Ogier Guernsey advises on the acquisition of the HWSI Realisation Fund

Ogier Guernsey advises on the acquisition of the HWSI Realisation Fund

Ogier's Guernsey corporate and dispute resolution teams have advised on the £79.6 million acquisition of HWSI Realisation Fund Limited by means of a Royal Court sanctioned scheme of arrangement.

Ogier partner Bryon Rees said: "We are delighted to have assisted this client and the wider team of advisors on the successful acquisition of HWSI. Acquisitions of regulated, publicly listed and held collective investment schemes can be complex and it is a testament to the client and the broader team that this transaction was smoothly achieved. Ogier have a strong track record of advising on mergers and acquisitions effected by scheme of arrangement which this transaction continues."

HWSI Realisation Fund Limited, a Guernsey company, is a secured lender to SMEs in the United Kingdom and prior to the acquisition was regulated as a Guernsey closed-ended authorised fund that was premium listed and traded on the LSE. The acquiror is a privately held independent group that is in the business of acquiring non-bank financial firms and then funding and managing those firms post-acquisition. The acquisition of HWSI enabled the acquiror to acquire, in a single transaction, a sizeable portfolio of credit assets fitting its investment strategy.

The Ogier team led by corporate partner Bryon Rees and senior associate James Walsh, together with dispute resolution partner Mathew Newman and counsel Alex Horsbrugh-Porter advised the purchaser on all aspects of Guernsey law, working with onshore lead legal counsel Crowell & Morning LLP.

Ogier's track record of advising on mergers and acquisitions effected by scheme of arrangement in the Channel Islands

• the £5.6 billion acquisition of Friends Life by Aviva (Guernsey);
• the $889 million acquisition of SafeCharge International Group Limited (Guernsey);
• the £46 billion takeover of Shire by Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical (Jersey); and
• the $22.5 billion merger between mining companies Barrick Gold and Randgold Resources (Jersey).