Muhammed Ismail NOORDIN is a Partner in the Restructuring & Insolvency and Special Situations Advisory Practice.
His main areas of practice are restructuring and insolvency, and special situation financings with a focus on formal and out-of-court restructurings and special situations deals.
Ismail has been involved in multiple restructuring matters, including advising debtors and creditors on restructurings and related transactions where debt and transaction values approach or were in the billions of dollars. When restructurings move into liquidations or formal court processes, Ismail has advised insolvency officers such as liquidators and judicial managers.
He also advises debtors, key lenders, and investors on restructurings and special situations deals that have been primarily dealt with out-of-court. This includes advising on restructuring and insolvency aspects of complex and/or cross-border transactions.
Matters of significance in which Ismail has been involved in include advising / acting for the following:
- The joint liquidators of Three Arrows Capital Limited, the US$10 billion cryptocurrency hedge fund that went bankrupt, in various proceedings and applications, including successfully obtaining provisional relief and recognition of the BVI liquidation proceedings as foreign main proceedings in Singapore. This matter was recognised as one of the “Deals of the Year” at the Asia Legal Awards, 2023.
- Hyflux Ltd in its US$2.3 billion restructuring. Hyflux Ltd is a water treatment company famous for being a homegrown “Singapore brand”, and its subsidiaries in a restructuring involving at least S$3 billion in liabilities. The restructuring efforts saw multiple rounds of investment proposals and schemes of arrangement being proposed to creditors.
- The judicial managers of Xihe Holdings and over 40 of its subsidiaries which are laden with debt and claims as against its assets in excess of S$1 billion. Formulated a comprehensive strategy with the judicial managers to maximise the realisable value of one of the world's largest tanker fleets consisting of over 80 vessels of varying types and sizes, including the design and implementation of a structured sale and trading programme for the vessel fleet, unprecedented in its size, and a potential restructuring of an optimised diversified fleet of vessels.
- ExxonMobil in its investment in Jurong Aromatics Limited’s distressed plant which had a US$1.5 billion debt burden.
- Emas Chiyoda Subsea Ltd and its subsidiaries in its US$1.6 billion cross-border debt restructuring exercise. This included obtaining landmark “recognition” of a Chapter 11 process and outcome of a Chapter 11 process (the Chapter 11 plan) before the Singapore court.
- Miclyn Express Offshore Pte Ltd and its related companies in the restructuring of over US$500 million of its debt comprising publicly held securities and bank debt.
Related Practices
- Restructuring & Insolvency
- Special Situations Advisory
- INSOL International – Employee Entitlements II, Singapore Chapter
- Global Restructuring Review, The Art of the Ad-Hoc (2nd edition), Singapore Chapter
- The restructuring of corporate bonds in Singapore, Capital Markets Intelligence International Insolvency & Restructuring Report, 2021/22
- Cross-class cramdown of secured creditors – Singapore’s implementation of a US Chapter 11 tool, Capital Markets Intelligence International Insolvency & Restructuring Report, 2023/2024
Ismail has been recognised as a Rising Star by IFLR1000 – The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms since 2023.
Contact Details
- d+65 6517 3760
- f+65 6532 5722
- emuhammedismail.konoordin@wongpartnership.com
Qualifications
Singapore Management University (LL.B., Hons.)