LEADING SWISS BANKS Credit Suisse and UBS continue to fight for the investment banking crown in Brazil. In Euromoney’s Awards for excellence 2007, UBS took the top prize in the equity and debt markets and Credit Suisse was top for M&A. The league tables tell a similar story.
But competition is increasing and it looks as if the two-bank battle will be joined by several other contenders. A walk past the skyscraper office blocks of Faria Lima and Avenida Paulista in São Paulo indicates that few international investment banks are missing. Everyone wants a piece of the Brazilian pie. "Brazil is a big market opportunity and so all the major international banks want in. The market is dominated by a few major players, with competitors only having a marginal involvement and commitment to Brazil," says Antonio Quintella, country head for Credit Suisse in Brazil. But this could be starting to...
