Home / People / Atanas Bangachev

Atanas Bangachev

Partner
Head of Corporate, CMS Sofia

Portrait ofAtanas Bangachev

Atanas Bangachev

Partner
Head of Corporate, CMS Sofia

Contact
CMS Sofia
Landmark Centre
14 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd.
Floor 1, 2
1000 Sofia
Bulgaria
Languages Bulgarian, English

Atanas Bangachev is a partner based in Sofia and Head of the Corporate practice group.

He is a Bulgarian-qualified lawyer specialising in Bulgarian corporate, contract and privatisation law. His main area of expertise is M&A transactions across a variety of sectors.

Atanas has been involved in some of the largest privatisation deals in Bulgaria. He is one of the leading and best-known legal professionals in M&A and Private Equity in the country and has an extensive track record and familiarity with the market. He is experienced in all corporate matters ranging from the registration of entities to corporate restructuring, SPVs, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and many other capital markets related matters, as well as drafting and reviewing shareholders documentation and company restructurings.

In addition, Atanas has assisted major international companies from different sectors of the economy in carrying out internal compliance investigations of their Bulgarian operations. 

Atanas Bangachev is praised as a "problem solver" who "is very commercially oriented and helps clients get good results in negotiations" by Chambers and Partners Europe.

more less

"I have worked with him on many M&A transactions. He is very cooperative."

Chambers Global

"Atanas Bangachev is one of the most capable corporate and M&A lawyers. He is reasonable when it comes to negotiations and transactions."

Chambers Europe

"Atanas has vast experience, which is a source of many practical solutions," a client says, adding: "He is business-minded, always straightforward in his advice and attentive to us as a client."

Chambers Europe

"I have worked with him on many M&A transactions. He is very cooperative."

Chambers Global

"Atanas Bangachev is one of the most capable corporate and M&A lawyers. He is reasonable when it comes to negotiations and transactions."

Chambers Europe

"Atanas has vast experience, which is a source of many practical solutions," a client says, adding: "He is business-minded, always straightforward in his advice and attentive to us as a client."

Chambers Europe

Relevant experience

  • KJK Sports on the sale of 60% of its shareholding in Leader 96, an electric bicycles ("e-bikes") producer, to the Rohatyn Group, a global asset management firm.
  • The shareholders in Musala Soft AD on their 100% exit by sale to ARICOMA Group, part of KKCG. ARICOMA Group is a fast-growing European NextGen IT services provider. It has acquired 100% of the Bulgarian IT company Musala Soft. This investment is a key step in ARICOMA’s strategic development.
  • EBRD on its investment in Sirma AI (doing business as Ontotext), a deep-tech, enterprise software business operating in the graph database space.
  • Cordeel Group N.V. on the sale of a mixed-use logistics and office development to CTP. The acquisition was structured as a share deal involving the shares in Cordeel’s subsidiary Sofcor Logistics EOOD. The development consists of 31,000 sq. m. of warehouses and 4,000 sq. m. of offices and is leased to Orbico, one of the largest distribution companies in Bulgaria, under a long-term build-to-suit lease.
  • CTP Invest spol. s.r.o. on the acquisition of Transcapital and the Transcapital Ring Road, large logistics business in Sofia, consisting of land of an aggregate area of 340 559 sq. m. and over ten logistics buildings in two locations in Sofia, at 247, Botevgradsko Shose Blvd. and at Okolovrasten Pat, from two sellers (with one ultimate upstream owner).
  • Acwa Power/First Reserve and Crescent Capital on the successful legal due diligence and the acquisition of one the largest PV projects on the Balkans with 61 MWp installed capacity, the Karadzhalovo PV power plant. At the end of 2020, CMS Sofia successfully advised on the subsequent sale of this PV project to Austria's Enery Development GmbH. This is the largest deal for an operational renewable energy power plant in Bulgaria to date.
  • Advent International and its portfolio company Zentiva on the acquisition of the CEE business of global generic and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals manufacturer, Alvogen. The deal was named CEE Deal of the Year 2019 by CEE Legal Matters Magazine. CMS Sofia assisted with the Bulgarian law matters, including post-acquisition integration between Alvogen Bulgaria and Zentiva Bulgaria, and coordinated required Maltese law advice.
  • Various clients including Ocado Central Services Limited, Amgen Bulgaria, Honeywell, Johnson & Johnson, WorkMotion Software GmbH, etc. on a wide range of employment matters in Bulgaria, including diversity and inclusion in the workplace, updating internal labour regulations and template employment documents, updates on labour legislation, employee data protection, internal policies and regulations, remote working and hybrid work models, template employment contracts, benefits, protection against dismissal, hiring employees under regular and temporary employment contracts, posting employees abroad, termination of employment, tax and social insurance, etc.
more less

