In Brief (International) November 2013

1) Jones Day and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have taken lead roles on the first major Asian investment in Italy’s Serie-A football clubs. FC Internazionale Milano (Inter) and its majority shareholder Internazionale Holding, wholly controlled by Italian oil tycoon Massimo Moratti, has recently signed an agreement to sell 70 per cent stake in the football club to three Indonesian businessmen, Erick Thohir, Rosan Roeslani and Handy Soetedjo. The deal is estimated to be worth up to £300m. 

2) Allen & Overy and Australian firm Minter Ellison have advised Lloyds Banking Group in selling its Australian operations to Australian bank Westpac for £900m. The deal is one of the largest financial services transactions in Australia and will see Lloyds Group sell its Australian asset finance business, Capital Finance Australia (CFAL), and its corporate loan portfolio, BOS International Australia to Westpac Banking Corporation. 

3) DLA Piper has advised Coca-Cola Icecek, the Turkey-based international Coca-Cola bottler, in its inaugural offering of five-year bonds worth USD500m. Coca-Cola Icecek is one of the six largest bottlers in the global Coca-Cola system, and one of about 250 bottlers owned by the corporation globally. DLA Piper’s team advising the issuer was led by Barboutis in London and corporate partner Ekin Gokkilic from Turkish associated firm Yüksel Karkın Küçük (YKK). The pair were assisted by capital markets counsel Sarah Kight, corporate senior associate Alexander Kolmakov and YKK associates Ceren Berispek and Hazal Korkmaz.