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BMA wins deal of the year award from The Banker magazine

KARACHI: BMA Capital has been awarded the “Highly Commended” prize for M&A deals in Asia Pacific by The Banker Magazine in its annual “Deals of the Year (2009)” awards, published in its May issue. The “highly commended” prize is for the second best M&A deal of the year in Asia. The award is for the work BMA did as the sell side advisor to Saudi Pak Industrial & Agricultural Investment Company (“SAPICO”) on the sale of a 68% stake in Saudi Pak Commercial Bank (“SPCB”). The Banker is an English-language monthly international financial affairs publication owned by The Financial Times Ltd and edited in London. Its awards are amongst the most recognized and prestigious in the world of finance.

In the editorial of its May 2009 issue, the Banker says: “There were several serious contenders for best merger or acquisition (M&A) deal in Asia-Pacific this year. One of them was SAPICO’s successful sale of its 68% of SaudiPak Commercial Bank to an international consortium, advised by BMA Capital Management, against a very volatile political background”. In addition to the transaction closing in a very turbulent time, the multiple achieved for SPCB was extremely competitive and was one of the highest for any bank sale in recent memory. Moreover, the investor consortium for the bank was very credible and included the IFC, Bank Muscat International and Nomura European Investment Ltd.

In an email to BMA, The Banker wrote: “As you may know, we made these accolades harder to win this year as we decided to recognize achievements by region instead of by country. You narrowly missed out on winning the category above but the judges felt that the work you did on the SAPICO deal deserved a mention and so you have been “Highly Commended” for this.” The Banker Magazine award adds to the growing list of international recognitions that BMA has garnered, including league table credits for M&A transactions in Bloomberg, Thomsons Financial and Factset. BMA is the only Pakistani based corporate finance and advisory team having international recognition of this calibre, which reflects the landmark transactions successfully completed by BMA. In addition to the sale of SPCB, BMA has also successfully advised Etisalat on the US$2.6 billion acquisition of a 26% stake in PTCL and was the joint lead manager to the Government of Pakistan on the US$811 million GDR issue for OGDCL.

BMA Capital Management is amongst the leading investment groups in Pakistan. A full service investment house, BMA provides world-class integrated financial services to clients locally and globally. BMA’s areas of business consist of Capital Markets, Corporate Finance & Advisory, Asset Management, Financial Products Distribution, and Retail Brokerage. BMA Capital is the leader in privatisation advisory in Pakistan, and among Pakistan’s leading capital markets brokers. BMA Funds is a pioneer in Pakistan’s asset management industry. BMA has a comprehensive research portal with up-to-date company news, daily trade tips, and technical analysis available to customers at www.bmacapital.com. BMA’s core values are integrity, innovation, and above all serving the needs of our clients.