Awards for Excellence 2019
Reclaiming the award it last won in 2017, First Abu Dhabi Bank is this year’s best bank for financing in the Middle East.
It has successfully retained top spot in Middle East league tables as loan bookrunner and as loan facility agent, closing about 190 syndicated, club and structured loan transactions over the past year and obtaining 68 new loan agency mandates. Its agency book totalled $134 billion.
In bonds and sukuk, not usually its strongest suit, the bank rose from fifth to third place, with 20 issues for a total amount of $2.09 billion. Overall, FAB raised about $20 billion globally for issuers.
In equity capital markets, FAB expanded its business to include certain international markets, being awarded four IPO mandates in London, Madrid and Hong Kong.
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Abdulhamid Saeed |
FAB’s internationalism under chief executive Abdulhamid Saeed is certainly a key differentiating factor when comparing the bank to its rivals in the region. FAB sees as its primary objective, as a financing bank, to be the main provider of Middle Eastern capital to local as well as foreign deals.