Laurent Vercauteren

Of Counsel

Brussels + 32.2.645.14.78

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Laurent Vercauteren advises banks, financial institutions, direct lenders, institutional lenders, private equity funds, and corporate borrowers on leveraged cross-border acquisition finance, syndicated loans, secured financing, project finance, PPPs (public-private partnerships), and refinancing transactions. In addition, he focuses on debt capital market transactions, including on behalf of public and corporate issuers.

Laurent has represented local and international borrowers and lenders in some of Belgium's recent high-profile corporate finance, acquisition finance, and project finance/PPP transactions. Laurent also has considerable experience in distressed debt situations, restructurings, and general banking and finance.

Representative transactions include advising: Biobest in its €500 million capital and debt raise for the acquisition of Biotrop Participacoes; lenders in connection with €420 million of facilities provided to the Agristo group; lenders in the establishment of €200 million facilities to Mediahuis; lenders in the financing of the acquisition of a minority interest of Pauwels Consulting by Andera Partners; and lenders in the financing of the acquisition of Cheops Capital Partners by Chequers Capital.

Experience

  • LDz sells shares in Cora SA and related entitiesJones Day is advising LDz in the sale of the shares in Cora SA, the Belgian company operating seven hypermarkets in Belgium, and in the sale of the shares of related entities operating adjacent commercial galleries, to Mitiska REIM.
  • BNP Paribas, Coöperatieve Rabobank, and ING Belgium finance acquisition of What's Cooking Group NV's savoury branch by AURELIUSJones Day acted as legal counsel to BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., and ING Belgium NV/SA in connection with the financing of the sale of What's Cooking Group NV's savoury branch to the international investment group AURELIUS.
  • Belfius Bank and ING Belgium finance Waterland's partnership with Loc-Five, Locquet Power & Lights, and Green PowerfleetJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA and ING Belgium NV/SA in connection with the financing of the partnership among Waterland, Loc-Five, Locquet Power & Lights, and the Green Powerfleet.
  • Belfius Bank and KBC Bank finance acquisition by Indufin of stake in ACE PackagingJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA and KBC Bank NV in connection with the financing of the acquisition by Indufin of a stake in ACE Packaging.
  • BNP Paribas, ING Belgium, and KBC Bank provide financing to Sticomax groupJones Day acted as legal counsel to BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, ING Belgium SA/NV, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the financing of the Sticomax group.
  • Belfius Bank, BNP Paribas, and KBC Bank finance Waterland's partnership with Umami, Deliva, and Clean MindsJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA, BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the financing of the partnership among Waterland, Umami, Deliva, and Clean Minds.
  • Belfius Bank, ING Belgium, and KBC Bank finance acquisition of Specialty Paints & Coatings BV by Mentha CapitalJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA, ING Belgium NV/SA, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the financing of the acquisition of Specialty Paints & Coatings BV by Mentha Capital.
  • ABN Amro Acquisition Finance, Belfius Bank, BNP Paribas, Caisse d'Epargne et de Prévoyance Hauts de France, ING Belgium, and KBC Bank provide senior unsecured revolving credit facility to WorxInvest NVJones Day acted as legal counsel to ABN Amro Acquisition Finance Holding BV, Belfius Bank NV/SA, BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, Caisse d'Epargne et de Prévoyance Hauts de France, ING Belgium NV/SA, and KBC Bank NV in connection with a senior unsecured revolving credit facility granted to WorxInvest NV.
  • ING Belgium and KBC Bank refinance Vydraulics groupJones Day acted as legal counsel to ING Belgium SA/NV and KBC Bank NV in connection with the refinancing of the Vydraulics group.
  • Biobest acquires BiotropJones Day represented Biobest Group NV, a Belgian developer of biological crop-protection products in its €500 million capital and debt raise for the acquisition of Biotrop Participacoes SA, a provider of biological and natural farming solutions in Brazil, for an enterprise value of about €532 million.
  • ING Belgium and KBC Bank provide financing to Vyvapower groupJones Day acted as legal counsel to ING Belgium SA/NV and KBC Bank NV in connection with the financing of the Vyvapower group.
