Chi Yen has a broad general corporate and commercial practice, with a focus on banking & finance and corporate advisory. He regularly acts for both lenders and borrowers in a wide range of cross-border matters involving working capital, trade finance, structured finance, acquisitions, securitisation, projects, syndicated and asset financing (particularly in ship and real estate acquisition and finance). He also advises banks and financial institutions with compliance, AML, KYC and other regulatory requirements.

Chi Yen’s clients comprise multinational lenders, including local and foreign banks, financial institutions, and leasing companies in jurisdictions including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, UAE, UK, EU, South Korea and Japan. He also has particular expertise in working with borrowers from commodities houses, traders and shipping lines. He advises lenders on complex insolvency and corporate restructuring scenarios and the realisation of securities / enforcement of non-performing accounts and provides lenders with practical and economical solutions.

In the corporate space, Chi Yen advises on all areas of general corporate transactions, requirements and structuring that a corporation may require, from the incorporation of entities / group structures, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures, to the drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts, employment agreements, commercial disputes and restructuring / insolvency / distress situations.

In addition, Chi Yen has a breadth of experience in all aspects of non-contentious shipping work and frequently acts for shipping lines and banks in the financing, sale and purchase of vessels, registration and mortgages in local and international ship registries, including leasing arrangements, charterparties, carriage and freight.

He also has experience in real estate and conveyancing matters and regularly acts for parties in the acquisition and financing of commercial, industrial and residential properties as well as for mortgagees in the realisation of mortgaged properties.

• Acted as Singapore counsel for the lender in respect of syndicated term loan and derivative facilities to be granted to an Indonesian borrower involving securities taken in respect of over 20 Indonesian-flagged vessels.
• Acted for a leading BNPL group in multi-jurisdictional financing obtained from various lenders of over US$600 million.
• Acted for a major commodities trading group in receivables financing transactions conducted through a Luxembourg special purpose vehicle subscribed by a club of international banks in a matter value of US$225 million.
• Acted for an upstream energy, oil & gas group to acquire a Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU) from a distressed seller as part of the acquisition of interests in operating licenses in offshore Thailand, together with the structuring of chartering / sub-chartering involving the MOPU and a Floating Storage Unit (FSU).
• Advised an airport and aviation operations group in the financing of a US$90 million project by a leading multinational corporation for aerospace facilities and Airbus Industries A-380 and A-350 simulators.
• Advised on Singapore law and Singapore ship registry requirements involving senior and junior facilities granted by inter alia a Japanese bank and a Japanese leasing corporation to a major shipping line for the acquisition of a new-build bulk carrier (registered in Singapore) by means of a sale and bareboat charter-back arrangement.
• Acted for a club of six foreign banks in relation to insolvency proceedings against a local trading company for a recovery of a total outstanding amount of close to S$166 million.
• Acted for a secured creditor in the judicial management of the Singapore subsidiaries of a construction engineering conglomerate seeking to restructure over S$250 million in debt.
• Acted for the India-listed parent of a local pharmaceutical packaging company in judicial management proceedings and the company’s eventual restructuring by way of a US$25 million white knight investment.
• Advised on a joint venture agreement between the two largest RORO operators in the world and one of the world’s largest port operators in relation to a RORO terminal worth US$110 million.
• Acted for a local maritime company for the sale and purchase of a shipyard in China worth over US$ 70 million.

Accolades:

• Legal 500 Asia Pacific cited Chi Yen as “experienced” and “as a name to note in shipping-related banking and finance matters, including vessel financing, mortgages, sales and purchases“, and “recommended for asset finance in the shipping space”.

Chi Yen has been commended in Asialaw Profiles for displaying outstanding client service and being “responsive, helpful and cooperative”. Clients praised him as one who is “very effective”, possesses “in-depth knowledge”, “quick to respond”, pays “attention to detail” and is “solution-oriented”.

Practice Areas:

• Banking & Finance
• General Corporate
• International Trade
• Projects & Infrastructure
• Real Estate
• Employment
• Restructuring & Insolvency

Key Appointments:

• Advocate & Solicitor, Singapore (2004)
• Called to the Bar: 2004
• Vice-Chairman, Executive Committee for the SAFRA Choa Chu Kang Club (2023 – 2025)

Publications:

Co-contributor to the Singapore chapter of:

• “Global Legal Insights: Banking Regulation 2024 (11th Edition)” in the GLI series published by Global Legal Insights
• “Global Legal Insights: Banking Laws and Regulations 2023 (10^th Edition)” in the GLI series published by Global Legal Insights
• “The Securitisation Law Review (4^th Edition) 2022” in The Law Reviews series published by Law Business Research
• “The Securitisation Law Review (3^rd Edition) 2021” in The Law Reviews series published by Law Business Research
• “Global Legal Insights: Banking Regulation 2021 (8^th Edition)” in the GLI series published by Global Legal Insights
• “The Securitisation Law Review (2^nd Edition) 2020” in The Law Reviews series published by Law Business Research
• “Global Legal Insights: Banking Regulation 2020 (7^th Edition)” in the GLI series published by Global Legal Insights
• “The International Comparative Legal Guide to Securitisation 2019 (12^th Edition)” in the ICLG series published by Global Legal Group
• “Global Legal Insights: Banking Regulation 2019 (6^th Edition)” in the GLI series published by Global Legal Insights
• “The International Comparative Legal Guide to Securitisation 2018 (11^th Edition)” in the ICLG series published by Global Legal Group
• “The International Comparative Legal Guide to Securitisation 2017 (10^th Edition)” in the ICLG series published by Global Legal Group

Co-contributor to the real estate and conveyancing chapter of “You and the Law” (4^th Edition) Singapore Association of Women Lawyers (SAWL) 2011

Speaking & Teaching Engagements:

• Teaches as a tutor for the Part B: Real Estate Practice course for the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE) from 2012 to 2022, and the Part B: Professional Skills (Negotiation) course for SILE from 2018 to 2022
• Conducted seminars on “Offshore Vessels – Sale & Purchase, Chartering and Financing” (IBC Asia) (2014 and 2017)
• Conducted in-house seminars:
• • for various banks on: (i) anti-money laundering / combating the financing of terrorism, (ii) securitisation and asset finance and registration of charges, (iii) the enforcement and recovery of non-performing accounts, (iv) wills and probate and estate planning, (v) personal data protection and banking secrecy under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 and the Banking Act 1970.
  • for a hospice on the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 and lasting powers of attorney
  • for insurance advisors and high net worth clients on drafting of wills and estate planning