Weil has been honored with the “Best Property Deal – China Offshore” award at the FinanceAsia Achievement Awards 2025 for its role in Shimao Group Holdings’ (“Shimao”) debt restructuring via a Scheme of Arrangement sanctioned by the High Court of Hong Kong.

The Weil team, led by Hong Kong partner, Kathleen Aka, represented the ad hoc group of bondholders in the successful restructuring of more than US$11.5 billion of offshore debt issued by Shimao, the Cayman Islands incorporated, Hong Kong listed holding company of a PRC property development group which focuses on large scale development of residential, hotel, office and commercial properties in the PRC.

The award-winning transaction was also recognized as one of the 2025 Deals of the Year by China Business Law Journal and a finalist for 2025 Restructuring and Insolvency Deal of the Year by The Asia Legal Awards and IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards, underscoring its significance in the evolving landscape of China’s offshore debt restructurings.

“We are proud to have played an instrumental role in helping our clients navigate the challenges and complexity of this restructuring, which was successfully completed after years of difficult negotiations, court processes and transaction execution. As legal advisers to the ad hoc group, we had the privilege of working alongside the highly capable team of financial advisers at Houlihan Lokey, and as the leader of the transaction team at Weil, I was fortunate to have the dedicated and unwavering support of an incredible group of lawyers,” Kathleen commented. “The Weil Asia Restructuring team demonstrated once again its ability to get tough transactions across the line, whilst being strong advocates for our clients’ interests.”

FinanceAsia’s annual Achievement Awards recognize excellence across Asia’s financial markets. Covering two key categories – Deal Awards and House Awards – the Achievement Awards highlight the accomplishments of key players across Asia Pacific and the Middle East who have shown dedication to their sector.