Bankers bemoan bookrunner inflation trend

Number of banks hired on Asia deals rising; Practice hurts both sides, sources say

Capital markets bankers in Asia are complaining of a new trend threatening their profits: corporate finance issuers are mandating more banks per deal than ever before. According to data provided by UBS, the average number of banks on an IPO of over $1 billion was 2.8 in 2007, 3 in 2008, 4.6 in 2009 and 5.4 in 2010. The trend is apparent in bonds as well: a fine example came on May 4th with the $500 million deal for India’s aptly-named Syndicate Bank, which featured no less than eight bookrunners: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, Citi, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, J.P.

Access intelligence that drives action

To unlock this research, enter your email to log in or enquire about access