Memberships & Roles

  • Sofia Bar Association
more less

Awards & Rankings

  • Top ranked for Corporate/Commercial, Chambers & Partners Europe, 2023
  • Leading individual for Commercial, Corporate and M&A, Legal 500, 2023
  • Market leader for M&A, IFLR1000, 2023
more less

Education

  • 2000 - LL.M., Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
more less

Expertise

Feed

24/04/2024
CEE Greenfield Guide 2024
CEE countries have attracted significant foreign direct investment in greenfield operations in recent years. Many manufacturing businesses have focused on expanding capacity in CEE countries, sometimes...
Publication
24/04/2024
Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws in Bulgaria
 
Expert Guide
27/03/2024
Cannabis law and legislation in Bulgaria
Medical use Bulgarian legislation does not allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes. The use, cultivation, import, export and control of cannabis is generally regulated by the Bulgarian Narcotic...
Expert Guide Consumer Products
07/03/2024
Bulgarian avoidance actions in line with EU Proposal
The EU Commission issued a proposal for a Directive harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law, EU (COM(2022) 702 final. Although still being discussed, the Proposal is unlikely to result in material...
Law-Now Restructuring, Business Transformation & Insolvency
04/03/2024
Popular investment vehicles in Bulgaria
Updated on May 2022 Investment vehicle Special purpose investment company (дружество със специална инвестиционна цел or АДСИЦ in Bulgaria 1. Form Corporate:...
Expert Guide
Comparable
05/01/2024
Private placement rules and law in Bulgaria
1. Summary of private placement provisions for fund interests (if applicable) The offering of securities which do not require the publication of a prospectus are not expressly named as “private placements”...
Expert Guide
05/01/2024
AIFM passporting in Bulgaria
1. EEA AIFMs An AIFM, authorised by the competent authority of its home State may manage and market AIFs in Bulgaria directly and / or through a branch provided that a notification is sent by the competent...
Expert Guide
29/12/2023
UCITS passporting in Bulgaria
1. EEA UCITS Scheme EEA Management Companies may exercise passporting rights for the marketing of an EEA UCITS Scheme in Bulgaria. In order to do so, EEA Management Companies must comply with the notification...
Expert Guide
15/11/2023
CMS Expert Guide to Public Takeovers in Bulgaria
1. Are takeovers of listed companies regulated? Yes, the Public Offering of Securities Act (“POSA”) governs public takeovers of Bulgarian public companies.  The operation of POSA is overseen by...
Expert Guide
Comparable
08/09/2023
Pre-pack insolvency sale in Bulgaria with a view of the proposed new directive...
The pre-pack insolvency sale is not currently regulated under Bulgarian law.The Bulgarian law currently regulates the implementation of a recovery plan as a stage of opened insolvency proceedings, such...
Law-Now Restructuring, Business Transformation & Insolvency
18/05/2023
5G regulation and law in Bulgaria
1. What is the state of 5G deployment in your country? The largest mobile tele­com­mu­nic­a­tion companies have already deployed a national 5G network using dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology.  2...
Expert Guide TMC - Technology, Media & Communications
Comparable
05/04/2023
CEE Greenfield Guide 2023
CEE countries have attracted significant foreign direct investment in greenfield operations in recent years. Indeed, many manufacturing businesses have focused on expanding capacity in CEE countries...
Guide
Load more articles