Image

Ho (Welber) Yim

Of Counsel

Email

welber.yim@aoshearman.com

Phone

+852 2974 7178

Offices

Hong Kong SAR

V-CARD
Welber focuses on real estate and securitised financing and cross-border structured financing.

He has extensive experience in a wide range of finance areas, including general banking finance, real estate and structured finance, performing and non-performing loans portfolio finance, public and private acquisition finance and capital call and equity bridge finance. He frequently acts for major banks, financial institutions, private equity and credit funds and multinational borrowers in bilateral, syndicated, secured and unsecured loan transactions and refinancing. Welber’s focus is mainly on Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China and cross-border financing investments, involving lenders and borrowers from Greater China, Asia and Europe.

Welber is named as a rising star lawyer in the Hong Kong banking and finance practice by Legal 500, 2024.  He is also a member of the documentation committee of the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association.

His experience also includes secondment to the Commercial Real Estate and Securitised Product Group of a global investment bank. Welber is qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong and England and Wales and is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Expertise

Experience

Representative matters

  • A joint venture formed by a Hong Kong leading property developer and a Middle East sovereign fund as borrower on syndicated loan financing and subsequent refinancing in respect of a portfolio of three five-star hotels in Wanchai and Tsim Sha Tsui.
  • The lenders on a mezzanine loan in respect of the acquisition of Cityplaza Three (High Zone) and Cityplaza Four, Hong Kong.
  • A pension fund investor and a leading Chinese real estate investment group on a proposed structured financing transaction with a PRC real estate developer, which involves the establishment of a two-tier equity joint venture structure and offshore / onshore loan and security arrangements.
  • A credit fund on its securitised loan transaction in respect of the receivables over consumer automobile financing portfoilio.
  • Global investment banks on three financing transactions to a credit fund for its acquisition of non-performing loan portfolios in the PRC.
  • A real estate fund as borrower on the acquisition refinancing of a grade A office tower in North Point.
  • A credit fund on its shares subscription and shareholder's loan transaction to a Hong Kong listed company against a commercial property project in Hong Kong and a residential property project in Macau.
  • The syndicated bank lenders on the restructuring of syndicated loan facility provided to a PRC property developer in respect of two hotels in Tung Chung.
  • A syndicate of 28 lenders in relation to a USD5.2bn loan facility for Cheung Kong Property. This deal won the Syndicated Deal of the Year at the APLMA Awards 2016.
  • A credit fund on a mezzanine loan in respect of a portfolio of hotel, retail and industrial properties in Hong Kong owned by a family business.
  • A credit fund in a senior loan facility to a family company to refinance two existing defaulted loan facilities against a portfolio of Hong Kong properties.
  • A mezzanine investor on its participation (and its sub-participant) in a mezzanine loan to refinance a distressed financing in respect of an office building in Kowloon.
  • Three global commercial banks on a financing to a logistic company with a portfolio of logistics properties located in the PRC.
  • A credit fund in relation to its US$41,000,000 loan facility to a Bermuda company listed in Hong Kong for refinancing the acquisition of the minority interests in two PRC companies holding real estate projects.
  • A commercial bank on a senior loan facility to a HK subsidiary of a PRC real estate company in respect of its internal corporate restructuring for a London property development project involving six buildings.
  • A credit fund on a loan facility to finance the acquisition deposit of a bidder under a mortgagee sale in respect of a residential property in Hong Kong.
  • A logistic company on its sale of a portfolio of PRC logistics centers and the repayment and release of existing offshore and onshore parallel loan facilities.
  • A PRC enterprise with its headquarter in Si Chuan Province, the PRC, with hotel building and operating business on its offshore USD150m notes issuance.
  • China Development Bank (Hong Kong) on a senior debt facility of USD1bn to one of China's largest e-commerce and digital companies, for the initial repurchase of shares from Yahoo! (equivalent to USD7.1bn).
  • Xiaomi Corporation in relation to its USD1bn loan from 29 syndicate banks.

Pro bono

  • A&O Hong Kong Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee member since 2021.
  • Led and co-authored the Liberty Asia's submission to the Financial Action Task Force of Hong Kong on the issue of Human Trafficking, Labour Trafficking and Forced Labour in 2018.
  • A&O Hong Kong Pro Bono Committee member from 2011 to 2017.

Leadership Positions And Professional Affiliations

Law Society of Hong Kong Law Society in England and Wales Documentation Committee of the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA)

Awards

  • Rising star lawyer in the Hong Kong banking and finance practice, Legal 500, 2024

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted as solicitor, Hong Kong, 2013

Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 2020

Academic

Law Student Exchange Programme, The University of Warwick, 2008-2009

Bachelor of Laws (Hons), The University of Hong Kong, 2010

PCLL (Distinction), The University of Hong Kong, 2011

Languages

Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Mandarin), English
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.