Niranjan Arasaratnam

Global Tech Sector Leader, Corporate Partner, Singapore

I have advised clients in the communications, media and technology sectors in the Asia-Pacific region for about 25 years. I bring a depth of insight and experience, as well as a passion for the sectors, to help clients navigate complex projects and achieve their commercial objectives.”

Overview

Education and qualifications

Overview

Niranjan advises technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) clients on a range of corporate, commercial and regulatory matters, including M&A and joint ventures across the Asia-Pacific region. He also advises non-technology clients as they embrace digitisation and move into adjacent sectors. He is co-head of the firm’s global TMT sector.

Formerly, Niranjan was a partner at Allens, with whom Linklaters has a close association, for 16 years. At various times, he has been based in Australia, Hong Kong, Shanghai and currently Singapore, developing longstanding relationships with TMT clients in all of these centres.

Niranjan has been recognised as a leading lawyer by Chambers for Corporate/M&A and TMT work; and ’Leading Individual’ by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific for Corporate/M&A work.

Work Highlights

Niranjan has led on many of the region’s most significant transactions in the TMT sector. These include advising:

  • Thailand based LINE Man on its US$265m series B fundraising in LINE MAN Wongnai, conducted by way of auction, with GIC as the lead investor. With this funding round, LINE MAN Wongnai, a Thailand-based food delivery company, became the fourth unicorn in Thailand with a valuation of over US$1bn.
  • Standard Chartered Bank on its joint venture with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Enterprise to create Trust Bank, one of the first digital banks in Singapore, and on the marketing, distribution and banc assurance arrangements between Trust Bank and NTUC.
  • Ant Group on its acquisition of 2C2P, a merchant acquiring business operating across 7 jurisdictions in Asia.
  • Refinitiv on the acquisition of Hong Kong based, The Red Flag Group, a global integrity and compliance firm operating across 15 jurisdictions worldwide.
  • Macquarie Capital on its merger with Stonepeak of their telecoms tower businesses in the Philippines.
  • Hutchison Telecoms on the merger of its telecoms business in Sri Lanka with Etisalat.
  • DKSH on its acquisition of DNIV Group, a Singapore-based high-tech manufacturing solutions provider for the semiconductor and electronics industry in Asia with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
  • Schneider Electric on the acquisition of Larson and Toubro’s Electrical and Automation (L&T E&A) business in India.
  • A global infrastructure investor on the establishment of a Singapore-based joint venture platform with a leading APAC fund to construct and develop two data centre sites in Japan.
  • RTL CBS on the sale of its Asian media business to Blue Ant Media.
  • Numerous venture capital transactions including: UBS on its Series A investment in Endowus, a Singapore based robo-advisory company; Softbank on its investment in inMobi, an Indian adtech company; AWAK, a Singapore based healthtech company, on its series A fundraise with lead investors, Vickers and Baxter; and Indonesian based, DANA, raising over $200m over several funding rounds.

Education and qualifications

Niranjan studied economics and law (with Honours) at The Australian National University