Jonathan Weinberg
Biography
Overview
Jonathan Weinberg is the senior English law banking and finance partner in the CEE region and is based in the Prague office. He has extensive experience on a wide range of finance transactions, having acted for lenders, equity sponsors and corporate borrowers at all levels of the capital structure, in deals ranging from asset finance, project finance and LBOs, to securitizations and other structured financings.
Clients benefit from Jonathan's comprehensive knowledge of sophisticated financing structures, from syndicated investment-grade senior debt to second lien/first loss, mezzanine and bank/bond transactions under mixed laws.
Jonathan brings to the region more than 20 years of experience in debt finance and restructuring earned in London, Paris, Prague and Warsaw, and his clients appreciate the balance of legal acumen and commercial understanding he brings to high-value and high-pressure transactions.
Experience
Loan to Luxembourg-based company
Jonathan representated a leading global bank, as Arranger, Agent, Security Agent and Original Lender, in connection with a EUR 250,000,000 facility provided to a Luxembourg-based company. Proceeds of the loan were used towards, among others, the payment of a purchase price for the prestigious office complex in Berlin and the refinancing of the existing financial indebtedness.
ING - Acquisition financing
Jonathan represented ING as lead bank in relation to an acquisition financing provided to a regional sponsor in connection with the acquisition of a listed retail bank in the Czech Republic. The initial transaction structure documented included term, revolving and margin facilities.
PPF - Acquisition of CME
Jonathan represented PPF Group N.V. in both the financing and M&A aspects of its acquisition of Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (CME) It was the most prominent acquisition and acquisition financing transaction in CEE in 2020, involving multiple jurisdictions, a complex financing structure and significant time pressure.
Elicio NV
Jonathan representated Elicio NV, in relation to a financing of the construction, equipping and placing into operation of, and commencement of electric transmission from, 42 MW wind energy power plant located in Alibunar (Serbia).
Société Générale
Jonathan representated Société Générale, as coordinating mandated lead arranger, and Citibank Europe plc, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Československá obchodní banka, a.s., Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, ING Bank N.V., The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and UniCredit Bank Austria AG, as mandated lead arrangers, in connection with the financing of the acquisition of Telefonica Czech Republic, the leading mobile, fixed-line and IPTV operator in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, by PPF Group, with total financing amounting to EUR 2.288 billion, covering part of the acquisition price and the consideration paid in the subsequent mandatory takeover. The transaction represents the largest bank finance transaction and the first public acquisition of its kind in the Czech Republic.
Ranked as Band 1 lawyer in the area of banking and finance in the CEE region by Chambers Global 2022
Ranked as "Market Leader" in the area of banking and real estate finance in the Czech Republic by IFLR1000 2022
Jonathan Weinberg is well known for his involvement in cross-border deals. He is adept at handling high-value acquisition and export finance mandates. He additionally acts on project finance in the energy sector. Clients commend "his great experience, very good know-how and great soft skills".
(Chambers Global & Europe, Czech Republic 2021)
