Bird & Bird Supported S-Bank in Completing Asset Purchase with Handelsbanken
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Finland
I am a highly reputed lawyer within corporate mergers and acquisitions, private equity, banking and financial services, and competition and EU law, with over 25 years' experience.
Partner
Finland
I am the co-head of our office in Helsinki and the Head of Corporate our Finnish Corporate and M&A group. I use my expertise to advise clients on M&A transactions at the Nordic level and internationally. Additionally, I advise clients on securities markets regulation and franchising related questions.
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International law firm Bird & Bird advised S-Bank on the successful closing of a significant transaction in the Finnish banking sector. On 1 December 2024, S-Bank completed an asset purchase in which it acquired the Finnish private customer, asset management and investment services operations of Svenska Handelsbanken AB.
This transaction, one of the largest in Finnish banking history, marks a significant moment for both S-Bank and the Finnish financial market. As a result, S-Bank is now the fourth largest private customer bank in Finland.
Bird & Bird has been a key advisor to S-Bank throughout this complex transaction, providing comprehensive legal support from the initial negotiations to the signing of the agreement on 31 May 2023, all the way through to the execution planning and closing. This transaction underscores Bird & Bird's expertise in handling large-scale, cross-border transactions in the finance sector.
The Bird & Bird Nordic team was led by partners Jori Taipale and Iina-Mari Supperi. Other key members of the Bird & Bird team included: partner Mårten Willamo, partner Mikko Ahonen, Counsel Vuokko Rajamäki, associate Joel Rautiainen, associate Marla Melin (Corporate), senior Counsel Kristiina Lehvilä, Counsel William Schofield, associate Sarah Hansén, associate Anna-Kaisa Mäenpää (Finance & Financial Regulation), partner Ville Alahuhta, senior associate Matias Vikström (Tax), partner Teea Kemppinen, partner Maisa Nikkola (Employment), partner Katia Duncker, senior Counsel Petteri Metsä-Tokila, associate Maria Karpathakis (Competition & EU Law), partner Sakari Halonen, senior associate Riku Rauhanen, senior associate Teemu Lahdelma, associate Niilo-Pekka Salminen (Commercial, Tech & Comms), and senior associate Jenny Rontu (Real Estate).
If you’d like to learn more, see here: Bird & Bird advises S-Bank on the acquisition of a significant part of Handelsbanken's Finnish operations