Liang Zhou

Practice Areas

Banking and Finance

Merger and Acquisition

International Business

Technology and Data Compliance

Dispute Resolution

Insurance and Reinsurance

Career

Senior Partner, Dacheng Law Offices, 2011-Present

Associate, King & Wood Mallesons, 2007-2011

Professional Memberships

Bar Association of Guangdong Province, China

Bar Association of Guangzhou City, China

Publications

Decoding the Corporate Medium and Long-Term Foreign Debt Registration, December 2021

“New Policy Boost for Panda Bond Market”, China Forex, March 2019

“Reverse Periodic Factor of Reset”, China Forex, September 2018

“Impact of NDRC’s New Regulation on Overseas Investment”, China Forex, February 2018

“A Preliminary Research on Project of Financing Model”, China Forex, April 2017,

“A Successful Case of Cross-Border Funding under Notice NO.132”, China Forex, October 2016

“Comparison on the Regional Channels of Cross-Border Funding”, China Forex, October 2016

Personal

Director, Cross-border Finance and Capital Market Legal Committee of Guangdong Bar Association

Legal Advisor, People's Government of Guangdong Province

Lecturer of LLM degree (Foreign Involved Lawyer), Peking University

Specially Appointed Tutor, Hong Kong Institute of Bankers

Director, International Centre for Legal Research in Finance, Dacheng

Co-head, Finance Industry Committee, Dacheng

Clients

Mr. Zhou has provided legal services for many global top banks and financial institutions, fortune global 500, domestic and overseas listed companies, funds and securities companies, covering cross-border dispute resolution, data compliance, M&A, bonds, capital market and other practice areas. His representative clients include:

International banks:

JP Morgan

Standard Chartered Bank

HSBC

China Construction Bank (Asia)

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited

Bank of China Hong Kong Branch

Bank of East Asia

Chong Hing Bank

Fushion Bank

United Overseas Bank

Banco Santander

ABN AMRO Bank

ING Bank N.V.

Rabobank

Fifth Third Bank

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited

Emirates NBD Bank PJSC

Banco Santander

Bank of Montreal

CMB Wing Lung Bank

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

Nanyang Commercial Bank

Toronto-Dominion Bank

First Abu Dhabi Bank

International companies and listed companies:

EVE Energy

3M

Yuntinic Hong Kong

Westmining Group

Atotech

Ipsos

Cardinal Health

Lucta

Evergreen

Funds and securities companies:

CCB International (Holdings) Limited

ABC International Holdings Limited

HSBC Nan Fung Investment Management Co., Ltd.

Penco Capital Management Private Ltd.,

Guangzhou Industrial Investment Fund

Stenn International

Guangfa Securities

Dongxing Securities

Guangzhou Financial Holding Group Co., Ltd.

China International Capital Corporation Ltd.

Work Highlights

Banking & Finance

Bank of Montreal: Advising on the CAD 267.45 million banking facilities to a Canadian company and guaranteed by its Chinese subsidiaries. This transaction was awarded as Deal of the Year of China by Business Law Journal in 2024.

China Construction Bank Corporation: Advising in connection with its USD 18 billion offering of multicurrency ESG bonds in 2021.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) and ICBC Hong Kong Branch: Counselling many cross-border and offshore RMB products and other innovative financial products including RMB cross-border guarantees, risk participation, entrusted loans, overseas payment, cross border guarantee, structured finance, prepaid card financing arrangement.

China Construction Bank Hong Kong Branch and CCB (Asia): Advising on tens of cross-border financing transactions in connection with structural financing arrangement of cross-border capital flows at the total amount up to RMB 50 billion, as well as on more than 35 cross-border and offshore RMB products and other innovative financial products.

Bank of China Hong Kong Branch (BOCHK): Advising on financial products which are of great influence on diversifying financing approaches to cross-border transactions and accelerating the RMB internationalization, etc.

China Industrial Bank Hong Kong Branch (CIBHK): Advising on a HKD 862.5 million cross-border financing project between CIBHK and a HK real estate company with various ways of mortgage and pledge, as well as on import bills financing products.

