LaurentVercauteren

Of Counsel

Bruxelles + 32.2.645.14.78

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

Prior to joining Jones Day in 2016, Laurent worked for a U.S. law firm in Brussels and London and was seconded to a multinational electric utility company where he was a member of the legal finance team that was involved in drafting and negotiating project finance documents.

Expérience

  • 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 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.
  • Diebold Nixdorf obtains $1.25 billion senior secured superpriority DIP credit facilityJones Day is representing Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated (the “Company”), 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, and certain of its domestic and foreign subsidiaries (collectively, the “Debtors”) in (i) a pre-packaged chapter 11 proceeding in front of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Bankruptcy Court”), (ii) a scheme of arrangement by Diebold Nixdorf Dutch Holding B.V. (the “Dutch Issuer”) and the related voluntary proceeding in front of the District Court of Amsterdam under the Dutch Act on Confirmation of Extrajudicial Plans (Wet Homologatie Onderhands Akkoord), and (iii) an anticipated proceeding commenced by the Dutch Issuer under chapter 15 in the Bankruptcy Court, seeking recognition of such scheme of arrangement.
  • KBC Bank finances acquisition of Jonckers Translation & Engineering SRL by Mayfair Equity PartnersJones Day acted as legal counsel to KBC Bank NV, as lender, in connection with the financing of the acquisition of Jonckers Translation & Engineering SRL and its subsidiaries by Mayfair Equity Partners.
  • Belfius Bank and KBC Bank finance acquisition of Axi group by Strada PartnersJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA and KBC Bank NV in connection with the financing of the acquisition of the Axi group by Strada Partners.
  • Belfius Bank, BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, and KBC Bank finance acquisition of Beddeleem NV and its subsidiaries by CreafundJones 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 acquisition of Beddeleem NV and its subsidiaries by Creafund.
  • Consortium of lenders refinance the Pia Group, a Baltisse’s portfolio companyJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA, BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA, ING Belgium NV/SA, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the refinancing of Partners in Accountancy (PIA), the consolidation platform in the Belgian accountancy sector of Baltisse.
  • The Flemish Community issues €2 billion Notes, including Sustainability NotesJones Day assisted the Flemish Community, a federated entity of the Kingdom of Belgium, in connection with the update of its €25 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme and the issuance of (i) €750 million 3.000% Fixed Rate Notes due 2032 (10Y) and (ii) €1.25 billion 3.250% Fixed Rate Sustainability Notes due 2043.
  • Belfius Bank, ING Belgium, and KBC Bank refinance Customer Collective groupJones Day acted as legal counsel to Belfius Bank NV/SA, ING Belgium NV/SA, and KBC Bank NV in connection with the refinancing of the Customer Collective group.
  • AIP acquires Aluminium BelgiumJones Day advised American Industrial Partners in the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Aluminium Belgium BV, the parent company which owns Aluminium Duffel, from Ecnavla 8 UK Ltd.
  • KBC Bank finances acquisition of ElaN Group by Andera PartnersJones Day acted as legal counsel to KBC Bank NV in connection with the financing of the acquisition of the ElaN Group by Andera Partners.