Headline: Argentina Source: Euromoney Date: July 2001
Banco Rio Best debt house JPMorgan Best equity house BSCH Best M&A house Morgan Stanley There are three large, good banks in Argentina: Banco Rio, owned by BSCH; Banco Francés, owned by BBVA, and Galicia, which remains independent. Of the three, Banco Rio had the highest net income in 2000, despite having fewer loans and fewer deposits than Galicia. Its cost-to-income ratio improved to 45% in 2000 from 50.7% in 1999, keeping it the most efficient bank in the country. It also has a rock-solid 18.9% capital base. Rio’s return on equity, at 15.9%, is roughly the same as that of Francés, and higher than that of Galicia. But it still remains well below BSCH’s target of 25%. BSCH also picks up the best equity house award, unsurprisingly for a house that has been the number one trader on the Buenos Aires stock exchange since July 1995. That said, it had very little competition. The Argentine equity market is worth just $21 billion in total, or 7.4% |