Standard Chartered Bank: Advising on a USD 380 million international syndicate loan to the government of Republic of Zambia insured by a Sinosure policy, on reviewing the Sinosure policy and issuing a legal opinion on the Sinosure policy..

HSBC: Advising on banking facilities to a Hong Kong pharmaceutical company and secured by a real estate mortgage.

Merger & Acquisition

Guangdong Yue Cai Investment Holding Co., Ltd.: Advising on its acquisition of a commercial bank in Guangdong.

Mitsui (fortune global 500): Advising on in its acquisition of domestic large automobile enterprises.

Cardinal Health (NASDAQ listed company of medical industry): Advising on its acquisition of a large medical enterprise in Guangdong.

Tesco: Advising on its acquisition of a number of real estate properties in China, including their regional head office in Guangzhou.

HSBC NF Fund: Advising on its acquisition of a group of PRC real property companies.

IPSOS (the world's third largest market research group): Advising on its acquisition of 3 technology companies in the fields of data information, network technology and information technology.

Deutsche Bank: Advising on its acquisition of a real estate company in Guangzhou.

Capital and Debt Market

China Construction Bank Corporation: Advising in connection with its USD 18 billion offering of multicurrency ESG bonds in 2021.

Zhejiang Changxing Financial Holding Group Co: Advising in connection with its USD 1.6 billion offering of offshore bonds in 2020.

China Construction Bank Canada Branch: Advising in connection with its offering of mid-term debentures in 2019.

Guangfa Bank: Advising in connection with its RMB 15 billion offering of common shares.

Guangzhou Metro: Advising in connection with its USD 1 billion offering of overseas debentures in 2018.

Guangzhou Financial Holding Group Co., Ltd.: Advising in connection with its USD 250 million offering of overseas debentures.

Dispute Resolution

RBK Bank of Kazakhstan: Representing RBK Bank of Kazakhstan in cross-border financing disputes, with an amount of tens of millions yuan.

China Construction Bank (Asia): Representing China Construction Bank (Asia) in financial loan contract disputes, leading and coordinating the litigation against 45 entities in more than 20 provinces and cities in the mainland, with an amount of HKD 30 million.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia): Representing Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) in raising arbitration against a listed company, with an amount of RMB 30 million.

China Construction Bank (Asia): Representing China Construction Bank (Asia) in connection with its loan dispute and obtained favorable court decision.

Data Compliance

Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited: Advising on legal compliance in relation to its cross-border data transmission.

BOC Group Life Assurance Company Limited: Advising on legal compliance in relation to its Chinese mainland customer’s cross-border data transmission.

Fusion Bank: Advising on legal compliance in relation to its collection of personal information, its KYC program and mobile App publication in the mainland.

Atotech: Advising on legal compliance in relation to its employee’s data cross-border compliance program and its online commerce platform information collection program.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce: Advising on legal compliance in relation to its cross-border involvement with domestic customer’s personal information.

Others

3M（U.S. listed technology company）: Advising on its restructuring of a SANLAIYIBU company.

IPF FUND: Advising on the patent pledge from a French company.

Fifth Third Bank: Advising on corporate compliance and regulation.

Colgate (fortune global 500): Advising on corporate governance and dispute resolution.

TTM Technologies: Advising on corporate governance and dispute resolution.

Atotech: Advising on daily operation and commercial transactions.

Lucta: Advising on daily operation and commercial transactions.

Industry Sector Expertise

Banking and Finance

Technology, Media and Telecom

Real Estate

Green Energy

Expert in these Jurisdictions

PRC

Languages Spoken

English, Mandarin and Cantonese

Experience

Mr. Zhou is an internationally renowned lawyer in the areas of banking and finance, cross-border dispute resolution, data compliance, and M&A. Thanks to his professional legal knowledge in dealing with complex cross-border dispute resolution, he was named the lawyer of the year and recommended lawyer by well-known global legal rating agencies including Chambers, Legal Band, The Legal 500 and Asia Legal Review (ALB). ALB once appraised Mr. Zhou as "modest, diligent and full of business wisdom." Chambers commented that “he is singled out for his expertise to advise on cross-border transactions”.

Education

Awards