The top 10 investment banks in Latin America generated fees of just under $1 billion during the qualification period for this year’s Euromoney Awards for Excellence. Investment banking fees from issuers in Central America were roughly $150 million. Although still small compared with other areas of the world, the region’s economies and banking industry are still growing at rates that can’t be hoped for elsewhere, except in Asia ex-Japan. Brazil accounts for nearly 60% of Latin American fees. It still dominates the region, but one of this year’s main trends was the continued emergence of the rest of Latin America. Equity deals stalled in Brazil, but there was more activity elsewhere – for example from Colombia, Chile and Peru. Those markets should continue to be active as these countries’ economies grow and the companies operating in them achieve the scale needed to access the international capital markets. |