 
  Michal Oleś
 
  Michal Oleś
Biography
Michał Oleś is a Local Partner in the Debt Finance Practice at the Warsaw office of White & Case.
As a seasoned transactional banking lawyer, he specializes in banking, commercial, and civil law. Michał has extensive experience in a wide range of finance transactions across the CEE region. He regularly acts for major domestic and international banks, other financial institutions as well as corporate borrowers, project sponsors and private equity funds across a diverse array of financing projects, including leverage finance, project finance, asset finance and CRE finance.
With a profound understanding of financial transactions, Michał is known for his meticulous approach and strategic insight. His expertise includes advising on complex financing structures, ensuring regulatory compliance, and negotiating terms that meet his clients' objectives.
Michał is regularly ranked by prestigious international legal rankings such as The Legal 500 and IFLR1000 for Banking and Finance.
Experience
His experience includes the following:
Lenders: representation of Banco Santander S.A. and Santander Bank Polska S.A. on the over PLN 500 million project financing granted to Cognor S.A., a leading Polish steel producer.*
Lenders: representation of Santander Bank Polska S.A. and Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. in connection with financing (including a loan secured by a KUKE guarantee) granted to Tarczyński S.A. in the amount of PLN 900 million.*
Lenders: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. and Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. in connection with the financing of the acquisition of Dafo Plastics S.A. by Lerg S.A.*
Lender: representation of the lender in an investment facility connected with the acquisition and financing of the extensions of a portfolio of retail parks.*
Lenders: representation of the lenders in connection with the acquisition of the food manufacturer group Eisberg.*
Lenders: representation of Santander Bank Polska S.A., Bank Pekao S.A., and Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. in connection with approx. PLN 350 million financing granted to the Ponar Group.*
Sponsor: representation of Innova Capital in connection with the acquisition financing of certain targets in Spain and Poland granted by mBank S.A. and Bank Pekao S.A.*
Lender: representation of Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. in connection with the project financing granted to a company operating a distribution terminal up to the amount of approx. €90 million.*
Lender: representation of Helaba in connection with the financing granted to G-City in connection with the operations of the PRS building in Warsaw.*
Borrower: representation of Ghelamco in connection with the financing of the development of the office building The Bridge in Warsaw up to an amount exceeding €200 million.*
Lender: representation of BGK in connection with financing granted with funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan.*
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the financing granted to ZIKO, a leading pharmacies chain.*
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the financing of the acquisition of WeButex by Lerg S.A.*
Borrower: representation of Ghelamco in connection with the financing and sale of the office building The Unit in Warsaw.*
Lender: representation of mBank S.A. in connection with the financing of the acquisition of a retail park in Gorzów Wielkopolski by the BIG Group.*
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the acquisition of shares in NTFY, a leading box diet manufacturer.*
Lender: representation of mBank S.A. in connection with the financing of a shopping center in Poland.*
Lenders: representation of Erste Group Bank AG and other lenders in connection with the €85 million financing granted to companies from the Immofinanz/CPI Group portfolio of retail parks located in 11 cities in Poland.*
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the financing of an entity from the ASSECO Poland group.*
Lenders: representation of a consortium of Santander Bank Polska S.A. and Bank Polska Kasa Opieki S.A. on one of the first post-pandemic hotel development and investment financings in Poland that was carried out by the PURO brand on Canaletta Street in Warsaw.*
Borrower: representation of the Telemond Group in connection with the €85 million facilities granted by a consortium of the lenders including Santander Bank Polska S.A., BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A. and ING Bank Śląski S.A. for the acquisition of shares in Telemond Holding and certain capex, project and working capital facilities.*
Lenders: representation of a consortium of Banco Santander S.A., Santander Bank Polska S.A. and Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. in connection with the €75 million financing granted to Persan Polska S.A., a manufacturer of home care and personal care products, to finance the construction costs of a new production plant in Poland.*
Sponsor/Borrower: representation of the sponsor and the borrower in connection with the acquisition financing granted to acquire Foodwell (formerly Bakalland) Group, a leading snacks manufacturer in Poland.*
