our Team
Managing Partner
Tay Zi Li
Zi Li is the founding partner of Zi Li & Partners. Prior to founding the firm, he was the executive partner of ZICO Law Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh Office and partner of Zaid Ibrahim & Co, Malaysia. He was the youngest-made partner in the entire ZICO Law network at the age of 28.
He regularly advises on a wide range of cross border corporate and commercial transactions including joint venture projects, shareholders agreements, takeovers and mergers and foreign investments in various industries in Malaysia as well as in the South-east Asian region, particularly Vietnam.
Zi Li also has extensive experience in advising foreign and local sponsors, lenders, borrowers and issuers in banking transactions, project financing transactions and debt capital market transactions, both conventional and Islamic.
Zi Li has experience across the entire spectrum of start up/venture capital matters, from the setting up of employee incentive plans and preparation of data privacy matters to the raising of equity funding rounds and trade sales.
Having worked on many cross border and regional transactions, Zi Li heads up the foreign practices of Zi Li & Partners.
- Corporate Commercial and Regulatory Compliance
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Real Estate and Projects
- Start-Ups and Venture Capital
- LL.B. (Hons) University of Reading
- Certificate in Legal Practice, 2011; Tun Hamid Omar Book Prize winner for Best Overall Student for Certificate in Legal Practice
- Advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Malaysia (2012)
- Registered foreign lawyer in Vietnam since 2018
- English
- Mandarin
- Malay
- Who’s Who Legal Recommended (Project Finance) 2023
- Who’s Who Legal Recommended (Southeast Asia – Project Finance) 2023
- Who’s who Legal, Project Finance, Malaysia 2020, Vietnam 2021
- Winner – Client Service Excellence, Real Estate, Asialaw, 2021
- Rising Star – Real Estate, Asialaw Leading Lawyers, 2021
- Quoted on Chambers and Legal500 2020 for banking and real estate transactions
- Advised the largest banking institution of China and the first privately-owned bank in China in RMB1.68 billion project financing extended to SBH Kibing Solar New Material (M) Sdn Bhd for manufacturing of solar glass panel factory in Sabah, Malaysia. This investment is the largest outbound investment from the One Belt One Road Initiative of the Hunan Province in China for 2023.
- Advised Malayan Banking Berhad on its issuance of panda bonds in 2017 which marked the first Malaysian issuer in China and the first ever bonds that was traded through Bond Connect.
- Advised J Resources Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the Indonesia public listed company in relation to its financing and corporate commercial matters.
- Advised AC Ventures, a leading SEA venture capital firm, in its investment and corporate commercial matters.
- Advising Hongkong Land Ltd., one of Asia’s leading property investment, management, and development groups, regarding a mixed-use project comprising luxury residences and boutique retail outlets in a prime location in the central district of Ho Chi Minh City.
- Advised eWTP, fund set up by Jack Ma, in their investments in the technology start-ups in Vietnam.
Partner
Yee Yik Shien
Yik Shien is primarily involved in banking and finance and capital markets transactions.
Her experience includes advising local and foreign financial institutions and borrowers on various bilateral and syndicated financing and Islamic financing transactions transactions. She also regularly advises on a wide range of debt capital markets transactions (both conventional and Islamic), including issuances of bank capital instruments, retail bonds, convertible bonds, perpetual bonds, government bonds, green bonds and sustainability bonds, as well as equity capital markets transactions such as private placement and rights issue.
Prior to joining Zi Li & Partners in 2023, Yik Shien was practising as a Partner in a large Malaysian firm which is ranked as Tier 1 in both banking and finance and capital markets.
- Banking and Finance
- Capital Markets
- Corporate Commercial and Regulatory Compliance
- Real Estate and Projects
- LL.B. (Hons) University of Manchester
- Barrister-at-law (Lincoln’s Inn) (2011)
- Advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Malaysia (2012)
- Advocate of the High Court of Sarawak, Malaysia (2016)
- English
- Mandarin
- Malay
- Advised lead arranger on RM25 billion multicurrency perpetual notes programme by Hong Leong Financial Group Berhad, RM10 billion multicurrency Additional Tier 1 capital securities programme by Hong Leong Bank Berhad and RM2 billion multicurrency perpetual subordinated sukuk programme by Hong Leong Islamic Bank Berhad.
- Advised edotco Group Sdn Bhd on its USD600 million primary and secondary equity private placement to Japan-based Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
- Advised as Malaysian counsels for principal adviser on the issue of USD6 billion multi-tranche senior bonds by PETRONAS Capital Limited under its USD15 billion multi-currency global medium term notes program.
- Advised the joint lead arrangers on RM10 billion Islamic medium term notes programme and RM2 billion Islamic commercial papers programme based on Shariah principle of Wakalah Bi Al-Istithmar, by Tenaga Nasional Berhad.
