Founders and family owners
Selling, partnering, raising capital or preparing a business built over decades for the next generation.
Finstandard Corp.
Independent advisory
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15+years200+projectsup to US$2.5bn
Finstandard Corp. — Independent by design
We help owners, investors and institutions buy, sell, finance and value businesses, from Central Asia to markets worldwide.
15+ years200+ projectsup to US$2.5bn
The Firm
We hold no products, no balance sheet and no conflicting mandates. Our counsel answers to one interest: yours.
We never use our clients' affairs to promote ourselves. Confidentiality is a condition of every engagement, not a clause.
Every mandate is led by senior partners, from the first meeting to completion. Experience is not delegated.
We approach each mandate as the beginning of a long relationship, not the end of a transaction.
Who we advise
Our clients differ in size and purpose. What they share is a decision that matters, and the need for counsel they can trust.
Selling, partnering, raising capital or preparing a business built over decades for the next generation.
Acquisitions, joint ventures, divestments and the capital to pursue strategic growth.
Origination, due diligence, valuation and independent oversight of investments in the region.
Bankable projects, public-private partnership programmes and rigorous investment appraisal.
Global reach
From Astana to the world’s capital markets.
01Entry into Central Asia
The region offers scale and growth, and rewards local insight. For international companies, we identify the opportunity and the right partners, structure the entry and stay with you through to completion.
Capabilities
The depth behind every mandate.
01Modelling & valuation
We build financial models to the FAST standard and independently audit models prepared by others, so that lenders and investors can rely on every number. On that foundation we value equity and businesses with methods a board, a buyer or a court will accept.
Structures
Beyond single transactions.
01Private equity funds
We structure private equity funds, from strategy and terms to the fund vehicle and investor documents, in the AIFC and European jurisdictions.
Advisory
Every engagement begins with the outcome our client seeks. Select a discipline to see when clients call us, and what we deliver.
When considering a sale, an acquisition, a new partner or a change in ownership.
We advise on acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and recapitalisations: from strategic rationale and valuation to structure, negotiation and completion.
We prepare the business for sale, identify and approach the right buyers, run a competitive process and negotiate through to completion.
We screen and approach targets, assess value and risk, and structure and negotiate the acquisition on your behalf.
We find the right partner, define each party’s contribution and governance, and negotiate terms that protect your interests.
We value the stake, design the exit or buy-out and its financing, and manage negotiations between shareholders.
We design the structure, consideration and protections, from earn-outs to warranties, and lead the negotiation.
When raising or refinancing debt, or when existing obligations need to be restructured.
We help companies and sponsors raise, refinance and restructure debt: building the credit case, approaching the right lenders and negotiating terms that leave the business room to grow.
We build the credit case, select the right instrument and lenders, and run the process through to signing and drawdown.
We review existing debt and equity, model the alternatives and refinance on better terms, tenor or currency.
When obligations become unsustainable, we develop a restructuring plan and negotiate with lenders to preserve the business.
We represent you on term sheets, covenants, security and waivers, so the terms leave room to operate.
An independent view of debt capacity, liquidity and covenant headroom, for owners, boards and counterparties.
Before a transaction, a change among shareholders, a financing or a dispute.
Independent valuations for transactions, financing, governance and disputes, built with the rigour of private equity and the clarity a board requires.
Independent valuation of companies and stakes, using income, market and asset approaches reconciled into one defensible conclusion.
Valuation of specific assets, licences, brands and other intangibles for transactions, financing and reporting.
An independent opinion for boards and shareholders on whether the price of a transaction is fair.
Clear, well-documented valuations for shareholder disagreements, arbitration and litigation.
We identify what drives value in the business and where it is lost, and prioritise the actions that raise it.
When moving a project from concept to funding, or restructuring one that has stalled.
From concept to financial close: feasibility, financial modelling, risk allocation and the structures that development banks, lenders and investors require.
We test the commercial and financial viability of the project and present it in the form lenders and investors expect.
Robust, auditable project and corporate models that support decisions, negotiations and lender due diligence.
We structure contracts, guarantees and offtake so that each risk sits with the party best able to bear it.
We prepare and lead financing with commercial banks, export credit agencies and development finance institutions.
We advise public and private partners on structuring, tendering and negotiating PPP and concession agreements.
When setting direction, preparing for investors, or strengthening the board.
We help owners and boards set strategy, strengthen governance and put in place the policies, processes and agreements that protect long-term value.
We help owners and boards decide where to compete, how to grow and which options to pursue.
We link strategy to budgets and investment decisions, so capital goes where it creates the most value.
We design board structures, committees and decision rights that investors and lenders recognise.
We put in place the policies, procedures and controls that protect the business and support its growth.
We define the terms between shareholders, from control and dividends to exits and deadlock, before they are tested.
When direct investments need independent, disciplined monitoring and a clear view to exit.
For families, holding companies and institutions: independent oversight of direct investments and assets, with rigorous monitoring and clear reporting.
Regular, independent monitoring of performance, covenants and risks, with clear reporting to owners.
We represent the investor’s interests in portfolio companies, including at board level where required.
Active management of investments and assets to protect value and improve returns.
We prepare investments for exit early, identifying the route, the timing and the buyers most likely to pay.
Experience
Our partners have worked as lenders, investors, bankers and corporate acquirers. We know what each party needs before it says yes.
Structured and financed large-scale industrial and infrastructure projects at a national development bank.
Private equity and fund investments, valuation and portfolio oversight for a sovereign investment platform.
Cross-border M&A and corporate development for a global leader in natural resources, across Africa and Asia.
Credit underwriting and corporate finance at leading commercial banks.
Sector experienceMetals and mining · Energy and renewables · Chemicals · Infrastructure and PPP · Agri and food · Oilfield services · Automotive · Hospitality
Partner profiles are available on request. Request profiles
Track record
Thirty of the largest and most significant types of transactions and mandates our team has structured and advised on, selected from more than 200 projects across all sectors.
Each row is a type of transaction our team has structured and advised on, in prior institutional roles and independent mandates. Bars show the typical deal size range, on a logarithmic scale. Client names are withheld in confidence.
Industries
The sectors with the strongest demand for capital and advice across Central Asia and the Caspian, and where our experience adds the most value. Each is a market we are ready to grow with our clients.
How we work
A small number of mandates, each led by senior partners, so that every client receives our full attention.
We begin with the business, the owners' objectives and the market, before proposing anything.
We define the path: the transaction, the capital and the partners that best serve those objectives.
We lead the process to completion, and remain a trusted adviser long after the transaction closes.
Office
Astana
Reach
A regional base. A global mandate.
Contact
Tell us as much or as little as you wish. A senior partner will respond personally, in confidence.
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