Clifford Chance was awarded 21 awards and named International Law Firm of the Year

Clifford Chance Badea, the local office of global law firm Clifford Chance, won, for the third consecutive year, the award Romania Firm of the Year, and Daniel Badea (Managing Partner of the Bucharest office) was named Lawyer of the Year: Romania at the 2026 IFLR Europe Awards Gala, held last night in London. 

The IFLR Awards recognize innovation and legal excellence demonstrated in landmark cross-border transactions. At individual level, the awards honour leadership in innovation, market impact, and industry-wide recognition.

Daniel Badea, Managing Partner of Clifford Chance Badea, says: “We are honoured by this new recognition, which comes amid the most intense period since Clifford Chance entered Romania, 20 years ago. The Bucharest office has proven to be a hub of professional excellence and a strategic partner that generates real value for clients, in line with the global standards established by Clifford Chance. Amid an unprecedented geopolitical and economic context, our team works with the largest international investors and financiers, as well as with leading Romanian entrepreneurs, advising on strategic transactions through which they accelerate investments and consolidation plans, aiming for the most competitive regional positioning for the coming decade.

Congratulations to all our colleagues in the Clifford Chance network who contribute, every day, to strengthening our leading reputation in Europe, through a culture of excellence, collaboration and focus on the strategic objectives of our clients.”

Emma Matebalavu, Partner, Head of Global Financial Markets said: “Being named International Law Firm of the Year, alongside 21 additional awards in the IFLR Europe awards, is a powerful recognition of the value we deliver to our clients every day. It reflects the strength of our European platform – combining deep local experience with the ability to support the most complex cross border mandates. I am very proud of our team that understands our clients’ businesses, anticipates challenges and helps them achieve their most important strategic outcomes.”

The 2026 IFLR Europe Awards recognition further strengthens the reputation of the Clifford Chance Bucharest office, which reported an unprecedented track record in 2025, having led local and multi-jurisdictional transactions with a total combined value exceeding EUR 30 billion.

2025 was a year of consolidation for the Bucharest office's traditional practice areas – Banking & Finance and Capital Markets, and Corporate M&A – and of accelerated development in strategic segments such as the multidisciplinary Energy practice, which advises on the most important Renewable Energy projects.

The most representative transactions successfully advised last year include:

1. Major M&A projects:

• Advising UniCredit in the closing of its merger with Alpha Bank Romania, leading to the creation of the third largest banking group by assets in Romania;
• Advising Actis, the global investment fund in sustainable infrastructure, in its joint venture agreement with Mubadala Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor, related to one of the largest renewable energy projects in the region;
• Advising a leading energy company in the acquisition of a major data centre in Romania;
• Advising an European utility and energy giant in the acquisition of a major energy business;
• Advising Nofar Energy in relation to the sale of its stake in Rătești Solar SRL;
• Advising Polish group Green Factory, part of Green Holding, in the closing of its acquisition of Eisberg Romania, Eisberg Poland and Eisberg Hungary from Swiss-based Bell Food Group;
• Advising T2Y Capital, a financial investor specializing in growth capital with a focus on the energy sector and adjacent industries, in relation to its strategic partnership with Prime Batteries Energy Holding, an investment making it the second-largest shareholder of the Romanian battery producer.

2. Some of the most important transactions completed by the entrepreneurial sector in Romania:

• Advising Cris-Tim Family Holding (CFH) in connection with the initial public offering worth RON 454.35 million, which made history on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, valuing the company at RON 1.33 billion;
• Advising Carmistin International SRL in connection with the EUR 500 million financing arranged by BCR and ING Bank, the largest financing granted to the private sector in Romania in 2025;
• Advising the consortium of investment banks in connection with the EUR 600 million bond issue launched by DIGI Romania and listed on the Euronext Dublin stock exchange;
• Advising the consortium of investment banks in connection with the EUR 500 million AT1 bond issue launched by Banca Transilvania S.A. on international markets, its first ever such issuance and the largest in Central and Eastern Europe.

3. The largest sustainable finance deals:

• Advising the arrangers BT Capital Partners, Banca Comercială Română, Raiffeisen Bank and Alpha Bank Romania in Banca Transilvania's successful first sustainable bonds issue denominated in RON, which raised a record RON 1.5 billion;
• Advising Electrica in its historic and successful first green bond issue on foreign markets, which was oversubscribed more than 11 times and raised EUR 500 million;
• Advising NEPI Rockcastle in its most recent green bonds issues worth EUR 500 million, that was 8 times oversubscribed by more than 200 institutional investors.

4. Advising global and local financial institutions in financing Romania's economy:

• Advising global, regional, and local banks such as J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America, HSBC, Société Générale, Erste Group Bank, Deutsche Bank, UniCredit Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, ING Bank in connection with Romania's sovereign financing, both through Eurobond issues and bilateral loans;
• Advising global, regional, and local banks such as Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan, Erste Bank, ING Bank, EBRD, UniCredit, Raiffeisen Bank, BCR, Banca Transilvania in financing major economic players such as DIGI, Carmistin, Engie, NEPI Rockastle, Premium Porc, Pepco, InterCars, Webasto, Electrica, CCC, Aukera, BIG MEGA Renewables Energy, DRI, Enery, Greenvolt, Nofar Energy, R. Power.

5. Cross-border projects with the Bucharest office involvement, in areas such as securitizations, project finance, investigations, and class action litigation:

• Advising global financial institutions, either as part of teams in London or by directly coordinating multi-jurisdictional teams (including in the United States), in connection with large securitization transactions and the launch of related securities offerings. The value of transactions completed in the last year exceeds £2.8 billion;
• Advising on complex international litigation and investigation mandates, working closely with other Clifford Chance offices, particularly the London office. The multidisciplinary team supports international clients in key areas such as compliance, risk prevention, crisis management, and reputation protection, having the necessary expertise to manage complex legal, commercial, and reputational risks, particularly those associated with regulatory and economic and financial fraud.

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About Clifford Chance Badea

Clifford Chance Badea is the local office of the global law firm Clifford Chance LLP, which has been present on the market since 2006. The Bucharest office is constantly involved in complex financing, restructuring, eurobond and share issues on local and international capital markets, derivative financial instruments, acquisitions of companies by strategic investors or private equity funds, infrastructure and motorway projects, real estate investments, as well as domestic and international litigation and arbitration.

About Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance is a global law firm committed to creating advantage for its clients. The firm combines legal and commercial intelligence to grow, transform, protect and defend its clients’ business. Operating as a single, fully integrated global partnership, Clifford Chance provides forward-thinking insights and tech-enabled solutions in the sectors and markets that matter most to its clients. The firm’s culture of collaboration and commitment to rigorous and ethical standards, ensures consistent, high-quality service worldwide.