CIMB Investment Bank is a force to be reckoned with in Malaysia. During Euromoney’s awards period, it led the way on both ECM and DCM – and with wide margins.

Under the leadership of president Khairussaleh Ramli, Maybank has exceeded the broader industry performance and achieved several milestones this year, for which it receives the award for Malaysia’s best bank. With total assets exceeding RM1 trillion ($212 billion) and a remarkable 17.5% rise in net profit to RM9.35 billion in 2023, the bank has grown while delivering record dividend payouts. Profit before tax was up 5.6% and return on equity rose to 10.8% from 9.6% in the previous year.

CIMB Niaga Syariah is Indonesia’s best international Islamic bank, having made good progress in digital and sustainability this year.

CIMB Investment Bank is Euromoney’s best Islamic project finance house this year following its work on a range of transactions throughout the year, and for one in particular that stood out for its innovation and national importance.

Prudence and caution was the mantra at CIMB Bank in the past year, and it served the bank and its chief executive Abdul Rahman Ahmad well. Revenues in 2022 rose 7.6% year on year, net profits before tax rose 38.1% and loans 5.6%. The bank also gained market share in mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

Best Investment Bank: CIMB

Why did CIMB sell half its international brokerage business to China Galaxy? It is a coincidence of interests: survival on one side, expansion on the other.

Malaysia’s quest to create a regional champion with a large Islamic bank came to an end when a plan for a three-way merger was scrapped. The country’s second-largest lender by assets is now retrenching to boost returns and eyeing strategic acquisitions.

CIMB power grab looks set to shake up the region’s banking landscape.

RBS signed a memorandum of understanding last month for the sale of its cash equities, ECM and corporate finance businesses in Asia. It was signed not with a western multinational, or an Australian such as Macquarie, but with Malaysia’s CIMB.

Malaysia’s best investment bank has its sights set across southeast Asia.