Biography
Petr Šmerkl, a counsel of the Prague office, is a member of the Debt Finance and Capital Markets Practice Groups. Petr regularly provides advisory services to both international and local lenders, investors and companies in connection with international and domestic bank financing transactions. In addition, he represents both underwriters and issuers in connection with a range of debt and equity capital market products.
Over the past years, he has been an essential member of the team, contributing to many of the major banking and capital markets matters handled by the Prague office.
Petr also focuses on projects related to renewable energy across Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) and Southeastern Europe (SEE). He holds an LLM degree from University College London in the United Kingdom.
Experience
Petr's experience includes advising the following clients:
Bank Finance
Rohlik Group on a guaranteed loan of up to €90 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) as part of its 'Scale-Up' initiative, which aims to support rapidly growing technology startups in Europe. The loan is intended to fund projects related to the development and implementation of advanced digital technologies to further automate distribution centres, enhance customer experience, improve operational efficiency, and support Rohlik Group's expansion into additional European markets.
Česká exportní banka and Komerční banka in connection with ECA covered financing of construction of five regional airports in Senegal. The transaction requires a deep knowledge of and experience of legal issues relating to bankability of complex EPC contracts involving a significant number of suppliers as well as to different ECA products, in particular the buyers' credit insurance and insurance of payments under advance payment guarantees.
ING Bank and other MLAs in connection with the financing in excess of CZK 28 billion of a high-profile public-to-private acquisition by a regional sponsor.
the lenders in connection with the proposed financing for the development and construction of a wind farm with a nominal capacity of up to 95.5 MW and related activities adjacent to the Kovacica wind farm project in Vojvodina, Serbia.
a club of eight international commercial banks and international financial institutions in connection with a financing of up to €291 million for the construction and development of a wind farm with a nominal capacity including its second stage of the 461 MW in Romania.
Erste Group Bank, Nova Ljubljanska banka and Nova Ljubljanska banka Prishtina and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in connection with Euler-Hermes-backed financing of the development and construction of three 35 MW wind power plants, located in the Mitrovica Municipality of northern Kosovo.
Erste Group Bank in connection with providing long-term debt financing to support the construction, operation and maintenance of a 36 MW wind farm located near the village Bogoslovec in North Macedonia.
Capital Markets
EMMA Finance CZ and EMMA Finance SK, special purpose vehicles of EMMA Capital, in connection with the establishment of the first Czech-law-governed dual-issuer CZK 7.5 billion note programme and concurrent debut issuances of CZK- and EUR-denominated senior guaranteed and secured notes under the programme. The transaction involved issuance of CZK 2.5 billion 6.00 per cent. notes due 2030 by Emma Finance CZ, and of €50 million 5.25 per cent. notes due 2030 by Emma Finance SK. The notes were offered to retail and institutional investors in the Czech and Slovak markets and are admitted to trading on the regulated market of the Prague Stock Exchange. J&T IB and Capital Markets acted as arranger, and J&T BANKA as manager.
an international syndicate of banks – comprising Erste, LLBW, Helaba, Société Générale and UniCredit as joint lead managers, and NORD/LB as co-manager – on the issuance of €750 million 2.750 per cent. fixed-rate mortgage covered bonds by Komerční banka. The bonds, which carry a AAA rating by Fitch and the European covered bond (premium) label, were largely oversubscribed. They were issued under Komerční banka's EMTN programme, on the establishment and update of which we also advised and are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
a syndicate of banks consisting of Danske Bank, Erste Group Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Raiffeisen Bank International, Société Générale and UniCredit Bank acting as joint lead managers on the issuance of €500 million 2.625 per cent. mortgage covered bonds due 2030 by UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia. The issuance was carried out under the bank's updated €10 billion EMTN mortgage covered bond programme, with the bonds admitted to trading on the regulated market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. We also advised UniCredit Bank as arranger and dealer on the update of the programme immediately prior to the issuance.
Goldman Sachs Bank Europe and J.P. Morgan as joint lead managers on the issue of €100 million fixed-to-floating rate Tier 2 subordinated notes due 2035 by MONETA Money Bank, a Czech-based publicly traded bank. The notes were admitted to trading on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
BNP PARIBAS, Goldman Sachs Bank Europe, J&T BANKA, Morgan Stanley Europe and UniCredit Bank, as joint lead managers, and Raiffeisen Bank International and WOOD & Company Financial Services, as co-managers, on J&T BANKA's €300 million senior preferred MREL-eligible notes due 2031. We also advised on J&T BANKA's cash tender offer related to its outstanding €120 million senior preferred MREL-eligible notes due 2026, with an acceptance rate of nearly 85 percent of the total nominal amount. The notes were issued under J&T BANKA's €3 billion EMTN programme and listed on the regulated market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
Energo-Pro on its issuance of €700 million 8.00 per cent. guaranteed notes due 2030, offered under Rule 144A and Regulation S, and a subsequent €50 million tap issuance. The notes are admitted to trading on the regulated market of Euronext Dublin. Citigroup Global Markets Europe, Goldman Sachs Bank Europe and J. P. Morgan acted as joint bookrunners and joint lead managers on the initial issuance. Goldman Sachs Bank Europe acted as the sole lead manager on the subsequent tap issuance. The transaction was awarded the "Deal of the Year – Czechia" at the Global Banking & Markets CEE, CIS & Türkiye Awards 2025.
České dráhy (Czech Railways) on several issuances, including its landmark issuance of €500 million 3.750 per cent. senior unsecured notes due 2030 listed on the regulated market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. BNP PARIBAS and Erste Group Bank acted as joint global coordinators and ING Bank, KBC Bank and Raiffeisen Bank International acted as joint bookrunners.
Rohlik.cz Finance II as issuer on its CZK 4 billion retail offering of senior secured fixed rate bonds due in 2029 with a right to receive an extraordinary bonus linked to equity value. The bonds are guaranteed by Rohlik Group's largest shareholder, Rohlik.cz Investment, and secured by shares in Rohlik Group. The bonds provide investors with a right to receive an extraordinary bonus at final or early maturity, depending on, among other factors, the valuation of Rohlik Group at that time. This is the first time such novel feature, which provides investors in corporate bonds with an upside linked to equity value, has been used in the domestic retail bond market.
Rising Star (National) by IFLR Europe Awards 2025
J. Harašta, M. Kočí & P. Šmerkl (2010): Virtual Money in China, Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology, Volume 4, No. 2, pp. 191-204.