For a global firm, Citi has an unrivalled local presence in emerging markets. This provides it with relationships, corporate intelligence and the balance sheet from which to leverage investment banking mandates. It can also overlay global industry expertise that is critical for many of the tech-driven deals that have been at the centre of Asia’s investment banking volumes in recent years – and will increasingly be so in Africa and Latin America.
Jan Metzger, Citi’s head of Asia-Pacific banking, capital markets and advisory (BCMA), sees emerging markets as ahead of developed markets in this respect.
“I believe that emerging markets are a time machine to the future – the use of technology across global emerging markets is 12 years ahead of developed markets. The Covid-19 pandemic is just accelerating this discrepancy: for example, the growth in telemedicine in lower-tier cities in Asia has been immense as the physical health infrastructure and primary care doctors often aren’t there in these places but the internet works. So, we are seeing a jump to the next stage of telemedicine.