Zeyn Bhyat is an Executive at ENS in the Corporate Commercial practice and has in excess of 20 years’ post qualification experience. Zeyn practices as a cross-border transactional solicitor/attorney in the corporate commercial practice and specialises in private and public mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate restructurings and cross-border transactions, particularly in Africa.

Zeyn has acted for sector and industry leaders in the financial services sector (particularly, Banking, Islamic Finance and Insurance), property development and management, aviation, mining / natural resources, offshore private equity funds, advertising, media, and hotel/leisure industries.

Zeyn is an expert in broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) advisory, regulatory and compliance, including strategic planning, as well as structuring, implementing and regulating transactions across a wide variety of industries in accordance with the B-BBEE legislation.

Zeyn’s experience includes advising and structuring complex cross-border/international transactions, all forms of commercial contracts, general corporate advice, structuring and governance and corporate finance in a variety of sectors ranging from, aviation, financial services (traditional and Islamic), mining / natural resources and private equity. Zeyn’s experience further extends to working closely with various in-country regulators supervising amongst other things corporate activity (such as merger and acquisitions) in Sub-Saharan Africa, including but not limited to (i) the South African Takeover Regulation Panel, (ii) the JSE Limited, (iii) the South African Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Commission, (iv) various Southern African competition authorities, (v) the South African Prudential Authority, (vi) the South African Financial Services Conduct Authority, (vii) the Botswana Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority and (vii) various central banks in the region. This regulatory interaction requires Zeyn to have a deep understanding of various aspects of administrative and regulatory law applicable to amongst other things: public finance management, public sector/government procurement laws, financial markets and securities legislation and regulation.

As part of his contribution to pro-bono activities, Zeyn acts as a commissioner in the Mitchell’s Plain Small Claims Court and is an advisory board member to the Mitchell’s Plain Small Claims Court. Zeyn currently acts as fiduciary to a number of registered public benefit organizations and regularly assists in their offering. He has previously lectured to members of the Black Lawyers Association on corporate law. Zeyn also presents seminars on Islamic finance. Zeyn was a former executive of the Cape Town Attorneys Association, an attorney’s interest body situated in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Education

• BA (University of the Witwatersrand)
• LLB (University of the Witwatersrand)
• Certificate in Competition Laws (University of the Witwatersrand)
• Admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa  
• Admitted as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

Zeyn is recognised as a leading/recommended lawyer by:

• 2023 Bonds and Loan & ESG Capital Markets Africa® AWARDS for Corporate Restructuring Deal of the Year. Zeyn was the co-lead of the advisory team that won this prestigious award.
• The 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 Thompson Reuters® Standout Lawyers™ (previously Acritas Stars Database and Report™).
• 2018 Africa Competition and Regulatory Team of the Year - Hosted by Legal Week (organisers of The British Legal Awards) and the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA). This award recognised our team's work on a single competition and financial services regulatory case with a significant African element to it that set new standards in the delivery of legal services, demonstrating our market-leading position. Zeyn was the financial services’ Regulatory Lead of a team of Africa's finest lawyers that worked on Africa’s largest insurance M&A transaction that entailed, among other things, undertaking and/or coordinating various competition (anti-trust) and insurance regulatory filings (in excess of 25 applications) in approximately 33 countries across Africa.

• South Africa: Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Closing Commercial Transactions during Lockdown

  By Zeyn Bhyat |April 2020

• South Africa: Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Closing Commercial Transactions during Lockdown

  By Zeyn Bhyat |April 2020