- Advised joint lead arrangers on RM15 billion multi-currency Islamic medium term notes master programme based on the Shariah principle of Wakalah Bi Al-Istithmar by Petroleum Sarawak Exploration & Production Sdn Bhd.
- Advised Area group of companies on the joint venture with Permodalan Nasional Bhd and Kumpulan Wang Persaraan for the development of a 220-acre industrial and logistics hub in Kota Seri Langat, Selangor.
- Advised lead arranger on RM390 million reNIKOLA ASEAN Green SRI Sukuk Programme under the Shariah principle of Murabahah (via Tawarruq arrangement) by reNIKOLA Solar Sdn Bhd.
- Advised as Malaysian counsels for Government of Malaysia on its issue of USD800 million sustainability Sukuk and USD500 million sustainability Sukuk via Malaysia Wakala Sukuk Berhad.
- Advised Capital A Berhad on its RM974.5 million rights issue of redeemable convertible unsecured Islamic debts securities plus free detachable warrants.
- Advised Malayan Cement Berhad on the syndicated term financing-i facility of up to RM2 billion granted by Maybank Investment Bank Berhad and United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad to finance the acquisition of 10 companies in the cement and ready-mixed concrete sectors in Malaysia.
- Advised Asia Digital Engineering Sdn Bhd, the engineering and maintenance subsidiary of Capital A Berhad, on the term loan facilities of up to USD100 million granted by OCP Asia Ltd to finance capital expenditure of 2 aircraft hangars and 14 lines facility in Sepang, Malaysia.
- Advised a Chinese leading developer and operator of high-performance data centres on RM1.266 billion term loan facilities granted to its Malaysian subsidiary by a syndicate of lenders to fund the total development cost of the proposed development of data centre in Nusajaya, Johor.
Partner
Samantha Chiang Xin Li
Samantha is primarily involved in banking and finance, and corporate and commercial matters.
Samantha brings extensive experience in a wide range of domestic and international financing transactions, having started her career at one of Malaysia’s largest law firms ranked as Tier 1 in Banking and Finance, and subsequently transitioned to an in-house legal role at a leading international financial institution. Her experience spans acting for arrangers, lenders, financial institutions and borrowers on syndicated lending, debt capital markets, derivatives transactions, structured financing and Islamic finance.
Samantha also regularly advises on corporate and commercial transactions including drafting shareholder agreements, joint venture agreements, commercial and business agreements and supply and services agreements for clients across various industries.
- Banking and Finance
- Corporate Commercial and Regulatory Compliance
- Real Estate and Projects
- Start-Ups and Venture Capital
- LL.B. (Hons) University of Reading
- Advocate and solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Malaysia (2014)
- English
- Malay
- Advised SBH Kibing Solar New Material (M) Sdn Bhd and SBH Kibing Silicon Materials Sdn Bhd in their respective financings extended by a local financial institution of up to RMB280 million collectively in connection with the operation of a solar glass manufacturing plant in Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) Sabah and development of a quartz sand production plant in Kudat, Sabah.
- Advised Rhea Fertility Singapore Pte Ltd, a reproductive health service provider and its related companies on their day-to-day legal matters including preparation of commercial and business agreements, implementation of share grant plans, and advising on data privacy and employment matters.
- Advised AC Ventures, a leading SEA venture capital firm, in its investments and corporate commercial matters.
- Advised a syndicate of Japanese banks (Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank, Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank, The Bank of Yokohama and Tokyo Star Bank) in connection with the JPY16 billion facilities granted to a public-listed subsidiary of a leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company.
- Advised CIMB Bank Berhad, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Malaysia Berhad, MUFG Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, RHB Bank Berhad, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad and Standard Chartered Bank Berhad on the provision of bilateral loans amounting to RM2.6 billion granted to Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd.
- Advised Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad as principal adviser and lead arranger in connection with the Islamic medium term notes programme of up to RM1 billion based on the Shariah principle of Wakalah Bi Al-Istithmar (together with Murabahah (via Tawarruq arrangement)) established by BGRB Venture Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Berjaya Golf Resort Berhad.
- Advised Maybank Investment Bank Berhad in connection with an unrated Sukuk Murabahah programme of up to RM1 billion established by a port and logistics company, Johor Port Berhad, a member of a leading utilities and infrastructure group in Malaysia, MMC Group.
- Advised a syndicate of foreign lenders in connection with the reinstatement of existing liabilities and provision of new facilities amounting to approximately US$1.3 billion to a Norwegian company as a result of one of the largest consolidations involving several international companies in the offshore service vessel (OSV) industry. In particular, advising the lenders on the local law requirements in relation to the provision of mortgages over vessels by two offshore companies based in Labuan.