Peter Mwaura is a versatile commercial lawyer with extensive experience across various sectors. He has worked in-house at leading telecommunications and financial services companies, as well as at top-tier law firms in Kenya. Notably, a banking and finance practice that Peter established in 2019 at a Nairobi-based law firm was consistently recognised as top-tier in Kenya by IFLR 1000 from 2019 to 2022.
Peter specialises in a wide range of banking and finance transactions, including private credit, project financing, aviation finance, climate finance, structured finance, trade and export finance, as well as debt restructuring and distressed debt trading. His expertise extends to financial technology (FinTech) and blockchain, including virtual asset services. He is also well-versed in general corporate commercial matters, private equity, impact investing, technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) law, international trade and investment, insolvency, data protection, and compliance.
Peter advises on all aspects of the international commodity trading value chain, from production (upstream), storage, and transportation (midstream), to processing and distribution (downstream). His advice covers both physical and financial trading matters, such as trade compliance, business ethics, risk management, insurance, financing, international sale of goods, customs, export control, and sanctions.
Leveraging his extensive global network of capital advisory professionals and investors, Peter facilitates premium deal flow across Africa. His cross-cultural communication skills, honed through training in both common and civil law systems (including OHADA), enable him to offer practical legal solutions that transcend borders.
Relevant experience:
- Facilitated investment opportunities across Africa, connecting local enterprises with global debt and equity investors.
- Provided legal counsel to a Luxembourg-based climate fund for the provision of a green climate finance facility to a Kenyan-licensed bank for onward lending to eco-friendly projects.
- Advised international impact investors from Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the US on debt and equity investments in Kenyan enterprises, particularly in soft commodities and socially impactful sectors.
- Acted as lead borrower counsel for a Pan-African telecommunications company to secure financing from a syndicate of lenders for dark fibre infrastructure projects in Southern and Central Africa.
- Advised a capital advisory firm on fundraising, debt restructuring, distressed debt trading, and sovereign debt services to local banks, corporates, funds, and state-owned enterprises.
- Acted for various alternative lenders offering Kenya law advice on esoteric instruments, such as transit letters of credit structures, to fund trade finance portfolios.
- Provided legal guidance on the monetisation of bank instruments to fund large-scale projects using innovative finance techniques.
- Advised on bond issuances for developing student housing projects in Kenya.
- Counselled a multi-lateral lender on Kenya law issues relating to the roll-out of a distressed debt trading program.
- Assisted lending companies in obtaining Digital Credit Provider licences from the Central Bank of Kenya.
- Provided legal guidance to blockchain and virtual asset service providers on regulatory compliance and operational setup in Kenya.
- Represented applicants in obtaining payment service provider and money remittance operator licenses from the Central Bank of Kenya.
- Advised a Spanish fintech company on acquiring and managing non-performing debt portfolios in Kenya.
- Supported start-ups, angel investors, and venture capital firms in debt and private equity investment transactions within Kenya