Pranav Khatavkar

Focused Practice Areas

Banking, Finance, Regulatory, Commercial, Cross-Border Matters

Education

• Master of Laws, Northwestern University, Chicago, U.S.A. [2018]
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Symbiosis International University, Pune, India [2015]
• International Financial Law & Regulation, London School of Economics, London, U.K. [2013]

Qualifications & Certifications

• Executive Program on International Insolvency Law, American College of Bankruptcy [2025]
• Financial Analysis & Valuation for Lawyers, Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. [2024]
• Secured Transactions, Collateral Registries, and Movable Asset- Based Financing, World Bank, Washington D.C., U.S.A. (2022)
• Commercial Bankruptcy Credit Specialist, National Association of Credit Management, Maryland, U.S.A. (2022)
• Foundation Certificate in International Insolvency Law, INSOL International, London, U.K. (2021)
• Bankruptcy Law Specialist Certificate, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, U.S.A. (2020)

Practice Profile

Pranav Khatavkar is an international lawyer with over a decade of experience in banking, finance, restructuring, regulation, and cross-border matters.

He began his legal career with practice before the Bombay High Court, where he advised on commercial and financial disputes. Notably, he represented Larsen & Toubro in a USD 15 million bank guarantee litigation and advised Starlog Enterprises Ltd. in its USD 30 million bankruptcy proceedings. These early mandates provided him with hands-on experience in litigation strategy, enforcement, and insolvency resolution.

He then joined the global restructuring team at White & Case LLP, New York, where he advised on major cross-border insolvencies and restructurings. His matters included the USD 16 billion bankruptcy of iHeartMedia, the USD 1.5 billion insolvency of Constellation Oil Services, and the USD 650 million business sale of Waypoint Leasing. He also represented creditors in the insolvencies of White Eagle Asset Portfolio, Joerns Healthcare, and Global Cloud Xchange.

At Yes Bank Ltd., Pranav was involved in several high-value matters. He played a pivotal role in the bank’s efforts to resolve exposures of USD 600 million to Essel Group and DishTV, USD 500 million to Cox and Kings (including its UK subsidiaries), USD 250 million to Café Coffee Day, and USD 175 million to Omkar Group. He contributed significantly to the strategy for the USD 7 billion sale of Yes Bank’s distressed loan portfolio to J.C. Flowers Asset Reconstruction Pvt. Ltd., and was closely involved in international enforcement proceedings concerning a USD 50 million recovery before the Supreme Court of Mauritius.

At J.C. Flowers Asset Reconstruction Pvt. Ltd., Pranav advised on multiple asset acquisitions and fundraises. He played a key role in the acquisition of financial assets from Karnataka Bank Ltd. and Rabobank Ltd., and advised on a USD 30 million fundraise from IndusInd Bank and Tata Capital.

At Drip Capital, Pranav served in a strategic advisory capacity on international insolvency and credit recovery matters. He played a critical role in Chapter 11 and Chapter 15 proceedings involving several of Drip Capital’s United States-based debtors, and advised on trade finance structuring, risk management, and regulatory compliance. His work contributed to the firm’s cross-border legal strategy and its engagement with U.S. insolvency and financial regulatory frameworks.

In addition to his professional roles, Pranav has contributed to financial sector policy and regulation through early tenures at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during his legal pupillage, where he gained firsthand exposure to financial market supervision and enforcement.

His practice today spans acquisition and leveraged finance, structured and asset finance, securitisation, syndicated and trade finance, venture capital and private equity, corporate and commercial advisory, and emerging areas such as sustainable finance, tokenisation, and digital assets. He advises financial institutions, funds, sponsors, and businesses across India and global financial centres.

He has advised on transactions and restructurings valued between USD 320 million and USD 15 billion, including a USD 113 million capital raise backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), and GMO. His counsels on capital deployment strategies, distressed asset transactions, strategic joint ventures, and regulatory frameworks governing cross-border flows, foreign investments, and financial innovation.

Pranav regularly works with clients in fintech, AI, and blockchain sectors on regulatory compliance, product structuring, sandbox participation, and tokenisation strategies. He also advises on commercial contracts, shareholder arrangements, international joint ventures, and startup expansion.

Pranav brings together legal depth, commercial clarity, and a global perspective to support clients as they invest, lend, restructure, innovate, and grow across borders and industries.

Publications

• Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016, Compilation of Select Judgments (Along with Executive Summaries), Thomson Reuters (2020)