  • BNP Paribas, ING Belgium, and KBC Bank provide €420 million facilities to Agristo groupJones Day acted as legal counsel to BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV, ING Belgium SA/NV, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the €420 million facilities provided to the Agristo group.
  • ABN AMRO, Belfius Bank, BNP Paribas, and KBC Bank refinance floating storage and regasification unit by Exmar Energy Netherlands B.V.Jones Day acted as legal counsel to ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Belfius Bank NV/SA, BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the refinancing of a floating storage and regasification unit by Exmar Energy Netherlands B.V.
  • ABN AMRO, Belfius Bank, BNP Paribas, and KBC Bank establish €200 million facilities agreement with Mediahuis NVJones Day acted as legal counsel to ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Belfius Bank SA/NV, BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the establishment of a €200 million facilities agreement entered into with Mediahuis NV.
  • BNP Paribas Fortis, Belfius Bank, KBC Bank, and ING Belgium provide €400 million revolving credit facility to SD Worx GroupJones Day acted as legal counsel to BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, Belfius Bank NV/SA, KBC Bank NV, and ING Belgium NV/SA in connection with the amendment, restatement, and increase of the revolving credit facility originally dated April 4, 2022 from €250 million to €400 million granted to SD Worx NV.
  • Belfius Bank, BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, and ING Belgium finance acquisition of all shares in Cheops Capital PartnersJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA, BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, and ING Belgium NV/SA in connection with the financing of the acquisition of all shares in Cheops Capital Partners NV by Chequers Capital.
  • Diebold Nixdorf obtains $1.25 billion senior secured exit credit facilityJones Day represented Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated, a multinational financial and retail technology company that specializes in the sale, manufacture, installation, and service of self-service transaction systems (such as ATMs and currency processing systems), point-of-sale terminals, physical security products, and software and related services for global financial, retail, and commercial markets, in connection with a new $1.25 billion senior secured term loan facility as part of it’s emergence from chapter 11 bankruptcy and other domestic and foreign court-supervised restructuring proceedings.
  • Diebold Nixdorf successfully restructures over $2.7 billion in funded debt and completes the first-ever dual proceeding under the U.S. bankruptcy code and Dutch restructuring law in 71 daysIn the first-ever cross border restructuring involving dual main proceedings under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and a scheme of arrangement (the "Dutch Scheme") under the Dutch Act on Confirmation of Extrajudicial Plans (Wet Homologatie Onderhands Akkoord ("WHOA")), and the first-ever chapter 15 recognition of Dutch Scheme proceedings and a sanctioned WHOA reorganization plan (the "WHOA Plan"), Jones Day represented Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated ("Diebold") and certain of its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries (the "Debtors") in connection with (i) the prepackaged chapter 11 cases of In re Diebold Holding Company, LLC, et al., (Case No. 23-90602-DRJ) commenced on June 1, 2023, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the "Bankruptcy Court"); (ii) the Dutch Scheme, commenced on June 1, 2023 by Diebold Nixdorf Dutch Holding B.V. (the "Dutch Issuer") in the District Court of Amsterdam (the "Dutch Court"), and (iii) the chapter 15 proceedings before the Bankruptcy Court commenced by the foreign representative of the Dutch Issuer, wherein the Bankruptcy Court recognized the Dutch Scheme proceeding as a foreign main proceeding and recognized and extended comity to the WHOA Plan that was sanctioned by the Dutch Court.
  • Société Générale and BNP Paribas Fortis provide €100 million financing to John Cockerill groupJones Day acted as legal counsel to Société Générale, Belgian Branch and BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV in connection with a €100 million term loan granted to John Cockerill Hydrogen Belgium SA.
  • Syndicate of senior lenders finance Andera Partners' minority acquisition of, and refinance, Pauwels ConsultingJones Day acted as lenders' legal counsel in connection with the financing of the acquisition of a minority interest of Pauwels Consulting by Andera Partners and the refinancing of the Pauwels Consulting group.
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