Law Firm for Equity and Capital Markets Law

Reliable Advice for Dynamic Capital Markets

Access to capital is one of the key strategic challenges for many businesses. Investments in transformation, digitalisation and international expansion require new financing solutions — while regulatory requirements for companies entering the capital markets or already listed continue to increase.

Our broad-based capital markets team focuses on advising listed companies and businesses planning an IPO on equity and capital markets matters, including capital markets transactions (in particular IPOs, rights issues, stock exchange listings, public takeovers and takeover defence), strategic board-level advice and annual general meetings. We also advise investment banks acting as underwriters in IPOs and capital increases, as well as financial advisers, building on long-standing relationships. In addition, we advise on bonds and convertible bonds.

The German Taylor Wessing Capital Markets team is recognised for its proven and impressive track record across a broad range of completed capital markets transactions. Our team draws on extensive transactional experience and, with its partners and wider team members, has the capacity required to deliver complex capital markets transactions of any type and size to the highest standard.

Capital markets transactions are among the most complex projects in commercial law. In addition to corporate law considerations, extensive regulatory requirements and international market standards must be taken into account. Through the close collaboration of our corporate, tax and regulatory teams, we ensure that capital markets transactions are structured efficiently and implemented with legal certainty.

Equity and Capital Markets Advice for Issuers and Investors

Our team advises clients throughout the entire capital markets lifecycle — from preparing for an IPO and providing ongoing capital markets advice to listed companies through to squeeze-outs and delistings. Our advice combines legal excellence with a hands-on approach.

Zu unseren Mandanten gehören insbesondere:

Listed companies
Companies preparing for an IPO
Private equity and growth investors
International issuers listed in Europe

As an internationally positioned equity and capital markets law firm, we regularly support clients on cross-border transactions.

Legal Advice for Listed Companies

We provide management boards and supervisory boards with top-tier equity and capital markets advice, enabling listed companies to implement their operational and strategic objectives with legal certainty. A key element of our advisory approach is identifying solutions that ensure these objectives can still be achieved even in legally challenging situations. We have successfully advised clients on numerous complex corporate measures and are highly experienced in dealing with the various issues and dynamics involved, including matters relating to minority shareholders. This experience enables us to identify practical solutions even where unforeseen challenges arise during the execution of transactions.

Advising listed companies on their ongoing “being public” obligations is also part of our day-to-day practice. We have extensive expertise covering all continuing obligations following a listing and their practical implementation, combining legal excellence with a hands-on approach. We closely monitor legal developments at both national and European level and maintain strong relationships with supervisory authorities.

Advice on the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and ad hoc disclosure obligations

Corporate governance for listed companies

Capital markets compliance structures

Strategic board-level advice and conflict resolution between corporate bodies

Advice on insider law and directors’ dealings

Support with capital markets reporting and transparency obligations

Public Takeovers and Public M&A

Our Public M&A team advises bidders and target companies on public takeovers and is highly experienced in all related legal matters. We have advised on numerous takeover transactions and have built extensive expertise over many years. Drawing on this experience, we provide tailored solutions that integrate both legal and strategic considerations.

Clients choose to work with us on public M&A transactions for the following reasons:

A creative, dynamic and highly coordinated team with extensive experience ensures smooth transaction execution at the highest level
Transaction advice delivered through a lead partner who is prepared to go the extra mile
Taylor Wessing is one of the few firms covering all major industry sectors and advising across all company sizes and transaction volumes
Large and experienced team capable of handling complex exchange offers on both the offer and prospectus side
Comprehensive support throughout all project phases, from NDAs, timelines and letters of intent/term sheets through to negotiating business combination agreements (BCAs), share purchase agreements (SPAs) and irrevocable undertakings, as well as preparing and obtaining approval for offer documentation, handling all required announcements and completing the offer process
Long-standing and strong relationships with BaFin’s takeover division and efficient coordination with the responsible case officers before and after submission of the offer document
Long-standing best-friends relationships with US and other international law firms to support takeover offers with cross-border elements (for example where the target has a significant number of US shareholders)

M&A Market Momentum – Our Quarterly Analysis

M&A Market Momentum

M&A in Q2 2026: Between Energy Shock and Selective Optimism

Equity Capital Markets (ECM), IPOs and Capital Increases

For many companies, an IPO remains a key step in financing growth and innovation. At the same time, increasing regulatory requirements and volatile market conditions place significant demands on the structuring and execution of IPOs. Following a successful IPO, we advise issuers and investors on further capital raising through rights issues and private placements. We are highly familiar with the complex and often sector-specific requirements relating to prospectus preparation, as well as with the extensive simplifications introduced by the EU Listing Act. We regularly advise clients on the preparation and approval of securities prospectuses before the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and foreign supervisory authorities, such as the CSSF in Luxembourg.

Our advice includes in particular:

Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)
Capital increases through rights issues and private placements
Secondary offerings
Dual listings and international stock exchange listings
SPAC transactions
Delistings

Debt Capital Markets (DCM) and Debt Financing

In addition to raising equity through share issuances, debt financing via the capital markets also plays a key role for companies. Our Debt Capital Markets team advises issuers, underwriters and investors across the full spectrum of debt capital market products and stock exchange listings.
We have extensive experience advising issuers and dealers in connection with the establishment and update of debt issuance programmes (EMTN programmes), stand-alone eurobond issuances, Yankee bonds, green, sustainability-linked and social bonds, convertible bonds and perpetual notes, regulatory capital instruments (MREL/AT1/Tier 2) and covered bonds (Pfandbriefe). Our core expertise also extends to debt restructurings through tender offers, repurchase transactions or bondholder resolutions, Schuldschein loans, registered bonds, as well as commercial paper and security token offerings. Our experts support clients in structuring issuances, preparing transaction documentation and advising on regulatory issues relating to prospectus requirements and capital markets compliance.

Our global network enables us to facilitate debt offerings and debt listings governed by German or English law across Europe, Asia and the United States.

Capital Markets Transactions in an International Environment

Capital markets are now globally interconnected. Companies increasingly seek access to international investors or pursue listings on international stock exchanges. At the same time, European regulatory initiatives are leading to greater harmonisation of capital markets law across the EU.

Taylor Wessing advises clients on international capital markets transactions and cross-border listing structures. Our teams coordinate complex projects across multiple jurisdictions and work closely with our international offices.

Our advice includes in particular:

Structuring cross-border capital markets transactions
Advice on European capital markets regulation
Support with international investor relations structures
Coordination of global listing projects

In this way, we help companies implement their capital markets strategies efficiently and with legal certainty.

Your Capital Markets Law Firm

More than ever, companies require advisers who combine legal expertise with a deep understanding of capital markets and investor expectations.
Taylor Wessing is one of the leading international law firms in the field of banking and capital markets law. Our teams regularly advise clients on complex capital markets projects — from IPOs and capital measures through to ongoing capital markets compliance.

Clients particularly value: