Mark Lim

Biography

Mark Lim is the managing partner of Wong & Partners and also heads the Finance & Projects Practice Group. With over 25 years of legal experience advising domestic and multinational clients, Mark is ranked in Band 1 for Banking & Finance by Chambers Asia Pacific since 2023 and is listed in the Hall of Fame for Banking & Finance by Legal 500 Asia Pacific since 2021.

Practice Focus

Mark focuses on conventional and Islamic banking and finance, debt capital markets, structured finance and project financing. He has vast experience and has advised various institutional lenders in relation to complex aspects of syndicated financing deals. He has also advised in numerous capital market transactions (local and cross-border) and represented various multinational corporations and financial institutions in landmark deals.

Representative Legal Matters

• Represented Maybank Investment Bank Berhad and OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad as the joint principal advisers and joint lead arrangers in connection with Westports Sdn Bhd's inaugural establishment of an Islamic medium term notes programme of up to MYR5 billion in nominal value under the Shariah principle of Wakalah Bi Al-Istithmar with a sustainable and responsible investment structure (Sukuk Wakalah Programme) and issuance of Islamic medium term notes thereunder (Sukuk Wakalah).


• Represented HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad and RHB Investment Bank Berhad as the joint principal advisers and joint lead arrangers in connection with LBS Bina Group's inaugural establishment of an Islamic medium term notes programme of up to MYR750 million in nominal value under the Shariah principle of Wakalah Bi Al-Istithmar with a sustainable and responsible investment structure (Sukuk Wakalah Programme) and issuance of Islamic medium term notes thereunder (Sukuk Wakalah).


• Represented Maybank Investment Bank Berhad as the principal adviser / lead arranger / lead manager in connection with the Islamic medium term note of up to MYR550 million in nominal value based on the Shariah principle of Murabahah (via Tawarruq arrangement) established by Cypark Ref Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cypark Resources Berhad. This transaction was recognised as the Green Project Deal of the Year by Islamic Finance News and Islamic Finance Deal of the Year by Project Finance International in 2020.


• Represented Coara Marang Sdn Bhd (“Borrower”) in connection with the term loan facility of up to and bank guarantee facility of up granted by Malayan Banking Berhad. The Borrower is a special purpose vehicle owned by a German solar projects developer, ib vogt GmbH together with its Malaysian contemporary Coara Solar Sdn Bhd, to undertake the construction of a large-scale solar (LSS) plant in Marang, Terengganu (“Project”). The proceeds from the Facilities will be utilised to amongst others, fund a portion of the project costs ahead of the planned establishment of a Sukuk facility by the Borrower under the Securities Commission Malaysia’s Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) Sukuk framework and the ASEAN Green Bonds Standards.


• Represented a multinational bank, as principal adviser, lead arranger and lead manager in relation to the proposed issuance of callable subordinated bonds ("Subordinated Bonds”) of up to MYR944 million in nominal value by a regional insurance company. The proceeds raised from the issuance of the Subordinated Bonds will be used to acquire the entire issued and paid-up ordinary share capital of a Malaysian insurance company.


• Acted as Malaysian law counsel to the borrower, a Singapore special purpose vehicle incorporated by a global digital infrastructure company to undertake the financing facilities comprising term loan and revolving credit facilities, to finance the acquisition of a portfolio of data centres across Hong Kong, mainland China and Malaysia for USD750 million.


• Advised Sime Darby Berhad in relation to a proposed subordinated sukuk programme of up to MYR3 billion in nominal value under the Shariah principles of Wakalah. This was the largest non-bank perpetual sukuk issuance in the world.


• Acted as deal counsel for CIMB Bank Berhad; Maybank Kim Eng Securities Pte Ltd; Standard Chartered Bank; and Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad on the GBP1.35 billion financing of the Battersea Power Station, one of the largest real estate financings in the UK in recent years. Battersea Power Station is an iconic decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The financing comprised a GBP750 million facility for Phase 2 and a GBP600 million facility for Phase 3 for development of the site, the latter consisting of a combination of Islamic financing and conventional financing.  

Admissions

Malaysia (1997)
Kuala Lumpur (1997)
England & Wales~United Kingdom (1996)

Education

University of Greenwich (LL.B. Hons) (1995)
Swinburne University (Bachelor of Business Acc) (1993)

Languages

English
Malay