Ethan Chen

Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright Hong Kong

Ethan Chen

Ethan Chen

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Biography

Ethan Chen is a partner based in Hong Kong.

He focuses his practice on capital markets and other corporate matters, including representation of issuers and underwriters in initial public offerings in the United States (including SPACs) and Hong Kong, other U.S. registered equity and debt offerings and Rule 144A/Regulation S equity and debt offerings, and dual-primary/secondary listing in Hong Kong.

Ethan has extensive experience in industrials, new energy, TMT, consumer, real estate and other industry sectors. He also advises private and public companies and financial institutions in pre/post-IPO matters such as mergers and acquisitions, financing, corporate structure, option plans and shareholder relationships, SEC compliance and corporate governance matters.

In 2022, LexisNexis named Ethan to its "40 under 40" List.

Prior to joining the firm, Ethan was a partner at a leading Wall Street law firm.


Professional experience

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  • LL.M., Harvard Law School, Founder and Co-President of Harvard China Law Association
  • M.C.L., University of Hong Kong, SHKP-Kwok's Foundation Law Scholar
  • LL.B., China University of Political Science and Law, summa cum laude
  • New York
  • PRC (not practising)

Equity

  • Hong Kong IPOs and dual listings – Noah Holdings, Greentown Management, Shanghai Dongzheng Automotive Finance, Chengdu Expressway, Fosun Tourism Group, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital, Ronshine China, Sunshine 100, China Fordoo Holdings
  • US IPOs and listings – Dingdong Maicai, Pinduoduo, Zhihu, Chindata Group, Sea Ltd., Opera Limited, Huami Corporation, Jiayin Group, JinkoSolar, Tuanche, Studio City, First High-School, 17 Education, Rise Education, Bright Scholar Education, China Online Education Group
  • SPAC IPOs – Catcha Investment Corp., three SoftBank Corps (1/2/3)

Debt (including equity linked)

  • Bond offerings - Carnival Group, Central China Real Estate, Country Garden, Evergrande Real Estate, Fantasia Holdings, Guangzhou R&F Properties, Modern Land, Redco Properties, Shenzhen Expressway, Sunac China, Xinyuan Real Estate

Mergers & Acquisitions, Privatisation, SPAC M&As

  • Bullish – definitive agreement to go public on the New York Stock Exchange through a merger with Far Peak Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: FPAC), a special purpose acquisition company, for approximately US$9 billion.
  • Rise Education (NASDAQ: REDU)
    • representing the audit committee of board of directors of Rise Education on its merger with Dada Auto Inc. (NaaS), pursuant to which the NaaS shareholders has exchanged all the issued and outstanding share capital of NaaS for the newly issued shares of Rise Education. The market capitalization of the combined company has then reached approximately US$1.77 billion. This transaction was named "Deals of the Year" by China Business Law Journal 2022.
    • reverse takeover merger with NaaS Technology Inc., which NaaS has then become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rise Education and remain listed on NASDAQ.
  • A consortium of finance institutions – US$9.3 billion acquisition of Qihoo360 Technology. The consortium consists of CITIC Guoan, Golden Brick Silk Road Capital, Sequoia Capital China, Taikang Life Insurance, Ping An Insurance, Sunshine Insurance, New China Capital, Huatai Ruilian, Huasheng Capital or their affiliated entities.
  • Trina Solar Limited (delisted, NYSE: TSL prior to delisting) – advising the Special Committee of Trina Solar Limited in connection with its acquisition by a consortium led by Mr. Jifan Gao, its chairman and CEO, in a "going private" transaction.
  • "40 under 40", LexisNexis, 2022
  • English
  • Chinese
  • Mandarin Chinese
  • Cantonese