Best bank - Nova Ljunljanska Banka
Best debt house - RZB
Best M&A house - ABN Amro
Best local partner - Publikum
Nova Ljubljanska (NLB) still dominates the Slovenian banking sector by some way, with 44% of all banking assets in the country. But it remains dynamic and aggressively competitive. In September 2002, Belgian bank KBC bought 34% of NLB, and the investment has proved better than some of KBC's other acquisitions, such as Kredyt Bank in Poland. NLB's net income was down slightly on 2001, at Tr28 billion ($137 million) in September 2002 compared with Tr34 billion at the end of 2001. This was mainly because of declining interest rate margins and strong competition in corporate lending, in which NLB's share actually declined. But return on equity was still strong, at 24% before tax, and the bank's capital adequacy ratio improved to 11.9% from 10.5% in 2001.
RZB wins the best debt house award for its corporate bond issue for Nova Kreditna bank - one of the few corporate bonds from Slovenia in the past 12 months - and its leadership in the syndicated loan market.
ABN Amro wins the best M&A house award for having advised local firm Lek on its e876 million merger with Novartis in October 2002.