Dr. Markus Wolf

Biography

Dr. Markus Wolf is a partner in Baker McKenzie's Zurich office. He is cohead of the Swiss Banking & Finance Practice Group and a member of the Swiss Restructuring & Insolvency team. He previously worked in the Firm's Sydney office, and he was seconded to the legal team of one of Switzerland's leading banks. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie in 2012, he worked as a visiting associate with The Boston Consulting Group. "Markus Wolf is a highly skilled and very experienced banking and finance lawyer. He is keen, precise and solution-oriented. His track record in banking and finance transactions is very impressive. He knows what clients expect and need in complex banking and finance transactions and fully meets these expectations." (Legal 500, 2024).

Markus is a lecturer in private law at the University of St. Gallen (HSG).

Practice Focus

Markus advises on all aspects of banking and finance as well as restructuring and insolvency. He has extensive experience advising lenders, borrowers and sponsors on complex, multijurisdictional leveraged acquisition, corporate, project, export, trade and property financing transactions. He also has experience in public sector (sovereign) financing. He regularly acts for Swiss and foreign creditors and debtors in domestic and cross-border financial restructurings and formal insolvency procedures.

Markus has published numerous articles on banking and finance as well as restructuring and insolvency topics in Swiss and international journals (including the Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, the International Financial Law Review and the Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice).

Representative Legal Matters

Advised UBS on a CHF 9 billion Loss Protection Agreement with the Swiss Confederation in the context of the merger between UBS and Credit Suisse.
Advised UBS Switzerland AG, Credit Suisse (Switzerland) Ltd. and a syndicate of banks in CHF 1.5 billion revolving credit financing for Swiss International Air Lines AG and Edelweiss Air AG partially secured by the Swiss Confederation.
Advised BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank on CHF 19 billion bridge financing for Roche Holding Ltd.
Advised Georg Fischer in connection with the bank financing of its EUR 2.1 billion voluntary public cash tender offer for all shares in Uponor.
Advised Commerzbank and SEB on their USD 810 million term loan facility for Clariant's acquisition of Lucas Meyer Cosmetics.
Advised R&S Group on a CHF 233 million bridge loan facility for its acquisition of Kyte Powertech.
Advised Arbonia on a EUR 100 million bridge loan facility for its acquisition of the Dimoldura Group and Lignis.
Advised Commerzbank on USD 586.25 million guarantee facility agreements for Calik Enerji.
Advised Feintool on its EUR 25 million Schuldscheindarlehen (promissory note loans) with Landesbank Baden-Württemberg acting as arranger.
Advised Coöperatieve Rabobank and UBS Switzerland on a EUR 930 million multicurrency revolving credit facility agreement for Aryzta.
Advised UBS-led bank syndicate on the financing of Ardian's acquisition of a stake in the Mimacom Flowable Group.
Advised VAT Group on CHF 450 million term and multicurrency revolving credit facilities agreement.

Professional Honors

Listed as "Up and Coming" in Switzerland for Banking & Finance, Chambers Global, 2023 and 2024
Listed as "Up and Coming" in Switzerland for Banking & Finance, Chambers Europe, 2023 and 2024
Listed as a "Next Generation Partner" in Switzerland for Banking & Finance, The Legal 500, 2024
Listed as a "Next Generation Partner" in Switzerland for Insolvency and Corporate Recovery, The Legal 500, 2024

Professional Associations and Memberships

Member, International Bar Association (Banking Law Committee and Insolvency Section)
Member, Australian Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Member, Swiss Bar Association
Member, Zurich Bar Association
Member, HSG Alumni
Member, ISC Alumni
Member, Swiss Turnaround Association

Admissions

Switzerland (2014)

Education

Loan Market Association (Syndicated Loans Course for Lawyers) (2017)
University of Sydney (LL.M.) (2017)
University of St. Gallen (Dr. iur. HSG) (2012)
University of St. Gallen (M.A. HSG in Law & Economics) (2010)
University of St. Gallen (B.A. HSG in Law & Economics) (2008)
Singapore Management University (Exchange Student) (2006)

Languages

English
German

Previous Offices

Sydney

Publications

Co-Author (with Felix Maier), “Restructuring and Insolvency in Switzerland: Overview”, Thomson Reuters Practical Law, May 2025
Co-author, "Lending to a Company in Switzerland: Signing and Closing a Corporate Loan Transaction," Practical Law Practice Note, 2024
Co-author, "Lending to a Company in Switzerland: Structuring the Transaction," Practical Law Practice Note, 2024
Co-author, "Lending to a Company in Switzerland: Legal and Documentation Issues," Practical Law Practice Note, 2024
Co-author, "Acquisition Financing," in: Ueli Studer, Kelsang Tsün and Joanna Long (ed.), Swiss M&A Practice Guide, Fifth Edition, London, 2024
Co-author, "Distressed M&A in Switzerland," in: Ueli Studer, Kelsang Tsün and Joanna Long (ed.), Swiss M&A Practice Guide, Fifth Edition, London, 2024

