In May this year, when José Olympio Pereira assumed the role of chief executive of Brazil for Credit Suisse, Brazilian financial newspaper Valor Econômico’s headline hailed it as a promotion for the country’s "King of IPOs". The headline alluded to Olympio (previously co-head of the Swiss bank’s Brazilian investment banking operation) being credited with bringing more than 70 IPOs to market in Brazil since 2004. What the report didn’t consider was the possibility that Olympio’s coronation at Credit Suisse Brazil was coming at the same time as the bank was losing its equities crown.
Statistics would suggest it is a question worth asking. The bank’s last IPO was Abril Educação, in July 2011. In 2012 to date, approaching the end of the year, Credit Suisse is ranked 10th in Brazilian equity issuance by volume: the bank’s market share is 2.8% this year compared with a fourth-place ranking in 2011 (with an 11.9% of share of volumes) and second position in the league table for 2010 (10.7%). Four local investment banks are packed into the top five places: BTG Pactual; Banco do Brasil; Bradesco BBI and Itaú BBA. In February this year, Credit Suisse tried to repeat its 2011 (when it opened the year’s IPO market with a deal for shoemaker Arezzo) by leading on the proposed IPO of Brasil Travel.
