Blog

Following the recent launch of ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL’s ‘A Corporate Journey to the West, or How to make a successful acquisition in the USA’, a bilingual novel for the In-House Community in China (see www.acorporatejourneytothewest.com), this article, by Carl Valenstein of Bingham McCutchen LLP, sheds light on the recent high profile acquisition of A123 Systems Inc by Wanxiang Group and offers some valuable lessons for Chinese companies looking to go down a similar path.

In 2012 approximately US$20 billion of sukuk were issued by corporates in the Gulf Co-Operation Countries (GCC). As companies in the GCC face almost US$90 billion in foreign currency debt through to the end of 2014 and with the current constraints on liquidity in the banking sector remaining, the sukuk market is likely to be a key financing tool for many companies for the next few years. Bryant Edwards, Harj Rai and Lee Irvine of Latham & Watkins explore some of the developments/trends in the Middle East sukuk market over the past year.