Fiona Chan

Bio

Fiona Chan is a partner in the corporate department of Appleby’s Hong Kong office, leading the Banking and Finance, Private Client & Trusts practices in the Hong Kong office as well as Appleby’s Technology & Innovation Group and Economic Substance Working Group in Asia. Fiona has almost 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, shipping and aircraft financing, structured products, fund financing, bond issuance and restructuring of corporates and financial institutions. In the private client practice space, Fiona specialises in advising on Bermuda insurances and trust structures of various offshore jurisdictions.

Fiona is routinely instructed by major international and Asian financial institutions, listed and private companies, securities providers and leading onshore law firms.

Fiona is the editor of the firm’s quarterly publication Appleby Asia Alert. She is also a member of the InsurTech Committee of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong and Women in Law Hong Kong.

Fiona has been widely recognised by her clients as well as legal directories, such as “Rising Star” by IFLR 1000 from 2018 – 2020 and “Next Generation Partners” by Legal 500 Asia Pacific Guide from 2019 – 2021. Legal 500 described her as “client-oriented”. She was also selected as one of the region’s 10 most notable offshore lawyers of the Asian Legal Business’ Offshore Client Choice List 4 years in a row from 2017-2020.

Fiona leads the Female Lenders network for Appleby Hong Kong which brings together women in senior positions across the jurisdictions in which the firm operates.  She was named as “Lawyer of the year for Offshore” at the Women in Business Law Awards 2020 and shortlisted as Women Lawyer of the Year by Asian Legal Business in 2019 and 2020.  She was also selected as one of the 2017 Influential Women in Re/Insurance by Intelligent Insurer and recognised in Legal 500 Asia Pacific (Offshore).

Fiona is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

EXPERTISE:

Some of Fiona’s recent cases include:

• acting as Bermuda counsel to DBS Bank Ltd. in a HKD3.5b facility acquisition financing relating to the privatisation of Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd. by way of a Bermuda scheme of arrangement involving an exchange of H shares of Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd., being the largest H-share privatization transaction in the history of the home appliance industry, the largest H-share privatization transaction of a Chinese company so far, and the largest H-share listing by introduction in history
• acting as BVI counsel to Pacific Aegis Capital Management in a HKD330m structured loan financing to provide refinancing and liquidity support to HNA Group (International) Company Limited
• acting as BVI and Bermuda counsel to InfraRed NF, winner of the “Real Estate Debt Fund Manager” Private Debt Investor Award, in a USD92.2m financing investment with Fullsun International Holdings Group, a Hong Kong listed property developer
• acting as BVI and Cayman counsel to DBS Bank Limited on the acquisition financing relating to a HKD4.5b privatization of Springland International Holdings Limited, a company principally engaged in the operation of department stores and supermarkets in the PRC, by way of Cayman scheme of arrangement
• advising Citigroup Global Markets Asia Limited as BVI counsel 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
• advising China Development Bank Corporation Dalian Branch as Bermuda counsel 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 under the OBOR policy
• advising the largest Norwegian financial services group as Bermuda and Cayman counsel in global ship finance and vessel acquisition deals, including a USD240m loan facilities for the acquisition of ten vessels and a USD700m facility for the collateral arrangements for change of ownership of vessels.
• advising AngelHub, Hong Kong’s first SFC licensed equity crowdfunding platform for professional investors and global technology start-ups, as BVI counsel in all aspects including corporate advice on the structuring of offshore vehicles, preparation of corporate and operational documents of the equity crowdfunding platform; financing advice on series of financing into the group, trust advice on setting up of employee benefit plans for the group and general legal and regulatory assessment.

Speaking Engagement & Publications:

Fiona regular speaks at international conferences and offers seminars and training to various law firms and organisations, including Asia-Pacific Fund Finance Symposium, Blockchain for Finance conference, Chinese offshore Summit, Business BVI Asia Annual Regional Conference, China’s first Family Trust Legal Service Centre, Asia Private Banking & Family Office Summit, Family Office Solutions Showcases, Asia Insurance Review, LexOmnibus, Hong Kong Trustee Association, Academy & Finance, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries and other professional bodies.

Her expertise is frequently sought by industry and legal journals. Apart from contributing to Asia Legal Business, China Business Law Journal, IFC Economic Report, China Daily, Hong Kong Lawyer, etc, she also contributed to the China Offshore Trusts & Foundations Guide. She is also the editor of Appleby Asia Alert, Appleby’s quarterly update to Asian clients on offshore legislative developments.

Education:

• University of Oxford (England)
• College of Law, London (England)