Slaughter and May advised Standard Chartered on the establishment of Olea, a Singapore-headquartered joint venture between Standard Chartered and Linklogis comprising a fully-digitised trade finance origination and distribution platform that aims to bring together institutional investors seeking opportunities in an alternative asset class with businesses requiring supply chain financing. Closing of the transaction is subject to receipt of regulatory approval.
By marrying Standard Chartered’s international trade and risk management expertise with Linklogis’ innovations in supply chain technology, and with the application of blockchain and AI technology, Olea will be uniquely positioned to reinvent trade finance by providing a radically transparent, speedier, affordable and hassle-free way to access working capital for supply chain participants regardless of size. Standard Chartered and Linklogis’ relationship began in February 2019 when both companies signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the co-creation of innovation solutions that will support the supply chain finance ecosystem. They completed their first joint deep-tier supply chain financing transaction in August 2019, and have successfully executed several other award-winning transactions to date.
In January 2020, Standard Chartered announced a strategic investment into Linklogis, with the same team at Slaughter and May advising, which marked Standard Chartered’s first investment in a supply chain platform in China.
In each case, Slaughter and May supported an internal legal team at Standard Chartered that was led by Jordan Kent.