UBS has been in Malaysia since 1989 and was one of the few global investment banks to remain during the Asian financial crisis. Its commitment continued in the ensuing years as the Swiss bank slowly but steadily gained ground and grew market share in the country.
During Asiamoney’s awards period, UBS was active across equity capital markets as well as mergers and acquisitions. In ECM, UBS was sole placement agent for two block deals for sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional: a $41 million sell-down in Tenaga Nasional and a $41 million placement in CIMB. The mandate process for both was competitive, but UBS managed to beat its domestic and international peers to the deals. Both were done as club deals because of the small size and UBS’s reach into the investor base.
Another deal was a $60 million sell-down by private equity firm Creador in Mr DIY Group, a home improvement retailer, in February 2023. This was the largest block trade in southeast Asia in the consumer sector since August 2021 and Creador’s largest sale in Mr DIY since its IPO in 2020.
UBS,