Victoria Mesquita
Partner
Victoria Mesquita is a highly experienced lawyer specializing in conventional and Islamic finance, renowned for her work on complex investment and structured financial products. With more than two decades of practice — including 16 years in the Middle East — she is recognized as a leading advisor on Shari’a-compliant structured notes, private credit, and cross-border investment structures
Ms. Mesquita’s practice spans the full spectrum of investment fund formation and financing, advising financial institutions, investment funds, and family offices on innovative and bespoke investment solutions. Her expertise includes structured notes, securitizations, private placements, bond and sukuk restructurings, private credit, special situations, venture debt, and mezzanine financing, across industries such as consumer finance, real estate, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and technology.
A seasoned restructuring attorney, Victoria also counsels clients through debt restructurings, insolvency proceedings, distressed asset transactions, and corporate reorganizations, helping businesses navigate financial distress while preserving value and maximizing recovery.
She has advised on numerous first-of-their-kind Shari’a-compliant financial products and structures, including award-winning sukuk and structured finance deals, and has significant experience with complex cross-border fund formation and structuring.
Ms. Mesquita is recognized as an Islamic finance practitioner by Chambers Global 2025, which notes that she adeptly advises clients on the full spectrum of Shari’a-compliant finance instruments, in addition to being well versed in hybrid structures and has wide-ranging expertise across finance facilities to sukuk and high-yield capital markets products. Chambers has also deemed her a “brilliant negotiator”. Legal 500 recommends her as an “outstanding finance lawyer” for investment fund formation and financing.
Selected Representation
- Represented the ad hoc committee of certificate holders of the US$ 135 million sukuk originated by The First Group International and listed in the London Stock Exchange in relation to the restructuring of the certificates.
- Represented Franklin Templeton Investments in relation to the US$ 30 million Shari’a compliant securitization of receivables from Keyper, the first RNPL securitization in the Middle East.
- Represented Meydan Group in the AED 1 billion Shari’a-compliant hybrid certificates arranged by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, backed by real estate receivables.
- Represented Abu Dhabi Financial Group on a US$ 135 million sukuk originated by a Saudi real estate developer backed by receivables from real estate projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Represented the arranger in connection with a US$150 million Shari’a compliant receivables backed facility to a Saudi developer.
- Represented Citibank, as lead arranger, in connection with a US$800 million Shari’a compliant multicurrency securitization of toll receivables in the UAE.
- Represented a Qatari bank in relation to a US$ 150 million Shari’a compliant CLO.
- Represented a Qatari bank in connection with the issuance of a series of equity linked, Shari’a-compliant capital protected notes of up to US$ 100 million.
- Represented Shuaa Capital as lead manager for the US$ 50 million equity linked sukuk originated by Pure Harvest Smart Farms.
- Represented Franklin Templeton Investments as manager for the US$ 30 million istisna – Murabaha whole business securitization originated by a Nigerian tech start up for the financing of vehicles, enhanced with equity features.
- Represented Sancta Capital and Franklin Templeton on a US$ 50 million structured hybrid sukuk issuance for the acquisition of Rental Solutions Services.
- Represented a special situations fund on the secondaries acquisition of a US$ 90 million credit facility to a UAE based hospitality business and a subsequent debt to equity swap consensual restructuring.
- Represented Al-Bayan Group, the Saudi conglomerate, as issuer, in connection with the MYR 1 billion rated sukuk programme, the first MYR denominated issuance by a Saudi issuer.