Best Bank
Emirates Bank Group
Best debt house
HSBC
Best equities house
Shuaa Capital
Through its Emirates Bank International and Emirates Financial Services divisions, the Emirates Bank Group has developed one of the most enviable corporate and investment banking businesses in the UAE.
Its financial performance may not be quite as impressive as that of last year?s winner, Mashreq Bank, but Emirates Bank Group has been the more active of the two in the high-profile deals of the last year. As well as working on a number of the big project finance deals, the bank secured a role in all but one of the five bond deals in the UAE over the past 12 months.
HSBC, however, wins the award for best debt house in the UAE, because of its leadership role in the most innovative and groundbreaking transactions. HSBC was sole bookrunner on Emirates Airlines? debut $500 million seven-year Eurobond in March 2004. The deal is the first-ever unsecured corporate bond issue from a Gulf Cooperation Council country, the largest-ever unrated bond issue by an airline, and the largest issue from any airline in nearly 15 years.