Akin Wins ‘Islamic Finance Legal Adviser of the Year’ and Three Additional Awards at Global Banking & Markets Awards 2025

Akin has been successful across four categories at the Global Banking & Markets: CEE, CIS & Türkiye Awards 2025, including being named Islamic Finance Legal Adviser of the Year. This award recognizes Akin’s longstanding leadership and innovation in Islamic finance across the region, advising on many of the market’s most complex and high-profile transactions.

The Akin team, led by capital markets partner Rizwan Kanji, also received recognition for:

• Sukuk Deal of the Year – recognized for the team’s work advising Türkiye’s sovereign wealth fund, Türkiye Varlık Fonu, as guarantor and TVF İFM Gayrimenkul İnşaat ve Yönetim A.Ş. as obligor, on the issuance of $750 million Lease Certificates due 2030 by TVF Varlık Kiralama Anonim Şirketi, a specially created asset leasing company. This landmark transaction serves as the first international sukuk issuance by a Turkish corporate.
  
  
• Islamic Capital Markets Deal of the Year – recognized for the team’s work advising a Turkish retail conglomerate known under the “A101” brand, in it’s a capacity as purchaser in connection with Murabaha facilities to be provided for the purpose of facilitating the opening of new stores and expansion of the business.
  
  
• Financial Institutions Sukuk Deal of the Year – recognized for the team’s work advising Albaraka Turk in relation to the establishment of US$1 billion sukuk program listed on the ISM and the subsequent US$120 million Basel III compliant Subordinated Tier 2 issuance.

The Global Banking & Markets: CEE, CIS & Türkiye Awards recognize the most innovative & ground-breaking deals from the region’s financial markets. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on November 26 in Istanbul.