Focus areas: Banking & Finance, Corporate Law, Construction, Mergers & Acquisitions, IP & Technology, Project Finance
Elmira Usenova is a Managing Associate and has extensive experience advising clients on a wide range of corporate and regulatory matters. Her practice covers general corporate law, labor law, antitrust, banking and finance, and data protection. In addition to her legal work, Elmira is actively engaged in the academic community. She currently serves as the National Co-Administrator for Central Asia in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and teaches corporate law course at a local university.
Before joining KY & Partners, Elmira was a Senior Associate at the Kyrgyzstan office of GRATA International, where she advised both local and international clients on complex legal issues.
2022-LL.M. in International Business Law, Central European University, Vienna, Austria
2021-B.A. in International and Business Law, Ala-Too International University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
English, Russian, Kyrgyz, Turkish
Assisted Revolut with legal analysis and regulatory strategy for launching payment services in Kyrgyzstan.
Supported Mastercard on legal compliance for a new payment application that integrates cryptocurrency and international services.
Advised Wellen Finance Limited on Kyrgyz financial law related to loan issuance and regulatory compliance.
Advising the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) on loan transactions structured under Islamic finance principles.
Providing legal support to the China Development Bank on financing arrangements with Kyrgyz state-owned banks.
Co-authored the LexisNexis Kyrgyzstan Merger Control Guide (2021) and Foreign Direct Investment Guide (2023), offering comprehensive legal insights into the country’s corporate and investment landscape.
Advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on business reorganisation, insolvency, and corporate governance assessments under Kyrgyz law.
Advised EPAM Systems and EPAM Kyrgyzstan on market entry, general corporate matters and day-to-day operations of the local office in Kyrgyzstan;
Advising OZON on cryptocurrency activities.
Provided regulatory guidance to Western Union on compliance with Kyrgyz financial and operational regulations.
Guided the USAID Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity on labor contract termination following branch closure.
Advised the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on internal restructuring and employment terminations in Kyrgyzstan.
Assisted Akinita Global Holding B.V. with real estate investments and construction licensing procedures in Kyrgyzstan.
Advised Takenaka Civil Engineering & Construction on regulatory requirements for obtaining a local construction license as a foreign company.
Advised Rosatom on construction activities, including legal support on the recognition of the construction license in Kyrgyzstan.
Advised foreign developers on the recognition and use of foreign construction licenses under Kyrgyz law.
Advised on the full cycle of industrial construction, including the preparation of the contract for the construction of gas pipelines and complex legal support throughout the construction process
Advised on the full cycle of industrial construction, including preparation of the contract for the construction of a power transmission line, including advising on permits required for connecting to the national grid and complex legal support throughout the construction process
Advised on the full cycle of the civil construction, including preparation of the “turn-key” construction contract, “technical supervision works” agreement and other related documents for construction of the medical centre, including obtaining all required licenses, permits for high-risk sites, complex legal support throughout the project appraisal, construction process and commissioning.
Advised a mining company on the full cycle of industrial construction, including preparation of the contracts and other related documents, obtaining all required licenses, and permits for construction and drilling holes, road links and engineering communications in desert and mountain terrain
Advised Roche Turkey, Samsung Electronics, Siemens Energy, and MarCom Xerox on compliance with Kyrgyz data privacy laws.
* Experience before joining KY & Partners