Barclays has been named Middle East Financial Services Advisor of the Year 2019 in the prestigious Mergermarket M&A awards, in recognition of its leadership in the Financial Institutions space.

According to Mergermarket, the award is based on a number of factors, including Barclays’ commitment to client service and excellence, the high profile of advisory and capital market transactions and the banks global reach and execution capabilities.

Khaled ElDabag, Barclays head of Banking, Mena and David Nataf, Barclays head of Banking, Central Eastern Europe Mena (CEEMENA) jointly commented: “This award by Mergermarket is a testament to our strong presence in the Middle East, one of Barclays’ priority markets. It recognises that our regional expertise, combined with senior advice and global reach, provides clients with unmatched advisory and execution services.  

“We’ll continue to work closely with our teams around the world to deliver seamless execution to our clients in the region.”

The 2019 Mergermarket award can be credited to a series of transactions Barclays has been involved in, including a complex $17 billion three-way merger between ADCB, UNB and Al Hilal banks where Barclays acted as exclusive advisor to ADCB and the $300 million recapitalisation of Investbank by the Government of Sharjah where Barclays acted as exclusive advisor to Investbank.

In Equity Capital Markets, Barclays successfully completed in April and May this year the landmark London Stock Exchange listings of Network International (GBP2.2 billion IPO) and Finablr (GBP1.2 billion IPO).

Hazem Shish, head of Financial Institutions Group, Middle East, Turkey and Africa added: “We are delighted to receive this award, which also reflects the quality of our people and the high profile of the transactions we’ve been involved in.

“Financial institutions across the Middle East are facing up to the challenge of increasing competition and uncertain macroeconomic conditions by considering the benefits of scale and the result is an environment that is conducive to further bank consolidation. We look forward to continuing to grow our financial institution franchise in the Middle East over the next 12 months.”

Francesco Ceccato, Barclays co-head of EMEA Financial Institutions Group for Banking added: “The MENA business is a powerful contributor to our overall FIG business in the broader region, as can been seen from recent transactions. We are delighted to see our franchise strength recognized by this award.”

In addition to the Mergermarket awards, Barclays was recently also recognised as the ‘Best Foreign Investment Bank in the Middle East’ by EMEA Finance at the Middle East Banking Awards 2018. – TradeArabia News Service