37 Danny Kwan

Re assessing Fundraising

Having previously worked in a highly-institutional is ed environment, Danny Kwan is delighted to have co-established his own boutique corporate advisory firm, NewParadigm Capital Markets, with Charanjeev Singh in 2005. The new-found liberation accords him the freedom to tailor innovative financial solutions according to clients’ needs, be it “solving complex strategic and financial issues on capital raising, financing, recapitalisation and restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions,” he says.

One of their sukuk, or Islamic bonds, they structured for SkyWorld Capital was recently recognised as the best structured finance sukuk by The Asset Triple A Islamic Finance Awards 2018. The award was the fourth of such deals to win recognition by industry peers. The innovative arrangement allows the developer to monetise future payments to be received from projects that have been sold but not yet been completed, thus alleviating cash flow concerns. The nature of the syariahcompliant transaction also means it is a “more balanced, responsible, disciplined and sustainable way of financing as compared to conventional financing,” he explains, before adding “it also fits the philosophies of ESG (environmental, social and governance)”.

According to him, the most rewarding part of his job is being able to solve complex strategic and financial issues as well as successfully executing innovative financial structures and solutions that are recognised by establishments within the financial fraternity both internationally and locally.