At a glance guide to Private Equity and Venture Capital services - Japan market

We are seeing Japanese institutional investors increasingly allocating to alternatives - including private equity, venture capital, private debt and infrastructure.

Our Japan desk (made up of lawyers advising on Cayman law focused on the Japan market and based in Hong Kong, London and the Cayman Islands), have been busy structuring Cayman Islands unit trust structures and exempted limited partnership structures for these purposes.

Another trend has been for global managers to launch Cayman Islands unit trust "feeder funds" for distribution to Japanese investors, which invest into such global manager's main fund and which are typically domiciled in jurisdictions such as Luxembourg, Delaware or Ireland and structured as partnerships or corporates. The benefit of the feeder fund is that such fund might issue a JPY class and these unit trust structures are more familiar to Japanese investors. The currency exposure to the non-JPY main fund which might have a base currency of USD of EUR, can then be hedged at the unit trust level (ie the feeder fund) where JPY subscriptions have been accepted.

Ogier Global provides an experienced unit trust offering. Unit trusts structured for alternatives will often invest through a wholly owned subsidiary established as a Cayman Islands exempted limited company.  Ogier Global can further support such structures by providing directorship services, AML services, FATCA / CRS services as well as other administrative support.  

Learn more about how Ogier can support your private equity and venture capital fund formation for the Japan market in our At A Glance Guide.

At a glance guide to Private Equity and Venture Capital services - Japan market

Regularly working on innovative and complex cross-border transactions, Ogier is a go-to firm for all aspects of the venture capital/private equity life cycle, renowned for our in-depth understanding and significant experience in fund establishment, investments and exits.

We have had a presence in Japan since 2008, and our industry leading lawyers and corporate administration professionals can provide innovative, end-to-end solutions to meet each client's distinct set of regulatory and commercial demands.

We offer Japanese and English-language support to private equity and venture capital managers wishing to take advantage of Ogier's network and extensive experience in the funds industry.

With a global footprint of 12 offices – including five across Asia's leading financial centres – we are uniquely positioned to provide market insights and an overview of relevant regulatory changes. We can also offer wider access to the service providers best suited to our clients' objectives - all provided in an effective and timely manner.

We offer a full service from set-up to providing ongoing investor and fund services including independent directors, corporate secretary and regulatory services relating to CRS, FATCA and AML requirements.

5 things to know about our Private Equity and Venture Capital services

Ogier's global venture capital team regularly advises on the establishment of venture capital funds, early-stage and late-stage fundraising and realisation of investment through exit.

Ogier's corporate administration business, Ogier Global, works with our partner-led legal teams specialising in all aspects of the structuring and establishment, governance, regulation and operation of private equity and venture capital funds.

Our clients include the world's largest private equity firms and we also take pride in helping start-up sponsors work with their anchor investors to launch their first Cayman fund structure in parallel to their Japan domiciled fund.

We have been involved in some of the most noteworthy private equity / venture capital deals completed in our jurisdictions, offering a global perspective to suit an international client base.

Our depth of expertise across each of our jurisdictions, combined with our market-leading equity capital markets and M&A practices, means we can assist with both the structuring and execution of complex cross-border transactions.

5 things to know about Ogier

Ogier provides clients in Asia with a full-service offering, with a focus on international finance and corporate law investment funds, private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private wealth and dispute resolution.

We are the only firm to advise on a unique combination of BVI, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Irish, Jersey and Luxembourg laws.

We have a dedicated advisory, Sustainable Investment Consulting, which offers bespoke design, integration, management and reporting solutions for clients navigating sustainable investment goals.

We have a global team of more than 1,000 people and a network of 12 offices spanning Asian, US, European and Middle Eastern time zones, meaning we are able to provide seamless coverage around the clock on time-critical matters.

We regularly win recognition for our outstanding work – we were named named Best Offshore Law Firm at the 2022 HFM Asian Services Awards, one of the Top 15 ESG Firms in Asia by ALB, and four of our Hong Kong partners were included in the ALB Offshore Client Choice List 2023.