River Advice
Squarefield acted as exclusive capital advisor to River Advice on the refinancing of its existing facilities and the financing of its growth initiatives
In September 2026, our client River Advice (or the “Company”), the European leader in operational services for river cruises and part of UNITED WATERWAYS, signed and closed a new senior facilities agreement, refinancing its existing facilities and securing dedicated long-term funding for the growth initiatives of the Company.
The new structure combines term facilities to fund the Company and its growth agenda, complemented by a revolving facility to fund working capital needs. It provides River Advice with a single, long-term financing solution which allows the Company to pursue its investment pipeline while retaining the flexibility required to manage the seasonality of the river cruise business.
Squarefield acted as exclusive capital advisor to River Advice and supported the Company throughout the process: from the preparation of financing materials and the approach of banks and alternative capital providers with a final selection based upon committed offers and up to the Closing. The facilities are jointly underwritten by UBS and Swiss Credit Partners as Mandated Lead Arrangers, and the transaction continues the long-standing relationship between the Company and UBS as its house bank.
River Advice
River Advice, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is an integrated group of independent service labels on European waters, forming a white-label full-service platform for its customers. Founded in 2004 by Robert Straubhaar, the Company is the leading independent European white-label ship management and cruise services platform for inland waterways.
Customers can select individual modules or outsource end-to-end operations under their own brand standards, covering administrative management, hospitality and catering, nautical and technical management, and harbour and coordination services. Hospitality and catering is at the core of the offering, with the Company’s subsidiary River Hospitality responsible for on-board food and beverage operations. The Company services more than 70 river cruise vessels across Europe’s key inland waterways, manages c. 2.5m hotel nights per year and employs c. 2,600 people, supported by long-standing customer relationships and multi-year contracts with a diversified base of tour operators and shipping companies.
UNITED WATERWAYS
UNITED WATERWAYS (or the “Group”) is the European market leader in river cruising, with over 120 ships under management, and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Formed in 2019 as a platform for river and day/event cruise vessels, the Group brings together the three elements that determine the operation of a river cruise: vessels, critical shore-side infrastructure including landing stages and harbours, and the operational service platform of River Advice. Alongside river cruising, the Group operates day cruise and floating event venues, while through Ocean Advice it provides white-label services for ocean cruises.
Robert Straubhaar – Founder and Executive Chairman at UNITED WATERWAYS“This refinancing gives us a structure that truly supports our ambitions – the flexibility a seasonal business needs, and, just as importantly, the committed capital to keep investing in our fleet and infrastructure in the years ahead. Squarefield ran a rigorous, well-structured process, engaged a broad range of financing partners, and stayed closely involved right through to closing. Their persistence and hands-on support were instrumental in getting this deal over the line.”