Zeyn Bhyat

Zeyn Bhyat is an Executive at ENS in the Corporate Commercial practice and has in excess of 20 years' post-qualification experience. His practice focuses on Mergers and Acquisitions, specialising in private and public M&A, 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 and natural resources, offshore private equity funds, advertising, media, and hotel and leisure industries.

He 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 B-BBEE legislation.

His experience includes advising and structuring complex cross-border and 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 and natural resources, and private equity. His experience further extends to working closely with various in-country regulators supervising corporate activity (such as mergers and acquisitions) in Sub-Saharan Africa, including the South African Takeover Regulation Panel, the JSE Limited, the South African Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Commission, various Southern African competition authorities, the South African Prudential Authority, the South African Financial Services Conduct Authority, the Botswana Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority and various central banks in the region.

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. He currently acts as fiduciary to a number of registered public benefit organisations. He has previously lectured to members of the Black Lawyers Association on corporate law and presents seminars on Islamic finance. Zeyn was a former executive of the Cape Town Attorneys Association.

He holds a BA and an LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Postgraduate Certificate in Competition Law from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is admitted as a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, an attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a solicitor of the Courts of Justice of the Republic of Ireland (non-practising).

He was recognised in the 2023 Bonds and Loan & ESG Capital Markets Africa Awards for Corporate Restructuring Deal of the Year, as co-lead of the advisory team. He has been listed in the Thomson Reuters Standout Lawyers (previously Acritas Stars Database and Report) in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017, and was part of the team recognised as the 2018 Africa Competition and Regulatory Team of the Year, where he was the financial services regulatory lead on Africa's largest insurance M&A transaction, involving competition and insurance regulatory filings in approximately 33 countries across Africa.