20 November 2019
Absa Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) claimed top honours in the 12th EMEA Finance African Banking Awards for 2019 when it was awarded Best Investment Bank in Africa; it also won Best Investment Bank in Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia as well the Best Equity House in Mozambique and the Best Loan House in South Africa.
“We are honored to be chosen as the best investment bank in Africa at these highly respected industry awards, and it is testament to the hard work the team have put in to make our business more and more client focused while ensuring we deliver to the level expected of a leading investment bank. We have seen a growing appetite by our clients to invest and expand across the continent, both in the markets that Absa operates in and in non-presence countries. We are here to provide the solutions that help our clients realise their ambitions across this continent”, says Absa CIB CEO Charles Russon.
The awards recognise the achievements of retail and investment banks as well as their asset management and brokerage operations across the combined emerging Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions.
David Renwick, Head: Investment Banking Division says, “Absa owes these achievements to incredible partnerships it has built with its clients and the talented teams within the business that continuously demonstrate world-class expertise and capabilities across a range of solutions and markets for clients in Africa. These included various Advisory, Capital Raising and Financing mandates, in addition being the joint-lead arranger in the first social bond ever raised by a corporate in Africa.”
The other notable achievement for the bank was its selection as joint book-runner on the Airtel Africa Plc dual IPO on the London and Nigerian Stock Exchanges, where Absa was also Joint Issuing House in Nigeria as well. Renwick says this was the largest African IPO since 2018 and the largest ever IPO on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Barclays Tanzania Managing Director Abdi Mohamed says, “We are honoured to be receiving this award. We thank our customers and all our stakeholders for the ongoing support. As we transition our brand to Absa over the coming months we will continue to focus on innovation, service delivery, and bringing possibility to life for our customers.”
These awards speak to how Absa is pushing the financial boundaries by developing new propositions that remove obstacles and reduce our client’s pain points, in addition to being a socially responsible bank in all the markets where we operate.
MD of Barclays Bank Zambia Mizinga Melu says, “We are honoured to be the recipient of the 12th EMEA award. Being recognised for this prestigious award is testimony of our Corporate and Investment Banking capabilities that are anchored on supporting the growth of key sectors of our economy, building strong partnerships with our clients as well as connecting clients to larger markets through our regional and global footprint. As we embark on our journey to Absa, we will continue to provide our customers with innovative banking solutions that not only meet their needs, but help to shape the banking sector in Zambia,” she said.
