Francesco is a passionate and accountable leader in private capital and capital solutions, guiding clients through complex landscapes to achieve their strategic objectives. His extensive expertise enables sponsors, investors, corporates and lenders to execute sophisticated and innovative transactions with confidence.
Francesco leads the Financing and Capital Solutions practice in Italy.
He knows how to make high-quality decisions in both debt and equity deals and is a strategic and objective advisor for his clients in connection with a wide range of capital structure matters. His extensive expertise spans distressed M&A, preferred equity investments, liability management, leveraged acquisitions, real estate financing transactions (including CMBS structures), restructurings, capital markets as well as structured finance (including NPLs investments and related financing).
His ability to understand immediately the key issues and to find innovative solutions, makes him an excellent advisor, consistently able to provide a highly professional level of service to his clients.
He is well-known for his work in structuring deals for clients, having supported in a variety of first-of-its-kind transactions whilst remaining sector agnostic.
Francesco is the author of the GMRA/GMSLA Italian industry opinions as instructed by International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) and Securities Lending and Repo Committee (SLRC).
He constantly contributes with international publication Panoramic – Restructuring & Insolvency, being amongst the authors of the Italian chapter.
He also contributes to the GRR Americas Restructuring Review chapters on Chapter 11 and Capital Solutions.
Fluent in both Italian and English, Francesco connects with clients in multiple languages, delivering local expertise informed by a global perspective.
Being an expert in transactional matters, he has also the right blend of skills and experience to support colleagues from other practices in dealing with very complex matters and provide an alternative perspective when putting together the most appropriate strategy.
- Macquarie and Gruppo API on their JV infrastructure financing for the acquisition of more than 500 service stations and the creation of new green service areas for EV vehicles
- Oaktree Capital Management in the acquisition of a majority stake in Castello SGR
- Cinven on the financing for the acquisition of Agrifarma from Permira
- MB Credit Solutions on the sale of Revalea to Banca Ifis and their long-term partnership for the management of a €6.8bn NPL portfolio
- Oaktree Capital Management on a preferred equity investment in Arsenale Group to support their growth in the Italian lifestyle luxury hospitality space
- Convatec Finance Holdings and Convatec Finance Italy on the € 1bn refinancing of their existing debt
- A credit fund invested by Oaktree Capital Management on a €300m financing for the acquisition of Hotel Invest Italiana Real Estate
- Castello SGR in the acquisition of the distressed Italian asset manager Sorgente SGR in extraordinary administration (€ 1bn AUM) and their 17 alternative investment funds
- AUTO1 Group Operations on a €600m securitisation transaction in the automotive sector
- UniCredit Bank on a €225m financing to FLIXMOBILITY Group
- Castello SGR on the acquisition and financing of a portfolio of luxury hotels located in Italy
- OAN Capital in the sale of a majority stake in Antirion SGR to Colliers International and related group reorganisation .
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