M&A and Corporate Practice and Trends in 2024 (Indonesia/Singapore/Thai/Vietnam)

Mr. Loc joined Nishimura & Asahi (Ho Chi Minh City Office) in July 2012. Before that, he spent more than 8 years with other foreign and domestic law firms in Vietnam. He has assisted clients in many large-scale cases including, among others, an acquisition of shares in a public pharmaceutical company in Vietnam, transactions acquiring shares in a public construction company, an acquisition of shares in a digital retailer listed in Vietnam, and bidding by a client for development of a real estate project in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Loc has assisted many well-known Japanese investors in investments worth hundreds of millions of US dollars in finance leasing, real estate development, and steel manufacturing businesses in Vietnam. He has advised a number of giant Japanese companies in conducting their business in Vietnam, and he has given lectures to clients’ employees in relation to anti-corruption matters. He has also advised clients in carrying out product recall procedures in Vietnam. Mr. Loc has authored various articles including Anti-Corruption Survey 2014 (Vietnam Chapter) - Anti-Corruption Survey published in 2014, the Mergers & Acquisitions Review - Eighth Edition - (Vietnam Chapter) published in 2014, Vietnam: All change for offshore investors - International Financial Law Review published in 2014, Vietnam: The investment conditions list - International Financial Law Review published in 2015, and Simplifying foreign Investment - International Financial Law Review published in 2016. Mr. Loc is a 2001 graduate of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law (LL.B), and received an LL.M (with Merit) from Southampton Solent University (England) in 2008. He is admitted to the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association (since 2008), and the Vietnam Bar Federation (since 2009). He is fluent in both English and Vietnamese.

He advises on a wide range of merger-and-acquisition transactions, joint ventures, foreign direct investments, general corporate, international corporate finance, and restructurings. His expertise is advising, structuring and leading complex transactions both within and outside of Thailand. He regularly represents, among others, Japanese, Thai and international investors, international investment banks, international private equity investors, hedge funds and international corporations and financial institutions. His main areas of practice include public and private mergers and acquisitions (takeover rules), legal due diligence, joint ventures, fund raising, listings, block trades, stock exchange and securities exchange related laws, restructuring of shareholdings and general corporate advice. His additional areas of practice also cover banking and finance, renewable energy in Japan and Thailand, exchange control law, labor law, and debt restructurings. Before setting up the Bangkok office of Nishimura & Asahi in 2013, he worked with Linklaters for almost a decade. He is also a registered arbitrator of the Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI) with the areas of expertise in corporate M&A, joint venture, banking and finance, capital markets, debt restructurings and energy.

Bayfront Law is Nishimura & Asahi Singapore Office’s counterpart in the Nishimura & Asahi - Bayfront Law Alliance, which is based on Singapore law.

Masataka Sato has extensive experience with a broad range of cross-border M&A transactions in the ASEAN region, including investments in and acquisitions of listed companies, self-owned or family-owned companies and start-up companies, the formation of joint venture businesses, as well as real estate development projects (including REIT). He also provides advice and solutions in relation to corporate governance, labor, and regulatory compliance matters at the PMI stage.