Bio
Fiona Chan is a partner in the corporate department of Appleby’s Hong Kong office, leading the Banking and Finance practice in the Hong Kong office as well as Appleby’s Technology & Innovation Group in Asia. Fiona has over 20 years of offshore and onshore experience in the Asian market and advises on the laws of Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands.
Her broad offshore law practice spans banking and finance transactions including acquisition, leveraged and project financing, privatisation financing, shipping and aircraft financing, structured products, fund financing, crypto/digital financing, non-contentious insurances, bond issuance and restructuring of corporates and financial institutions. Fiona is routinely instructed by major international and Asian financial institutions, listed and private companies, securities providers and leading law firms.
Fiona is the editor of the firm’s quarterly publication Appleby Asia Alert which provides offshore legal and regulatory updates to Asian clients. She regularly speaks at international conferences and offers seminars and training to various organisations. Her expertise is frequently sought by industry and legal journals and publications.
She sits on the firm’s global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee and leads the Women’s Leadership Network in Hong Kong. She is also a committee member of the InsurTech Committee of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong, Women in Law Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area Young Talents Association.
Fiona’s recent awards and recognition include:
- 2019 – 2022 Next Generation Partners Legal 500 Asia Pacific Guide
- 2018 – 2021 Rising Star IFLR 1000
- 2017 – 2021 Offshore Client Choice List Asian Legal Business
- 2020 Lawyer of the year for Offshore Women in Business Law Awards
Fiona is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
EXPERTISE:
Some of Fiona’s recent cases include:
- acted as Cayman counsel to Citibank N.A. Hong Kong Branch in relation to an over USD100m receivables-backed securitisation facility to Qupital Limited in the first e-commerce merchant financing securitisation in Asia to merchants on online platforms
- acted as BVI counsel to Citigroup Global Markets Asia Limited in connection with the sale of 26.02% interest in HK-listed Sun Art Retail Group Limited, one of China’s largest supermarket retailers, by Kofu International Limited and Concord Greater China Limited, held by Taiwan-listed Ruentex Group, to Taobao China Holding Limited, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group
- acted as Bermuda counsel to DBS Bank Ltd. in a HKD3.5 billion acquisition facility for the privatisation of Haier Electronics by Haier Smart Home by way of the scheme of arrangement under section 99 of Companies Act of Bermuda, under which new H shares of Haier Smart Home were offered in exchange for the shares held by Haier Electronics. The transaction was the largest H-share privatisation in the home appliance industry and of a Chinese company, and the largest H-share listing by introduction
- acted as Bermuda counsel to China Development Bank Corporation Dalian Branch in a USD26 million facility to CNG Glass (Nigeria) Fze. (incorporated in Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone of Nigeria and a subsidiary of China Glass Holdings Limited) for the purpose of financing the construction of a glass production facility in Nigeria as part of its strategy of investing and developing the African markets
- acted as BVI counsel to AngelHub, Hong Kong’s first SFC licensed equity crowdfunding plat form for professional investors and global technology start-ups, on a series of financing into the group, together with related corporate, trust, technology and general legal and regulatory assessment
- acted as Bermuda and Cayman counsel to the largest Norwegian financial services group in its global ship finance and vessel acquisition deals, including a USD240 million loan facilities for the acquisition of ten vessels and a USD700 million facility for the collateral arrangements for change of ownership of vessels
Education:
- University of Oxford (England)
- College of Law, London (England)