Lenders: representation of Erste Group Bank AG and other lenders in connection with the financing of a Warsaw office portfolio in the amount of €140 million.*
Sponsor/Borrower: representation of the Borrower in connection with the acquisition of Formeds, a leading producer of dietary supplements.*
Lenders: representation of Santander Bank Polska S.A. and Bank Pekao S.A. in a management buy-out acquisition finance transaction.*
Lenders: representation of Erste Group Bank AG and other lenders in connection with the €17.5 million financing granted to the owners of six City Market retail parks, located in five cities in Poland.*
Lender: representation of mBank S.A. in an update of financial documents between lenders and Zarmen GPP sp. z o.o., a company operating in the energy sector, as well as the preparation of bilateral overdraft agreements.*
Lenders: representation of Erste Group Bank AG and other lenders in connection with the €129 million financing for the refinancing of the indebtedness of Vivo! Poland sp. z o.o. and Galeria Zamek sp. z o.o.*
Lender: representation of mBank S.A. in connection with the financing of the construction of a retail park in Gorzów Wielkopolski.*
Lender: representation of mBank S.A. in connection with financing related to the acquisition by a public company of its own shares.*
Lender: representation of Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba) in connection with financing granted for the purpose of the acquisition of the Marki M1 shopping center by Bruin sp. z o.o.*
Borrower: representation of ZPUE S.A. in connection with the PLN 100 million financing related to a tender offer for the sale of up to 100% of the shares in ZPUE S.A.*
Lender: representation of Santander Bank Polska S.A. in the refinancing of the indebtedness of the Shellter Hotel & Apartments in Rogowo to the Baltic Sea construction company.*
Lender: representation of Santander Bank Polska S.A. in connection with the PLN 88 million term and revolving loans granted to the Profi group.*
Lender: representation of a German bank in connection with the financing of a shopping center in Kraków.*
Borrower: representation of Murapol S.A. and its subsidiaries in connection with loans granted by Santander Bank Polska S.A. and Bank Polska Kasa Opieki S.A., including for the refinancing of the Murapol Group's debt in the total amount of PLN 550 million.*
Sponsor: representation of Apollo Invest sp. z o.o. (a Ghelamco Poland subsidiary) in connection with the €135 million and PLN 25 million financing of costs and expenses relating to the development, construction and completion of the class A "Warsaw Unit" office building.
Lenders: representation of Santander Bank Polska S.A., PKO BP S.A. and Bank Millennium S.A. in connection with a facility of PLN 530 million granted to leading plywood manufacturers in Poland for the purpose of refinancing their existing financial debt and financing capital expenditures and for general and working capital purposes of their group.
Lenders: representation of Berlin Hyp AG and Erste Group Bank AG in connection with a €205 million refinancing of a portfolio of seven office buildings located in Warsaw belonging to Immofinanz.
Borrower: representation of Ghelamco in connection with a €370 million refinancing of the existing indebtedness incurred by Ghelamco's subsidiaries in connection with construction of the Warsaw Spire, a complex of office buildings in Warsaw.
Lender: representation of mBank S.A. in connection with the financing of the construction of a warehouse in Szczecin.
Lender: representing mBank S.A. in connection with the financing of the construction of a hotel in Białka Tatrzańska.
Lender: representation of Santander Bank Polska S.A. in connection with the financing of the construction of a hotel in Kraków Balice.
Borrower: representation of Ghelamco in connection with a €221 million and PLN 45 million facility agreement entered into with a Polish lenders' syndicate in connection with the financing of the construction and development of a multifunctional complex building in Warsaw (The Warsaw HUB).
Lenders: representation of Bank Zachodni WBK S.A., ING Bank Śląski S.A., Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A., Bank BGŻ BNP Paribas S.A. and HSBC Bank Polska S.A. in connection with the PLN 1.38 billion refinancing of the indebtedness of Prime Car Management S.A.
Lender: representation of Bank Zachodni WBK S.A. in the indirect financing of up to PLN 1.56 billion to guarantee the acquisition of 34.29% of the shares in AmRest Holdings SE by its largest shareholder, FCapital Dutch B.V.
Borrower: representation of Synthos S.A. in connection with obtaining financing in the form of a revolving credit of up to €220 million from a consortium of banks including PKO Bank Polski S.A., Bank BGŻ BNP Paribas S.A., Bank Handlowy w Warszawie S.A., Bank Zachodni WBK S.A., HSBC Bank Polski S.A., ING Bank Śląski S.A. and HSBC Bank plc.
Borrower: representation of AASA Polska S.A. and its subsidiaries of the Scandinavian financial group Aasa Global in connection with the financing of its business activity.
Lender: representation of Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba) in connection with the €96 million and PLN 200 million financing of the acquisition of the Galeria Sfera shopping center located in Bielsko-Biala.