Co-author, "Acquisition Financing," in: Ueli Studer, Kelsang Tsün and Joanna Long (ed.), Swiss M&A Practice Guide, Fourth Edition, London, 2023
Co-author, "Distressed M&A in Switzerland," in: Ueli Studer, Kelsang Tsün and Joanna Long (ed.), Swiss M&A Practice Guide, Fourth Edition, London, 2023
Co-author, "Lending to a Company in Switzerland: Legal and Documentation Issues," Practical Law Practice Note, 2023
Co-author, "Lending to a Company in Switzerland: Structuring the Transaction," Practical Law Practice Note, 2023
Co-author, "Lending to a Company in Switzerland: Signing and Closing a Corporate Loan Transaction," Practical Law Practice Note, 2023
Co-author, "Acquisition Financing," in: Ueli Studer, Kelsang Tsün and Sophie Stähli (ed.), Swiss M&A Practice Guide, Third Edition, London, 2022
Co-author, "Acquisition Financing," in: Ueli Studer, Kelsang Tsün and Sophie Stähli (ed.), Swiss M&A Practice Guide, Second Edition, London 2021
Co-author, "Approaching the endgame: LIBOR transition in the Swiss syndicated loan market," 3 Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law (JIBFL), 2021
Co-author, "Acquisition Financing," in: Ueli Studer, Kelsang Tsün and Sophie Stähli (ed.), Swiss M&A Practice Guide, First Edition, London 2020
Co-author, "Masterclass in Swiss efficiency: spotlight on Switzerland’s government-backed COVID-19 loan programme for SMEs," (2020) 7 Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law (JIBFL), 475
Co-author, "A matter of interest: Swiss Federal Supreme Court renders landmark judgment on negative interest in loan agreements," (2019) 7 Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law (JIBFL), 499
Co-author, "Haftung faktischer Organe für Schäden aus Konkursverschleppung," in: Thomas Sprecher (ed.), Sanierung und Insolvenz von Unternehmen IX - Neue Entwicklungen, 2019
Author, "Dead Man Walking - Insolvent Trading Under Swiss Law," (2019) 2 Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law (JIBFL), 142
Co-author, "Rare But There," (2018) 3 International Financial Law Review, 1
Author, "Benefits of intercreditor agreements in cross-border restructurings," (2017) 5 Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice, 630
Author, "Intra-group lending in Switzerland – risky business?," (2017) 6 Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law (JIBFL), 376
Co-author, "Cash Pooling und andere Konzernfinanzierungen vor neuen Herausforderungen," (2015) 3 Der Schweizer Treuhänder, 131
Co-author, "Sanierung von Tochtergesellschaften," (2014) 1 Schweizerische Juristen-Zeitung, 1
Co-author, "Cash Pooling – Was ist noch zulässig? Ausgewählte Bemerkungen zum Urteil HG130015-O des Handelsgerichts des Kantons Zürich vom 20. Januar 2014," (2014) 2 Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Gesellschafts- und Kapitalmarktrecht sowie Umstrukturierungen (GesKR), 264
Author, "Stillhalteabkommen kreditgebender Banken", Schweizer Schriften zum Handels- und Wirtschaftsrecht, Vol. 310, Zurich / St. Gallen 2012
Co-author, "Rechtsprechung und Entwicklungen zum Aktien- sowie GmbH-Recht und Stand der Aktienrechtsrevision," Kunz/Jörg/Arter (eds.), Entwicklungen im Gesellschaftsrecht VII, Bern 2012

Presentations / Speaking Engagements

Co-host and speaker on "Typische Nuisance-Points bei der Verhandlung von Kreditverträgen," at the Schulthess Forum Kreditfinanzierung in Zurich, 2024
Speaker at the Loan Market Association's first Swiss documentation training in Zurich, 2024
Speaker at the Loan Market Association's annual Swiss banking & finance conference in Zurich, 2024
Co-presenter on "Unternehmen in der Krise" at HSG, Wirtschaftsrecht für Manager, 2024
Speaker at the Loan Market Association's annual Swiss banking and finance conference in Zurich, 2023
Co-host and speaker on "Aktuelle Entwicklungen bei Akquisitionsfinanzierungen" at the Schulthess Forum Kreditfinanzierung in Zurich, 2023
Speaker at the Loan Market Association's webinar "Bank mergers, finance party defaults and other situations – legal and practical implications under loan documentation," 2023