Siam Commercial Bank
Thailand can be a tough place in which to operate, but Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) can at times make it look easy, with profits up last year and non-performing loans down. But it’s the lender’s twin beating hearts – corporate banking and investment banking – that really pump the blood around the body.
When it comes to corporate banking, SCB is ahead of the pack: innovative, aggressive, and willing to put its money to work to help valued clientele.
Scroll through a list of recent big debt and equity transactions, and the bank is usually well represented. It topped the ECM league tables in the 12 months to the end of May 2017, with a market share of nearly one fifth, putting it streets ahead of CIMB and Tisco. It continued to rule the roost in the mergers and acquisitions world, outpacing CIMB and Phatra Securities.
Important capital markets deals over the last year include the $174 million initial public offering for Bangkok-based WH Utilities and Power, which was completed in April 2017 and led by Siam Commercial Bank and CLSA.
Two more stand-out deals expected in late 2017 or early 2018 involve a long-awaited $500 million initial stock sale by independent power producer Gulf Group, and a $180.5 million debt refinancing by Laos-based hydroelectric concern Nam Ngum 2 Power.
Both transactions will be co-led by Siam Commercial Bank.