The retrenchment that Citi has made in the retail markets of central America has clearly not impacted its dominance of corporate and investment banking in the region. It wins the award for central America’s best investment bank again this year.
Led in the region by Pablo del Valle, cluster head for central America and the Caribbean, the bank claimed an impressive range of mandates this year, dominated by debt capital markets.
In Costa Rica, Citi led on $400 million of sustainability-linked notes for Liberty Costa Rica, closing the deal with a 10.875% coupon – the first Costa Rican private corporate bond in the international markets. Citi’s ability to combine an inaugural bond offering with sustainability elements shows that such environmental, social and governance-led fixed income deals can bring high-yield companies in the region to new international investors.
Other important deals include the liability-management exercise for the Dominican Republic, with fresh issuance paying for the retirement of higher-yielding bonds.