Lender: representation of Berlin Hyp AG in connection with the €16.8 million refinancing and new financing of the capital expenditures and costs of fit-out relating to the modernization of the Obrzeżna Office Building in Warsaw and the Baltic Business Center in Gdynia.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the financing of a public-private partnership project concerning the redevelopment and maintenance of student dormitories of the Jagiellonian University Medical College in Kraków, Poland. This transaction represents the first PPP student housing project in Poland.
Borrower: representation of EDF Investissements Groupe SA in connection with the PLN 2.4 billion secured financing made available to EDF Polska S.A. for the current activity and financing of the projects of building and commissioning of a wet flue gas desulphurization and de-nitrification system in the borrower's plants located in Kraków, Rybnik, Gdańsk and Gdynia.
Lender: representation of BGK in connection with the US$42.5 million and PLN 90 million financing of the development of an oil field in the Baltic Sea by LOTOS Petrobaltic S.A. The project was the first transaction co-financed by Polskie Inwestycje Rozwojowe S.A., a company established under the Polish Investments Programme.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the PLN 61 million financing of the construction of a modern fly ash separation plant in Warsaw at the Siekierki cogeneration plant.
Lender: representation of BGK in connection with a PLN 100 million loan granted to Zakłady Energetyki Cieplnej S.A., a company operating a thermal power plant, in order to finance the acquisition of intercompany bonds as part of the restructuring of the borrower's affiliates.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in the approx. PLN 102 million acquisition financing of Marpol S.A., a leading regional producer of flexible packaging and laminates, by Lerg S.A., a top trader and manufacturer within the chemical industry in Poland, and granting certain overdraft and refinancing investment loan facilities.
Lender: representation of mBank S.A. in connection with the financing of the acquisition of Anwis Polska sp. z o.o., a leading European producer of window covers and components used in their production, by Flarna Polska (ARX Equity Partners' subsidiary).
Lender: representation of Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba) in connection with the €136 million financing granted to Starwood Capital Group for their acquisition of three office properties located in Warsaw and Katowice.
Lender: representation of BGK in connection with a PLN 100 million non-revolving, term investment loan granted to Zakłady Energetyki Cieplnej S.A., a company maintaining a thermal power plant, in order to finance the acquisition of the intercompany bonds as part of the restructuring of the borrower's affiliates.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the PLN 200 million financing granted to a publicly traded company, Midas S.A., and its subsidiaries for the purpose of the development of a telecommunication network using LTE and HSPA+ technologies.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the refinancing of the existing indebtedness of a major shopping center in Wrocław.
Lenders: representation of mBank S.A., DNB Bank Polska S.A. and ING Bank Śląski S.A. in connection with the €185 million refinancing of a leading manufacturer of wood-based products.
Lenders: representation of a syndicate of banks in connection with the refinancing of the indebtedness of a leading manufacturer of rolling stock and railway components.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the €150 million refinancing of a major Polish company operating in the food processing sector.
Borrower: representation of Enterprise Investors in connection with the refinancing of the acquisition facility used to purchase the majority stake in Kofola, a leading soft beverages producer in the CEE region.
Borrower: representation of Złomrex International Finance S.A. (part of the Cognor group) as issuer in the restructuring of its approximately €118 million outstanding New York law governed senior secured high yield notes due 2014, which were exchanged by way of an English law scheme of arrangement for new senior secured notes and exchangeable PIK notes issued by a new financing vehicle in the Cognor group.
Lenders: representation of Erste Group Bank AG and UniCredit Bank Austria AG in connection with the €50 million Eksport Kredit Fonden-backed project financing of Eko-Energija d.o.o. (a subsidiary of the sponsor, EnerCap s.r.o.) for the purpose of developing and operating a 42 MW wind farm project in the Obrovac municipality of Croatia.
Lender: representation of Nordea Bank Polska S.A. in connection with the refinancing of €52 million facilities granted for the construction and development of a shopping center in Kraków, Poland.
Lender: representation of BRE Bank S.A. in connection with a real estate financing project relating to an office building in Kraków, Poland.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the refinancing of the construction of three hotels and financing of the construction of six hotels located in Poland belonging to the Louvre Hotels chain.
Lender: representation of Bank Pekao S.A. in connection with the financing granted to Bachleda Hotel sp. z o.o. for the acquisition of Hotel Mercure Kasprowy in Zakopane and assistance to a German bank in connection with the refinancing of an office building in Warsaw.
Lender: representation of a German bank in connection with the refinancing of two office buildings located in Warsaw, Poland.
*Experience gained prior to rejoining White & Case
