The major financial crisis of 2008 has led to a rise in claims against legal entities active in the financial sector. Financial institutions need experts with sound legal knowledge and long-term experience of the market in order to successfully address, prevent, litigate or settle any claim based on banking and financial law. Investors need experts to assess the chance of success of potential claims and to efficiently defend their interests in a dispute or when negotiating an amicable settlement.

Our fields of expertise

Simont Braun is actively seeking to help financial institutions mitigate their litigation risk.

Simont Braun’s multi-disciplinary team comprises experienced litigators and specialists in banking and financial law. Our extensive expertise enables us to handle large and complex disputes and to represent banks, insurance companies, financial entities and their clients in disputes relating to financial products, duty of care, prospectus liability, fraud or enforcement by regulatory bodies. Although we often act for financial institutions, we also represent shareholders, investors and public entities in large litigations, notably collective action.

Closely collaborating with our clients and respecting their global strategy, we handle the judicial proceedings from beginning to end, including the staging of mock trials for large litigations.

Our partners holding an academic position also provide expert opinion in proceedings before foreign courts or arbitral tribunals relating to issues of Belgian financial law.

Our Banking & Finance experts also regularly team up with our lawyers specialising in international and national arbitration and mediation.

Some recent projects

• Representing the Belgian service provider of the largest minority shareholders in a collective action brought against a large Belgian bank. The claim seeks compensation for the losses suffered by investors due to the misleading information. A settlement of €1.3 billion was reached to compensate investors. To date, this represents the largest settlement of investors’ claims in Europe.


• Acting for a major European bank in post-sale claims relating to the representations and warranties provided for the sale of a banking business, including assistance to reach a settlement.


• Successfully representing a public entity in judicial proceedings against a French bank claiming the nullity of a SWAP agreement entered into with the French bank.