often called on to give advice on banks’ lending arrangements and regulatory compliance matters. We advise foreign banks on establishing representative branches in South Africa.

We also represent borrowers from the public and private sectors, and financial services providers and other organisations that have direct and indirect interests in lending arrangements.

We offer our clients comprehensive services and support that is built on a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the financial services arena and the corresponding regulatory environment.

Our services include:

• Establishing and operating hedge funds and collective investment schemes, and structuring new products.
• Concluding and documenting exchange-traded derivatives (including futures, options and swaps) using ISDA Master Agreements and over-the-counter derivatives.
• All aspects of insurance law and drafting insurance policies; we advise pension and provident fund administrators and trustees.
• All aspects of primary and secondary legislation governing financial markets and financial services; including the Securities Service Act, Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, the National Credit Act and anti-money-laundering legislation. We also make submissions to the industry regulator on clients’ behalf.
• Drafting agreements and other required documents for safe custody arrangements.
• Drafting various types of securities lending arrangements, including arrangements using ISLA Master Agreements.

Practice Area Rankings

• Chambers Global 2021-2022 ranked our Finance & Banking practice in Band 2 for capital markets: equity and Band 2 for capital markets: debt. From 2013–2020 our Finance & Banking practice was ranked in Band 1 for capital markets: equity and Band 2 for capital markets: debt.
• Chambers Global 2017–2022 ranked our practice in Band 2 for banking & finance.
• Chambers Global 2016  ranked our practice in Band 3 for banking & finance.
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2009–2021 recommended our practice in Tier 2 for banking & finance.
• IFLR1000 2016–2021 ranked our practice in Tier 2 for banking and project finance.
• IFLR1000 2014–2021 ranked our practice in Tier 2 for capital markets.

Ranked Practitioners

• Chambers Global 2020 ranked Deon Wilken in Band 4 for banking & finance. Chambers Global 2014–2019, 2021 and 2022 ranked him in Band 3 for banking & finance. The Legal 500 EMEA 2013–2021 recommended him for banking and finance. IFLR1000 2018 - 2020 recommended Deon as a highly regarded lawyer for capital markets: debt, energy and infrastructure and for project finance. IFLR1000 2014–2015 and 2017 recommended him for capital markets: debt, energy and infrastructure and for project finance.
  
  
• Chambers Global 2017–2022 ranked Jacqueline King in Band 2 for capital markets: debt. Chambers Global 2016 ranked Jacqueline in Band 3 for capital markets: debt. The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 recommended her banking and finance. In 2012–2014 she was recommended for banking and finance.  IFLR1000 2018 - 2020 recommended her as a highly regarded lawyer for capital markets: debt. IFLR1000 2012–2015 recommended Jacqueline as a leading lawyer for capital markets: debt and banking and finance and she was recommended in 2017 for capital markets: debt. Who’s Who Legal 2017 identified her as a leading capital markets lawyer. Who’s Who Legal 2012 and 2014 identified Jacqueline as a leading lawyer for banking and in 2014 The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers identified her as a leading lawyer in capital markets.
  
  
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 recommended Mashudu Mphafudi for banking and finance. In 2018 he was recommended for banking and finance. Who’s Who Legal 2013 identified him as a leading lawyer for project finance. IFLR1000 2020 ranked Mashudu as a highly regarded leading lawyer for banking, capital markets: debt and project finance. IFLR1000 2018 recommended Mashudu as a "rising star" for banking, capital markets: debt and project finance.

• Chambers Global 2021-2022 ranked Jenni Darling Band 4 for banking and finance. In  2016–2020 she was reanked as up and coming for banking and finance. The Legal 500 EMEA 2020-2021 recommended Jenni for banking and finance.
  
  
• Chambers Global 2012–2022 ranked Ludwig Smith in Band 1 for banking and finance and in Band 3 for tax. Legal 500 EMEA 2017-2021 listed Ludwig as a 'leading individual' for banking and finance and recommended him for tax. In 2013–2015 he was recommended for banking and finance, and tax. Who's Who Legal 2017 identified Ludwig as a leading lawyer in Banking: Regulatory. Who’s Who Legal 2011 identified Ludwig as a leading lawyer in Banking: Finance and Corporate Tax: Advisory. Ludwig Smith has been named a leading lawyer by Who's Who Legal: Corporate Tax – Advisory for 2017 and 2018. Ludwig Smith was named one of the world’s leading Banking lawyers by Who’s Who Legal: Banking 2018.
  
  
• The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 recommended Jess Reid as a rising star for banking and finance.