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Edward Baring

Partner, Banking & Finance
Johannesburg Africa Group

Ed is a banking & finance partner in our Johannesburg office.

Ed is an English law finance lawyer with a broad emerging markets practice covering energy finance, acquisition finance, investment grade loans, sovereign loans, structured commodity trade finance and debt restructuring.

Ed headed the firm's Russian finance practice from 2011 – 2016, which was ranked in Tier 1 by each of Chambers Global, Legal 500 and IFLR 1000 during this period.  

In 2016, Ed relocated to South Africa to open the firm's Johannesburg office.  From 2016 - 2022, Ed was managing partner of the firm's South African office and a member of the firm's EMEA Executive.  

In May 2022 Ed returned to full time practice and now focusses on financings across Africa in a wide array of sectors including telecoms, renewables, agribusiness, commodity trading, fund finance, and sovereign loans. 

ACCOLADES

  • "very user-friendly" lawyer, "makes sure the deal is done to the mutual benefit of the borrowers and the banks" – Chambers Europe
  • "Baring "is an absolute star in the market, very good, always leads on deals, very commercial"" - IFLR1000
  • "Lawyers like Baring are rare; he has excellent knowledge of his clients, is great in negotiations and is extremely personable" - Chambers Global

Background

Ed was educated at Edinburgh University and the College of Law in London.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

  • IHS Towers in relation to the acquisition financing by ABSA, Access Bank, Investec, RMB and Standard Chartered Bank of a portfolio of 6,000 towers acquired from MTN in South Africa 
  • IFC in relation to a green bond issuance by Nedbank to fund environmentally sustainable construction projects in South Africa
  • Standard Chartered Bank in relation to a USD 50 million facility for OMIGSA Alternative Assets PLC on behalf of Old Mutual Africa Private Equity Fund of Funds
  • BNP Paribas and Standard Chartered Bank in relation to a US$2 billion pre-export finance facility for BP Angola
  • Standard Chartered Bank in relation to a USD 265 million financing of Airtel Africa subsidiaries in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Republic of Congo and Gabon
  • Standard Chartered Bank and Standard Bank in relation to a USD 500 million bridge loan facility for the Republic of Ghana in relation to its 2019 Eurobond issuance which raised USD 3 billion