Best bank
Bancolombia
Best debt house
Deutsche Bank
There are two dominant banks in Colombia: Bancolombia and Banco de Bogotá. They are of similar size, with Bancolombia having slightly more in shareholders' equity than its rival ($395 million to $336 million). They're both highly profitable, with returns on equity in the low 20s.
But Banco de Bogotá is less of a known quantity than Bancolombia. It comprises three different banks, while Bancolombia is more consolidated. Bancolombia also generally receives greater praise from outsiders; it seems to be the local partner of choice. So it wins the best bank award this year, although it is a close-run thing.
As for debt markets, the sovereign has spread around its debt mandates very evenly; virtually every house on Wall Street got a bite of the cherry. But the $500 million 10-year bond in December from Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs was possibly the most important, as it marked the first time the new administration of president Alvaro Uribe came to market. Deutsche Bank wins the best debt house award because it was also lead arranger on a $250 million syndicated loan in June 2002 which carried a rolling partial credit guarantee from the Andean Development Bank, as well as a $120 million loan in October, guaranteed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, for financing a Pacific railway.