Awards for Excellence 2016
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Last year’s winner of best equity house and best investment bank in Africa, Citi, this year returns to win our new award for financing. The bank, which has long had a strong presence in Africa, is one of the few able to offer a comprehensive range of products throughout most of the continent. Last year it certainly showed that it could deliver on that offering.
Citi came first in African equity and equity-linked issuance, according to Dealogic, having raised over $4 billion for its clients. But it also did well in debt, coming second in international bonds and first in South African bonds, as well as third in bookrunning African syndicated loans. Citi also ranked first as arranger of export credit agency global loans, arranging over $5.7 billion of ECA-guaranteed financing.
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The range of the bank’s clients (corporate, sovereign, financial institutions) and the range of uses for the money raised (M&A, capital expenditure, infrastructure development, general corporate purposes) demonstrated just how diverse and versatile the bank’s financing offering can be.
A key deal Citi led as joint global coordinator was the $2.5 billion capital raise by Naspers. It was the largest South African equity transaction of all time and the largest-ever accelerated capital raise for an internet company.
On the debt front, Citi worked on the $750 million inaugural international bond of Africa Finance Corporation and acted as underwriter and bookrunner on a $750 million term-loan facility for the Republic of Kenya. That deal was Kenya’s second international syndicated loan. Citi had also worked on the first one, a sign that it manages to generate repeat custom.
