Vertex Technology Acquisition Corporation Ltd: Listing of 17LIVE Group Limited on the Singapore Exchange via a SPAC
Leading Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi advised Vertex Technology Acquisition Corporation Ltd (“VTAC”), a Singapore-based special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), on the listing on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) of 17LIVE Group Limited, a Taiwan-based streaming service, via a SPAC transaction through its business integration with VTAC. This is the first completed SPAC project in Singapore.
The Nishimura & Asahi team advising VTAC was led by partners Masato Yamanaka, Akihiro Shiba and Yotaro Takayama, supported by Benjamin Kwok Chong Ren and Yuri Utsumi.
People
Akihiro Shiba represents a wide range of clients, including numerous financial institutions and FinTech firms, within and outside Japan, in connection with licensing, compliance and other regulatory matters (such as those related to banking, securities, derivatives, and payments regulations, FDI restrictions, and AML/CFT/CPF requirements), and domestic and cross-border financial transactions (including those related to structured finance and asset management). Since 2014, his practice has focused on various FinTech matters, including those involving various digital tokens (such as cryptocurrencies, securities tokens, stablecoins, and NFTs), online platform-based financial transactions (like social lending and other crowdfunding), and online remittance and payment services (such as mobile payments). He has written numerous books and articles, and given many seminars and lectures, on subjects relevant to his practice areas.
Yotaro engages in all aspects of corporate legal affairs, focusing on domestic and overseas M&A and startup-related deals. Leveraging his broad knowledge and experience, Yotaro analyzes transaction structures, designs execution plans and negotiation strategies, and supports the analysis and execution of transactions to achieve their goals and objectives. In the M&A field, Yotaro has a track record of success in numerous deals, including cross-border transactions, and possesses broad knowledge. In addition, Yotaro lived in Singapore for more than two years and has engaged in numerous M&A deals in Southeast Asia. Having been in charge of M&A transactions in the Corporate Strategy Department of a major listed company, Yotaro has expertise in supporting deals based on the in-house processes and corporate culture of Japanese companies. In the field of startups and new business development, Yotaro has worked on numerous projects for the formation of joint ventures between large listed companies and domestic and overseas startups, the formation or development of new businesses, business alliances, and startup investment. With respect to startup investment, Yotaro possesses extensive knowledge and experience in investments around the world, including in Japan, the U.S., and Southeast Asian countries, as well as in South America and India, and provides advice based on the strategic objectives of Japanese companies and CVCs. Yotaro also has a wealth of experience in supporting start-up companies and has strengths in M&A transactions, financing, intellectual property strategy, and support for overseas business expansion, taking into consideration the characteristics of startups. In addition, Yotaro has a wide range of support experience, including in litigation and disputes between companies, scandals, and labor issues.
Masato Yamanaka joined Nishimura & Asahi in April 2008 after working for Mitsui, Yasuda, Wani & Maeda, Linklaters and Miyakezaka Sogo Law Office. After being seconded to Norton Rose Hong Kong, he started working for Nishimura & Asahi (Singapore) LLP in 2012. Since then, he has supported numerous clients with their M&A transactions, finance, and general corporate matters in the ASEAN region, especially in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He has significant expertise in public M&As in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.