Kah Chin Chu | People | Baker McKenzie

Biography

Kah Chin Chu is a principal in the Finance & Projects Practice Group of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore. She has worked in the Baker McKenzie offices in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

Kah Chin is recognised as a Next Generation Partner for Banking & Finance in Singapore by Legal 500 Asia Pacific since 2020. She is also recognised as a notable practitioner in Banking & Finance: Singapore by IFLR1000 since 2019. She is awarded the "Banking and Finance Lawyer of the Year" in Asia Legal Awards 2023 by the Asian Lawyer and the law.com international. She is recognised as "A-lister" for international lawyers in the IBLJ's International A-List 2023.

Kah Chin is identified by a client as "the main counsel running the transaction," and is praised for "putting in quite a bit of work on that front to create a pleasant working experience."

Practice Focus

Kah Chin regularly advises financial institutions, sponsors and borrowers in financing transactions, including syndicated financing, structured financing, leveraged loans, acquisition financing, real property financing and ESG financing.

Representative Legal Matters

Acted for the mandated lead arrangers and the lenders in the USD 1.175 billion syndicated financing to REC Limited. This was the largest ever syndicated deal closed by an Indian non-bank financial institution then.
Advised the mandated lead arrangers, the joint social loan coordinators and the lenders on the USD 1.1 billion syndicated social loan facility to Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. This facility is the world’s largest social loan to date, India’s largest social financing issuance, the first social external commercial borrowing ("ECB") loan out of India and the largest ECB loan deal from a housing finance company.
Advised PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) (PLN) on a USD 500 million "green" financing facility with a guarantee from the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). This transaction is the first green loan obtained by PLN and by any State-Owned Enterprise in Indonesia.
Advised the mandated lead arrangers as the lead counsel on the JPY Equivalent of USD 1.1 billion syndicated green loan facility to Indian Railway Finance Corporation, a government-linked entity managed by the Ministry of Railway, to raise funding for railway expansion in India. This is the first ever green loan deal executed by an Indian public sector unit for which the proceeds will be applied to reduce dependence on fossil fuels with measures like electrification of its tracks and addition of electric locos.
Advised the mandated lead arrangers and lenders in the USD 750 million sustainability linked financing to UPL Corporation Limited (UPL). This is the first ever sustainability linked loan in South Asia. The deal has won the "Deal of the Year" awarded by India Business Law Journal in 2021.
Acting for EDP Renewables on the acquisition of 91% stake in the Sunseap Group, the largest solar distributor in Southeast Asia and the subsequent acquisition financing provided by EDP Group companies to the Sunseap Group. The transaction was reached through an agreement with the major shareholders of the Sunseap Group for a total consideration of SGD 1.1 billion. This matter is particularly significant given the acquisition and the financing involved multiple jurisdictions and various cross-security arrangements. The deal generated considerable press coverage given the complexity, multijurisdictional angle, and industry significance of the transaction.
Acted for the mandated lead arrangers in the USD 2.5 billion bridge facility to ONGC Videsh Limited guaranteed by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation for the acquisition of the participating interest in the Rovuma Area 1 Offshore Block located in Mozambique.
Acted for the mandated lead arrangers in the USD 1.85 billion bridge facility to BPRL International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Oil India International Pte. Ltd., IOCL Singapore Pte. Ltd. guaranteed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited for the acquisition of up to 23.9% shares of JSC Vankorneft from Rosneft Oil Company and up to 29.9% of the participatory share of LLC "Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha" from LLC RN Razvedka I Dobycha.
Acted for an Indonesian developer in the developmental financing for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of "Thamrin Nine Complex" in central Jakarta comprising of 5 star hotels, serviced apartments, commercial and retails space with total development value in excess of USD 775 million.

Professional Honors

Recognised by the Singapore Business Review in 2016 as the top 70 most influential lawyers aged 40 and below
Recognised as a Next Generation Partner for Banking & Finance: Singapore by Legal 500 Asia Pacific since 2020
Recommended for Banking & Finance: Singapore by Legal 500 Asia Pacific since 2018
Recognised as a notable practitioner in Banking & Finance: Singapore by IFLR1000 since 2019
Won the "Banking and Finance Lawyer of the Year" in the Asia Legal Awards 2023 by the Asian Lawyer and the law.com international
Recognised as the finalists of the "Dealmaker of the Year" by the Asian Legal Business SE Asia Law Awards 2023
Recognised as an "A-lister" for international lawyers in the IBLJ’s International A-List 2023

Professional Associations and Memberships

Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb)
Malaysian Bar
Kuala Lumpur Bar
Middle Temple Inn of Court
Law Society of England & Wales

Admissions

Malaysia (2004)
England & Wales~United Kingdom (2003)

Education

University of Nottingham (LLB, with Honours)
University of Warwick (LLM, with Merit)

Languages

English
Mandarin
Bahasa

Previous Offices

Hong Kong
Jakarta
Kuala Lumpur