Corporate & Commercial

Our corporate and commercial practice encompasses several specialty practices, and is focused on supporting the general business needs of our clients, primarily in aviation, financial, hospitality, telecom and construction sectors.

Foreign investments

A vast array of foreign investors — including major international hotel operators, owners, telecom companies, construction companies, and other investors — have relied on us to obtain foreign investment approvals and register businesses in the Maldives, as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Mergers and acquisitions

We support buyers and sellers at all stages of a transaction and advise on the full range of deal structures. In 2014, we acted for the Blackstone Group on the acquisition and merger of the world’s largest seaplane operations, Maldives Air Taxi and Trans Maldivian Airways, and in 2018, on Blackstone’s sale of the business to Bain Capital and the Tempus Group.

Joint ventures

Various high-profile joint ventures and strategic alliances have drawn on our advice, including the joint venture between Champa Group and Denmark-based Wrist Group for the Cosmopolitan Group — one of the largest food suppliers in the Maldives — and the strategic venture between EON Resorts and Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Group for the operation of a Viceroy hotel in the Maldives.

Commercial

Leading corporations and financial institutions engage us on the full range of commercial issues, from day-to-day advice to commercial contracts and projects. Our clients include financial institutions such as HSBC, Bank of Ceylon, and Mauritius Commercial Bank, and hotel operators such as Shangri-La, One&Only Resorts, Waldorf Astoria, and Ritz Carlton.

Public companies

Maldives-based public companies often seek our services, and we routinely handle the array of issues affecting public companies, including corporate governance and equity offerings. We have advised almost all public companies in the Maldives, including Maldives Transport and Contracting Company, Allied Insurance, State Trading Organisation, and Ooredoo Maldives.

Commercial and corporate litigation

Our litigation lawyers draw on extensive trial experience to help high-profile corporations, institutions, and individuals facing complex commercial and corporate disputes, including joint venture and shareholder disputes. Clients such as Hitachi, VB Brothers, and Champa Group have relied on us to successfully resolve commercial and corporate disputes.

Corporate services

Our dedicated corporate secretarial team supports clients across all industry sectors, handling the statutory and administrative obligations of operating a company in the Maldives—from maintaining statutory registers and filing annual returns to managing board and shareholder resolutions. Clients rely on us to keep their corporate records accurate and compliant.