We offer our skills and experience in the following areas:

Our team of highly-qualified professional lawyers will help you become acquainted with a variety of instruments of the financial market.

To attract investment and to improve its reputation, a company should enter a primary capital market by virtue of an IPO. To succeed in an IPO, companies must be transparent, have a developed corporate management structure and meet a number of stock exchange requirements. We offer full legal support for an IPO, including conducting due diligence of an issuer, coordinating the work of the team dealing with the IPO to guide a client through all the legally significant processes, participating in preparation of post-IPO semi-annual and annual reports.

The main advantage of project finance is the ability to concentrate significant funds without diverting working capital, and to reduce a company's exposure by spreading risk across the many parties to an agreement. The various sources and forms of finance and the involvement of several parties require complex financial and transactional structuring, the strict coordination of the actions of all parties, the clear-cut definition of their rights and obligations, as well as the sharing of investment risk. For these tasks, qualified legal support is essential and can be provided by the experienced lawyers of our firm.

The inchoative development of banking systems in the countries of this region and high interest rates of domestic banks have led to a strong demand for provision of international loans by foreign banks for benefit of the companies of Central Asian region. Moreover, the positive conclusion of foreign banks with regard to loan provision to local companies shall provide local companies with a high reliability and stability rating and good loan history. Providing legal services in relation to loan financing (syndicated and subordinated, secured and unsecured), we provide assistance to both borrowers and lenders in order to choose the optimal financing structure, to draft agreements and to prepare security documents. Our lawyers also conduct due diligence of local borrowers on different important aspects of their activity and issue reasonable conclusion on reliability and legality of their activity.

The creation of a legal framework for securitisation transactions has awoken the interest of Kazakhstan banks and other financial and commercial institutions. Securitisation is made effective through the conversion of receivables into high-liquidity financial instruments. However, considering the complexity and novelty of this method of finance, qualified advice from professionals with knowledge of the legal and financial aspects of this field is essential. Use of securitisation in Central Asia has not reached large scale yet. However our lawyers have already succeeded in rendering legal support on securitisation issues in Kazakhstan as advisers.

Investment funds represent a convenient and simple form of collective investment. Nonetheless, these funds face certain risks, including, amongst others, mistakes made on the conclusion of asset acquisition agreements and investment in low-quality assets. We help our clients to solve promptly the issues that they may come across when establishing and operating investment funds.

Legal advice on derivatives requires knowledge of Kazakhstan's legal system as well as an understanding of international law and the economic substance of these financial instruments. GRATA lawyers provide advice on all forms of derivative financial instruments, including options, futures, swaps, warrants and depositary receipts. We have provided legal opinions regarding the possibility of derivative transactions implementation on the basis of ISDA agreements and analysed provisions of ISDA agreements for the purpose of determination of their conformity with local legislation.

The number of transactions on acquisition of securities (basically shares and corporate bonds) issued by Central Asian issuers is increasing. Amount of investments and number of foreign companies willing to enter the markets of Central Asia as shareholders of local banks or local companies are increasing. Securities are being acquired on primary market as well as on secondary market with or without participation of local stock exchanges. Our lawyers consult and render assistance to foreign investors on securities acquisition and accession of shareholders' rights. We also provide legal support on primary and additional issues of local issuers' shares and also render legal services concerning corporate bonds issue. Moreover, GRATA lawyers conduct due diligence of issuer's activity; issue a legal opinion on the validity and enforceability of shares' issue and on the title transfer with regard to the acquired securities according to the legislation of respective jurisdiction.