Yasemin Saris

Yasemin Saris

Partner

Biography

  • Focuses on a wide variety of financing transactions, representing international financial institutions, local or foreign banks and corporate borrowers.
  • Experience covering the full spectrum of debt finance products, including corporate finance, project finance, acquisition finance, Islamic finance, real estate finance, bilateral and syndicated financing transactions.
  • Advises domestic and international clients with respect to mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, corporate matters and governance, and foreign direct investment.
  • Drives environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) projects.

With over 17 years of professional experience in intricate domestic and cross-border financings, Yasemin has provided counsel to a diverse clientele including Turkish and international banks, international financial institutions, and corporate borrowers. Her expertise encompasses various domains such as corporate lending, structured finance, acquisition finance, real estate finance, Islamic finance, project finance, bilateral and syndicated financing transactions.

Yasemin offers a commercial mind-set with a keen interest in clients’ business, legal and risk issues to enable and support them to achieve their commercial objectives.  She offers advisory services encompassing all facets of commercial contracts and arrangements, aimed at bolstering clients’ day-to-day and strategic business endeavors while meticulously adhering to relevant regulatory frameworks. Her clients span industries, including green energy, agriculture, manufacturing.

She advises companies on governance structures and best practices, including the formulation and implementation of ESG strategy.

Yasemin diligently represents both local and international clients throughout the entirety of domestic or cross-border acquisitions, from the initial stages of data room preparation to the conclusive signing and closing phases, ensuring the seamless progression and ultimate success of transactions.

Representative Work

  • Advised EBRD on a €150M loan provided to Arcelik for construction of a new research and development center and energy and resource efficiency investments.
  • Advised EBRD on a €50M loan provided to AEP Anadolu Etap Penkon Gıda ve Tarım Ürünleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. for an investment in new orchard plantations including land leases and/or purchases, high tech machinery and equipment purchases for process mechanization.
  • Advised Acwa Power on (i) the US$600M syndicated project finance facility provided by EBRD, IFC, Korea Exim Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Korea Development Bank and Banque Saudi Fransi for the development and construction of a US$1 billion combined-cycle gas turbine power plant in Kırıkkale, Türkiye and (ii) the US$96M mezzanine project finance facility provided by Mashreqbank and other financial institutions for the development and construction of a US$1 billion combined-cycle gas turbine power plant in Kırıkkale, Türkiye. The plant has a capacity of 950MW and it is the largest investment in the country in recent years. The plant has a capacity of 950MW and it is the largest investment in the country in recent years.
  • Advised Tiryaki Agro, leading Turkish agribusiness company, on a US$230M syndicated loan based on a borrowing base financing structure arranged by ABN AMRO for the refinancing in full of the existing facility and the financing of the borrower’s working capital requirements in relation to its soft commodity trading, sourcing, processing and distribution business.
  • Advised HSBC on the €67M financing of a 95% Hermes supported facility to Olgu Enerji to finance the supply of equipment from GE for the expansion of Dinar WPP due in April 2017. This deal has been awarded as the trade & export finance deal of the year 2017 by Bonds&Loans.
  • Advised Is Bankası and Yapı Kredi Bankası on a US$75M loan facility provided to Palmali Emlak for the construction of Edition Hotel.
  • Advised ING on the €50M ECA supported loan facility to Yıldırım Holding A.Ş. to finance the capital dredging works at Puerto Bolivar, Ecuador.
  • Advised BNPP on the €50M loan agreement to Assan Aluminyum A.Ş. to finance working capital.
  • Advised Kibar Holding on the financial lease agreement with respect to the real estate to be leased from ING Finansal Kiralama A.Ş.
  • Advised Blackstone on a €30M top-up financing extended by Unicredit Bank for the portfolio of three shopping centers located at Manisa, Erzurum and Ankara.
  • Advised ITFC on Turkish laws and principles regarding warehouse receipt financing.
  • Advised Zürcher Kantonalbank on Turkish laws and principles regarding private banking activities in Türkiye.
  • Advised Wirecard Germany and Türkiye with respect to the payment service regulation in Türkiye, answering their day-to-day questions and provision of regulatory advices.
  • Advised Ria, payment service provider, on corporate and regulatory matters, as well as the incorporation of Ria in Türkiye, applied to Banking Regulatory and Supervision Agency (“BRSA”) for the operation license.
  • Advised ISDB on (i) the Wakala Agreement executed with Nurol Bank A.Ş. and provided regulatory advice on the wakala structure after consulting with the BRSA.
  • Advised ADCB on the common terms agreement executed with WoW Real Estate Development and guarantees provided by the corporate and personal guarantors.
  • Advised Tiryaki Agro, on the sale of 22,5 per cent shares of Sunrise International to Hassad Food, a Qatar leading investor in the food sector.
  • Advised Çimsa on the acquisition of 51 per cent shares in Afyon Çimento, a subsidiary of Ciment Français.
  • Advised shareholders of Dominos Pizza on the acquisition of 100 per cent shares in Dominos Pizza by Turk Ventures Advisiory Limited.

*List may include matters worked prior to incorporating Baykal|Saris.

Credentials

Education

  • London School of Economics and Political Sciences, LL.M. in Financial Law (with merit) (2008)
  • Galatasaray University, LL.B. (2005)

Bar Admission

  • Admitted to Istanbul Bar (2006)

Languages

  • Turkish (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced), Greek (Beginner)

Publications

  • “Comparison between Islamic and Conventional Securitization” Islam and the Challenges of Western Capitalism, Murat Çizakça, November 2014
  • “Comparison between Islamic and Conventional Securitization,” The Review of Islamic Economics, Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2009
  • Co-author, “A practical insight into cross-border telecommunication laws and regulations in Türkiye”, International Comparative Legal Guide Series, October 2007
  • “Freedom of Speech under the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights Case Law,” (Avrupa İnsan Hakları Sözleşmesinde ve Avrupa İnsan Hakları Mahkemesi İçtihatları Işığında İfade Özgürlüğü),Galatasaray University Law Review, No. 2004/2, July 2006
  • “Restriction of the Media Freedom for the Protection of the Presumption of Innocence and the Impartiality of the Judge (Masumiyet Karinesinin ve Hakimin Bağımsızlığın Korunması için Basın Özgürlüğünün Sınırlandırılması)”,Günışığı Law Magazine, No. 24, June 2005
  • “Definition of the ‘Related Market’ and the ‘Notion of Substitution’ in Competition Law” (Rekabet Hukuku’nda İlgili Pazar ve İkame Edilebililiğin Tanımı), Competition Bulletin of the Turkish Competition Authority, No. 12, September 2004

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