Ferdinand Calice

Ferdinand serves as the managing partner of the firm’s London office and is a member of the agency finance and energy and infrastructure teams. Ferdinand advises development finance institutions on investments across several industries and asset classes in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and has extensive experience representing sponsors, investors, and lenders on energy and project development and finance transactions worldwide.

In addition, Ferdinand heads up the firm’s London debt finance practice. He represents institutional investors and financial institutions on commercial lending matters.

Agency Finance

• Lead counsel to the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) on multiple investments, including (i) a $550 million loan facility to a developer of an LNG and Helium project in South Africa and (ii) a $250 million secured loan to IOC to fund construction of an additional gas processing train and related transportation infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
• Regular lender’s counsel to Afreximbank on trade and project finance facilities, including (i) a $750 million trade finance facility to support crude for a refined oil swap programme in a West African country, (ii) a $1 billion syndicated loan facility to a leading North African energy company, and (iii) a run-of-river hydro project in Uganda.
• Counsel to International Finance Corporation (IFC) on multiple investments, including (i) a structured receivables financing for an originator of trade finance loans in Latin America and Asia, (ii) a secured term and convertible loan to a laboratory diagnostics provider based in Africa, and (iii) a senior secured loan to a feed additives manufacturer supplying the livestock industry in Nigeria.
• Regular counsel to multiple DFI funded debt funds established for the purpose of investing in the on- and off- grid clean energy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Regular representation of the ALCB Fund (sponsored by KfW) in connection with its investments in local currency bonds issued by corporate issuers operating in developmental sectors (e.g., housing, microfinance) in Africa.

Energy and Infrastructure

• Represented Deutsche Entwicklungs- und Investitions Gesellschaft as senior project finance lender to a 60MW solar PV project in Cambodia.
• Represented Monsoon Wind Power Company Limited on a $692 million project financing for the largest wind power project in Southeast Asia
• Represented Afreximbank as project finance lender to run-of-river hydro construction project in Uganda.
• Represented FEI Ongrid LP (established by KfW) in connection with project finance loans to energy service provider in Liberia and Sierra Leone in connection with long term energy services agreement with mobile network operator.
• Representing the developer of a green hydrogen and ammonia project in North Africa, including integrated RE power and transportation infrastructure, in connection with capital raising and project development.
• Representing a leading bio-ethanol cookstove distributor in East Africa in connection with the syndicated loan financing of receivables generated by the sale of carbon credits to a multinational energy and commodity trading company under ERPA and spot sales in the voluntary carbon markets.
• Representing Sponsor on the financing of the redevelopment of a brownfield mine and lepidolite concentrate processing facility located in Namibia and a related processing plant in Abu Dhabi.
• Represented the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET), the bulk electricity trader established by the Federal Government of Nigeria, in connection with the negotiation of power purchase agreements and related liquidity facility issued by commercial banks and backed by World Bank PRGs.
• Represented a joint venture between a subsidiary of global IPP and a US investment bank in connection with the project financing of a portfolio of distributed generation and utility scale solar assets in the US and Caribbean.
• Represented a private equity backed IPP in connection with the development, construction, and term financing of 350MW wind projects in the US, including the qualification for federal tax incentives and renewable energy credits and related bridge financing.
• Represented Hrvatska Elektroprivreda, the national electricity company of the Republic of Croatia, with the drafting and negotiation of project documents following the international tender for the design, engineering, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of a new €800 million, 500 MW power plant at Plomin in Istria, Croatia.
• Represented equity investors in connection with a $2 billion leveraged lease financing of hydroelectric power plant and transmission grid operated by a local utility in Western Europe.
• Representing the senior lender consortium on the initial bid in connection with a school PPP project in Oman.
• Represented EBRD and participating development finance institutions in connection with a $450 million financing of open pit copper mine development in Mongolia.
• Represented DFC in connection with a $45 million construction loan to a warehouse operator in Argentina.

Commercial Finance

• Represented PRA Group Europe I S.a r.l, a wholly owned subsidiary of PRA Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PRAA), as borrower in connection with its $800 million syndicated multicurrency borrowing base (NPL asset pools) RCF.
• Represented US and Canadian insurance companies in connection with several corporate debt investments in Europe, including the purchase of a $138 million multi tranche “zero coupon” debt securities issued by European railway operator.
• Regular representation of financial institutions on acquisition, asset based, and other commercial finance transactions in the United Kingdom and Europe.
• Regular representation of financial institutions in connection with the financing of commercial and corporate aircraft, aircraft engines, flight simulators, rolling stock, dry bulk carriers, drill ships, and other big-ticket assets worldwide.
• Represented aircraft lessors and equity investors in connection with the restructuring of an air freight carrier’s $1 billion EETC leveraged lease obligations with respect to its Boeing 747-400 freighter fleet in a Chapter 11 proceeding.

• Recognized as a Leader in Power (including Electricity and Nuclear) and Renewables, Legal 500 UK, 2025
• Selected for inclusion in “Super Lawyers,” Super Lawyers magazine, Energy and Natural resources, 2013-2014

• Member, Law Society of England and Wales