Clifford Chance advises international banking syndicate in relation to the €400 million-plus debt financing of Northern Fiber Group

Global law firm Clifford Chance has advised an international banking syndicate on the financial restructuring of its debt owed by Northern Fiber Group (NFH). The restructuring also involves a structured M&A process lead by a fiduciary shareholder . The signing on Wednesday of a binding agreement for the acquisition of NFH by Strategic Fiber Networks GmbH (SFN) marks an important milestone on the way to implementing a reorganisation of NFH’s debt. Completion of the transaction is expected in the second half of 2026.

NFH is one of Germany’s largest providers of fibre optic infrastructure, with a particularly strong presence in northern Germany. Operating under the Lünecom and sewikom brands, NFH serves rural and semi-urban communities across Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, managing both owned and leased fibre networks and providing high-speed fibre services to residential and business customers.

The matter underlines Clifford Chance’s leading role in the restructuring of fibre optic companies, currently one of the most significant advisory areas in the European restructuring market.

The Clifford Chance team was led by partner Andreas Steiger and included counsels Martin Jawansky and Diana Schoch as well as associate Anna Petralia (all Restructuring & Insolvency, Munich and Frankfurt), partner Bettina Steinhauer, counsel Vanessa Steiner and senior associates Christian Cranmore, André Weber (all Debt Finance, Frankfurt) and partner Samuel Frommelt (Corporate/Private Equity, Munich).