After the coronavirus outbreak, just as before it, Morgan Stanley has acted on an impressive array of the most pivotal financial institutions deals in the market. The $656 million IPO of US insurance comparison website Select Quote in May, for example, was vital in reopening the primary equity markets, especially for financial services, after the Covid-19 crash. Morgan Stanley was active bookrunner and stabilization agent.
While the Select Quote deal piggy-backed on investors’ rising interest in the acceleration of digital distribution during the coronavirus, it was also among the deals that reflect Morgan Stanley’s efforts to bolster its coverage of fintech and payments clients. Those moves had helped it advise Worldline on its €9.9 billion acquisition of Ingenico, announced just before the crisis. It was also global coordinator on the $2 billion IPO of Brazilian online stockbroker XP on Nasdaq in November.
As in other sectors, Covid-19 is creating winners and losers among financial institutions. XP’s shares, for example, rose by almost a quarter in the first half of 2020, even after the share price rallied strongly between its IPO and the end of 2019.