Davis Polk advised Morgan Stanley on the recommencement of its SEC-registered financing programs and the related filing of its universal shelf registration statement, which includes a prospectus for issuances of debt securities, units, warrants, purchase contracts, preferred stock, common stock and capital trust securities to be issued by Delaware statutory business trusts and guaranteed by Morgan Stanley. Davis Polk also advised Morgan Stanley on the related recommencement of its Series I, Series J and Series K programs for global medium-term notes and its Series F program for global medium-term notes, units (which may include notes, warrants, purchase contracts, debt obligations or other securities or other property or any combination thereof) and warrants. The Series J notes are intended to be admitted to listing, trading and/or quotation by a listing authority, stock exchange and/or quotation system and are expected to be primarily admitted to listing on the Official List of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority and to trading on the Regulated Market of the London Stock Exchange plc. 

In connection with Morgan Stanley’s financing programs, Davis Polk also advised on the recommencement of Morgan Stanley’s SEC-registered structured products platform, consisting primarily of Series A global medium-term notes, units (which may include notes, warrants, purchase contracts, debt obligations or other securities or other property or any combination thereof) and warrants issued by Morgan Stanley Finance LLC, a wholly owned finance subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, and fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Morgan Stanley, to be linked to a variety of reference assets, including equities, commodities, currencies, interest rates and combinations of these assets.

The Davis Polk corporate team included partner Christopher S. Schell, counsel Michael Steinberg and associates Vidal Vanhoof and Jeffrey H. Smith. The tax team included partner Po Sit and associates Andrew A. Smith and Liang Zhang. Partner Gregory S. Rowland provided 1940 Act advice. Partners Randall D. Guynn and Gabriel D. Rosenberg provided financial institutions advice. All members of the Davis Polk team are based in the New York office.