Benja Supannakul
Biography
Benja is a partner in the Bangkok office of Baker McKenzie. She joined Baker McKenzie in 2001 and is specialized in the areas of financial products including but not limited to derivatives, structured products, structured finance, wealth management, private banking, fund management and debt capital market, especially in regard to the regulatory matters. She has been also acting as a Thai legal counsel for ISDA Association and regularly advises international banks, capital markets intermediaries, fund managers, insurance companies and other financial institutions on financial services compliance and regulatory matters. She has been recognized by several of the world's leading legal directories.
Practice Focus
Benja's practice includes extensive representation of international and domestic corporate and financial clients on a broad range of banking and finance and securities law related issues with a focus on regulatory matters. She has had the leading role on several first-to-market deals and has advised leading global financial institutions in entering the Thai market for the first time. She is well sought-after for her expertise, particularly in the areas of private wealth management, derivatives, structured finance, debt capital markets, private equity funds and fund management, fintech and bankruptcy.
Representative Legal Matters
- Advised the largest Thai fund management company in the set up the first private equity fund in Thailand.
- Advised and assisted several Swiss multinational investment banks and financial services companies in setting up a private wealth management business in Thailand both in the form of a joint venture and a foreign wholly owned company.
- Advised an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation and its counterparties in respect of offering private wealth management products and structured notes in Thailand.
- Advised several foreign financial institutions on manual for offering their products and services to Thai clients on a cross-border basis.
- Provided regulatory advices on licensing requirements, conduct rules, fintech, brokerage, settlement and custodian businesses to several local and foreign financial institutions.
- Advising both local and foreign financial institutions from both buy and sell sides in offering derivatives and structured products to clients in Thailand.
Professional Honors
- "Leading Individual", Banking and Finance, The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2016-2020
- "Rising Star", Banking, IFLR1000: Financial and Corporate Guide, 2015-2020
- "Stand Out Lawyer", Acritas Stars, 2018-2019
- Lead Partner on the only dedicated Structured Finance and Securitization team in Thailand, IFLR1000 Specialist Guide, 2019
- "Best in Structured Finance", Euromoney's Asia Women in Business Law Awards, shortlisted 2018
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Extraordinary Member of Thai Bar Association
- Law Society of Thailand
Admissions
- Thailand (2003)
Education
- Cambridge University (LL.M.) (2006)
- Chulalongkorn University (LL.B. (Honors)) (2001)
Languages
- English
- Thai
Baker & McKenzie Ltd. is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein.